From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

Cherokee senior Robert Poplau shattered a 23-year-old Burlington County record Sunday when he placed 3rd in the Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze in 1:53.45.

Poplau broke the hand-timed record of 1:54.8 set by Willingboro’s Marvin Lewis at 2001 Easterns at the Armory. The previous fastest FAT time was Zach McBride’s 1:55.14 a year later, also at Easterns at the Armory. Lewis’s time would convert to about 1:55.04 FAT.

Poplau’s previous PR was a 1:54.64 two weeks ago when he won the state Group 4 title at the Bubble. He ran 1:56.31 last spring. Poplau broke the 25-year-old Cherokee record of 1:56.02 set in 1999 by Dave Sitzer at states last month.

That 1:53.45 is also No. 5 in South Jersey history behind three Pleasantville runners – the Clark twins and Gabriel Moronta – and Kingsway’s Derrell Manhertz.

And it’s also 5th-fastest ever by a South Jersey runner at the Meet of Champions behind the same four half-milers.

Morris Knolls junior Luke Schagelin won the race in 1:51.93 and Passaic County Tech senior Raynier Galvez was 2nd in 1:53.19.

Egg Harbor senior Christopher Manzo placed 6th in 1:54.73, No. 9 in South Jersey history. He had just PR’d at 1:55.74 at the state Group 4 meet. Outdoors he ran 1:55.93 last spring at the Meet of Champions.

Winslow junior Dominic Bassey and Washington Township senior Daniel Torres – both racing out of the unseeded heat – also finished in the top 10 and ran big PRs. They were the top two finishers in the first of two sections.

Bassey smashed the Camden County indoor 800 record of 1:55.92 set by Pennsauken’s Bryce Tucker in a SJTCA meet last winter at Ocean Breeze. He was the No. 2 underclassman overall and lowered his PR from 1:56.66 at last year’s Easterns to 1:55.33 and placed 9th overall, No. 9 in South Jersey history.

Bassey is also the fastest South Jersey underclassman since Moronta ran 1:54.41 at the 2019 Meet of Champions at the Bubble, and he’s the No. 3 underclassman in New Jersey this year.

Torres – in his first indoor season – dropped his PR a whopping 2 ½ seconds from 1:59.15 at a SJTCA meet at the Bubble to 1:56.66 and took 10th overall.

All-Time South Jersey Indoor 800 List
1:51.52 … Jacob Clark [Pleasantville], 2013
1:51.72 … Isaac Clark [Pleasantville], 2013
1:51.80 … Derrell Manhertz [Kingsway], 2013
1:52.46 … Gabriel Moronta [Pleasantville], 2020
1:53.45 … Robert Poplau [Cherokee], 2024
1:53.51 … Alan Laws [Pleasantville], 2007
1:53.68 … Ishmael Muhammad [Oakcrest], 2013
1:54.53 … Stone Caraccio [Kingsway], 2020
1:54.73 … Christopher Manzo [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2024
1:54.80 … Marvin Lewis [Willingboro], 2001
1:54.81 … Bill Dolan [Clearview], 2013
1:54.82 … Xavier Fraction [Washington Twp.], 2009
1:55.00 … Steve Butenewicz [Delsea], 2011
1:55.14 … Shannon Sherrer [Vineland], 2002
1:55.14 … Zach McBride [Lenape], 2002
1:55.16 … Joe Lewis [Pleasantville], 1998
1:55.16 … Tivo Rivera [Kingsway], 2009
1:55.19 … Isaiah Curbelo [Rancocas Valley], 2016
1:55.19 … Jayden Greene [Washington Twp.], 2020
1:55.42 … Kevin Cianfarino [West Deptford], 2014
1:55.33 … Dominic Bassey [Winslow Twp.], 2024
1:55.3h … Tony Uzdavines [Williamstown], 1976
1:55.77 … Carmen Cavella [Washington Twp.], 2004
1:55.84 … Matt Poskus [Cinnaminson], 2007
1:55.92 … Bryce Tucker [Pennsauken], 2023
1:55.93 … Derek Gess [Haddonfield], 2017

All-Time Atlantic County Indoor Top-10
1:51.52 … Jacob Clark [Pleasantville], 2013
1:51.72 … Isaac Clark [Pleasantville], 2013
1:52.46 … Gabriel Moronta [Pleasantville], 2020
1:53.51 … Alan Laws [Pleasantville], 2007
1:53.68 … Ishmael Muhammad [Oakcrest], 2013
1:54.73 … Christopher Manzo [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2024
1:55.16 … Joe Lewis [Pleasantville], 1998
1:56.13 … Joe Lewis [Pleasantville], 1998
1:56.43 … Eric Barnes [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2017
1:56.73 … Dan Galeano [Absegami], 2010

All-Time Burlington County Indoor Top-10
1:53.45 … Robert Poplau [Cherokee], 2024
1:54.80 … Marvin Lewis [Willingboro], 2001
1:55.14 … Zach McBride [Lenape], 2002
1:55.19 … Isaiah Curbelo [Rancocas Valley], 2016
1:55.84 … Matt Poskus [Cinnaminson], 2007
1:56.02 … Dave Sitzer [Cherokee], 1999
1:56.2h … Roger Lawyer [Willingboro], 1988
1:56.37 … Ian Waterhouse [Rancocas Valley], 2004
1:56.46 … Jalen Jones [Burlington Twp.], 2017
1:56.52 … Rob Novak [Bordentown], 2005

All-Time Camden County Top-10
1:56.66 … Dominic Bassey [Winslow Twp.], 2024
1:55.92 … Bryce Tucker [Pennsauken], 2023
1:55.93 … Derek Gess [Haddonfield], 2017
1:56.49 … Greg Pelose [Haddonfield], 2016
1:56.50 … Brian Laskowski [Bishop Eustace], 2008
1:56.4h … Chris Platt [Haddonfield], 2005
1:56.60 … Andrew Rivielo [Eastern], 2003
1:56.75 … Bryce Tucker [Pennsauken], 2020
1:56.87 … Billy Clewell [Camden Catholic], 2022
1:57.50 … Yarayah Hawkins [Highland], 2019

All-Time Meet of Champions 800 List
1:50.90 … Colin Boler [Delbarton], 2023 [1]
1:51.72 … Isaac Clark [Pleasantville], 2013 [1]
1:51.80 … Derrell Manhertz [Kingsway], 2013 [2]
1:51.93 … Luke Schagelin [Morris Knolls], 2024 [1]
1:52.89 …… Schagelin, 2023 [2]
1:52.15 … Jacob Clark [Pleasantville], 2013 [3]
1:52.18 … Rey Rivera [Old Bridge], 2017 [1]
1:52.24 … Allen Eke [Union Catholic], 2012 [1]
1:52.46 … Gabriel Moronta [Pleasantville], 2020 [1]
1:52.67 … A.J. Chavez [West Windsor-Plainsboro-South], 2012 [2]
1:52.70….Charlie Stock [Westfield], 2022 [1]
1:52.76 … Nicholas Medeiros [Old Bridge], 2020 [2]
1:52.81 … Kyle Reers [Delaware Valley], 2020 [3]
1:53.19 … Raynier Galvez [Passaic County Tech], 2024 [2]
1:53.26 … Elijah Brown [Union Catholic], 2020 [4]
1:53.33 … Jared Mason [West Orange], 2012 [3]
1:53.45 … Robert Poplau [Cherokee], 2024 [3]
1:53.68 … Ishmael Muhammad [Oakcrest], 2013 [4]
1:53.72 … Jalen Ridgeway [Toms River North], 2020 [5]
1:53.77 … Dylan Decambre [Bergen County Vo-Tech], 2023 [3]
1:53.83 … Patrick Coyle [Red Bank Catholic], 2024 [4]
1:53.7h … Jean Destine [Elizabeth], 1991 [1]
1:53.90 … James Buser [Mahwah], 2013 [5]
1:53.95 … Joe White [DePaul], 2014 [1]
1:53.95 … Blaik Slavinski [Point Pleasant Boro], 2023 [4[
1:53.98 … Elijah Brown [Union Catholic], 2019 [1]