We didn’t forget South Jersey’s schools that made the trip to Hillsborough and Jackson for the Central Jersey sectionals this weekend.
So here are 10 highlights from the Central Jersey Group 1 and 4 meets at Hillsborough and the Group 2 and 3 meets at Jackson Liberty.
1. Florence sophomore Leaire Williams won the Central Jersey Group 1 long jump with a lifetime-best 21-4 ¼, which makes him the top sophomore in South Jersey this year and the No. 4 seed in the state Group 1 meet. Williams came into the season with a PR of 19-6 from last spring and has improved nearly two feet in the last month.
2. Florence senior Darien Woody remains unbeaten this year in the triple jump, winning his 2nd straight sectional title at 43-10 ½ – just half an inch off his PR from the Burlington County Open at Northern. Woody also took 2nd to Williams in the long jump at 20-6 ¼ and was 4th in the 100 with a 11.37.
3. Florence junior Barone VanKline won the 100 in 11.06 after a 11.01 in the prelims, placed 2nd in the 200 in 22.48 and anchored Florence’s winning 400-meter relay team, which also included Woody leading off, Elijah Quinn and Damien Ricketts and ran 43.88 in the 1st event of the weekend. With Williams, Woody and VanKline combining for 60 points including the relay, Florence placed 3rd overall with 72 points in Central Jersey Group 1.
4. Bordentown senior Brock Schenck won an outstanding Group 2 discus competition with senior Nate Riello of Point Pleasant Borough, with Schenck winning by four feet with a throw of 173-8. Results don’t show field series, unfortunately. Schenck threw just eight inches off his lifetime-best 174-4 from his win at the County Open. Schenck and Riello are the top two seeds at states this weekend. Schenck, who didn’t throw until junior year, had a PR of 138-2 coming into his senior year.
5. Burlington Township junior Dylan Fitzpatrick won the Central Jersey Group 3 javelin with a big seven-foot lifetime-best 177-4, leading three Falcons in the top five. Senior Dylan Zerillo was 3rd at 159-0 and junior Anthony Barber was 5th at 151-10. Fitzpatrick, who has improved more than 30 feet since last year, is the No. 1 seed at states.
6. Overall, Burlington Township placed 4th in CJ-3 with 52 points, only 18 behind team champion Robbinsville. Other big performances came from senior George Sackie, who placed 2nd in the 110-meter highs in a huge PR 14.45 and is the No. 2 seed at states, sophomore Solomon Wesley, who broke 11 seconds for the first time in the 100 and paced 4th in 10.96, sophomore Quayd Hendryx, who also broke 11 for the first time with a 10.99 in the 100 trials before placing 6th in 11.02, senior Brandon Afrifa, 5th in the high hurdles with a PR 15.03, and the 400-meter relay team of Afrifa, Hendryx, junior Yeator Tappia and Wesley, who placed 2nd in 43.16.
7. Northern Burlington junior Liliah Gordon won the Central Jersey Group 3 1,600 in 5:03.80 and was 2nd in the 3,200 in 10:59.36. She’ll be the No. 2 seed in the 32 and the No. 3 seed in the 16 at states. Gordon has now won eight sectional titles in track and cross country with another full season to go.
8. Gordon also ran on Northern’s winning 3,200-meter relay team along with junior Zoe Chou, junior Kayla Leonhardt and sophomore Emma Price. They ran 9:40.98 – no splits available on the results site but they’re the No. 2 seed at states, behind only Ocean City and 10th-fastest in New Jersey this year. Also, NBC freshman Maryam Fall placed 3rd in the triple jump with a PR 34-2 ½ and senior Amara Campbell placed 3rd in both sprints with a 12.42 and 25.78.
9. Northern senior Chibuike Udodi and junior Edson Raymond placed 3rd and 4th in the CJ-3 long jump, Udodi with a 20-11 and Raymond with 20-9 ¾.
10. For the Florence girls, sophomore Zoe Saunders won the 100-meter hurdles in 15.73 and placed 2nd in the 400-meter hurdles in 1:10.82, both big PRs. According to MileSplit, Saunders did not hurdle as a freshman and didn’t contest the highs until the Burlington County Open on May 11 or the intermediates until the BCSL Championships on May 18.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 