From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Ahmad Fogg had half as many attempts to pop a huge long jump Saturday, but it didn’t matter.

Fogg, a senior at Egg Harbor Township, sailed 24-2 ¾ to win the state Group 4 long jump championship at Franklin and move into a very strong all-time South Jersey top-10.

Fogg, limited to three jumps because of the one-day meet structure, went 22-7 on his first jump and fouled on his 2nd, but he came up huge on his final jump, breaking the Atlantic County record and recording the best jump by a South Jersey athlete in a decade.

Fogg was sitting in 2nd place going into his final jump but passed Hunterdon Central’s Damian Scouloukas [23-1 ¼] to become Egg Harbor’s 1st state long jump champion.

His jump is No. 10 in South Jersey history and best by a South Jersey jumper since Anthony Averett of Woodbury [25-2 ½] and Mikhail Micheaux of Eastern [24-3 ¾] in 2013.

He broke the Atlantic County record of 23-10 set by Atlantic City’s Steve Harper at the 1993 Group 4 sectionals in Bridgeton, and he moved into the No. 21 spot in state history.

It’s been a steady build for Fogg, who jumped 21-8 ½ as a sophomore and then 22-3 ½ as a junior. He improved to 22-8 at the South Jersey Elite at Delsea early last month, then surpassed 23 feet for the first time last weekend to win the Group 4 sectionals at Pennsauken.

Fogg will be the No. 1 seed in Wednesday’s Meet of Champions at Frankin.

Fogg also took 5th in the triple jump at states with a 44-11, just behind senior teammate Jamil Wilkins, who jumped 44-11 ½.

With the horizontal jump points, Mike Simeon’s 4th place in the shot put and senior Chris Griffin’s 5th place in the javelin, Egg Harbor placed 7th in Group 4 with 22 points.

All-Time South Jersey 24-Foot List
26-8 1/4 … Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1979
25-2 ½ … Anthony Averett [Woodbury], 2013
25-0 … William Spearmon [Woodrow Wilson], 1996
24-11 ½ … Anthony Miles [Winslow Twp.], 2002
24-8 ½ … Gerard Reynolds [Willingboro], 1989
24-8 … Isaac Samuels [Willingboro-Kennedy], 1983
24-6 ½ … Anthony Miles [Winslow Twp.], 2003
24-5 … Mike Morrison [Willingboro], 2003
24-3 ¾ … Mikhail Micheaux [Eastern], 2013
24-2 ¾ … Ahmad Fogg [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2023
24-1 … William Spearman [Woodrow Wilson], 1996
24-1 … Zach Bazile [St. Joe’s Montvale], 2014
24-0 ½ … Kerry Vivett [Edgewood], 1984
24-0 … Sherman Gramby [Elizabeth], 1986
24-0 … Donavan Anderson [Bergenfield], 2021

All-Time New Jersey Long Jump List
26-8 1/4 … Carl Lewis [Willingboro], 1979
25-6 ¼ … Greg Foster [Lawrenceville School], 2022
25-2 ½ … Anthony Averett [Woodbury], 2013
25-0 ½ … Corey Crawford [Indian Hills], 2010
25-0 … Justes Nance [Blair Academy], 2015
25-0 … William Spearmon [Woodrow Wilson], 1996
24-11 ½ … Renaldo Nehemiah [Scotch Plains], 1977
24-11 ½ … Anthony Miles [Winslow Twp.], 2002
24-11 … Darius Pemberton [Hackensack], 1993
24-8 ½ … Gerard Reynolds [Willingboro], 1989
24-8 … Isaac Samuels [Willingboro-Kennedy], 1983
24-6 ½ … Anthony Miles [Winslow Twp.], 2003
24-5 … Todd Baskerville [Rahway], 1984
24-5 … Brad Mayo [West Orange], 1984
24-5 … Mike Morrison [Willingboro], 2003
24-4 ½ … Eulace Peacock [Union], 1933
24-3 ¾ … Mikhail Micheaux [Eastern], 2013
24-3 ½ … Kaelen Mitchell [Piscataway], 2021
24-3 ¼ …Marcus Hickerson [Delbarton], 1987
24-3 ¼ … Nils Wildberg [Princeton], 2019
24-2 ¾ … Ahmad Fogg [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2023
24-2 ¼ … Ed Ryan [Barringer], 1938
24-1 ¾ … Mark Henry [Plainfield], 1980
24-1 ¾ … Evans Tobler [Trenton], 1984
24-1 ¾ … Ron Lewis [Asbury Park], 1994
24-1 ½ … Richie Cirner [Paramus], 1965
24-1 ½ … Derrick Horner [Don Bosco], 1989
24-1 … Bob Calhoun [Scotch Plains], 1974
24-1 … William Spearman [Woodrow Wilson], 1996
24-1 … Zach Bazile [St. Joe’s Montvale], 2014
24-0 ½ … Kerry Vivett [Edgewood], 1984
24-0 … Sherman Gramby [Elizabeth], 1986
24-0 … Donavan Anderson [Bergenfield], 2021