Over the next few weeks, we’ll spotlight 30 athletes who excelled during the outdoor track season that we didn’t have a chance to write about extensively. We’d love to write about every athlete in South Jersey, but that’s not practical. But we will try to spotlight some who may have gotten overlooked over the past few months. We apologize in advance if we don’t get to you or your son or daughter or an athlete you coach.
Today: Matthew Littlehales, Delsea
Delsea sophomore Matthew Littlehales followed an auspicious indoor season with a terrific outdoor season.
Indoors, Littlehales was the No. 2 sophomore in New Jersey at 4:21.71 at the state Group 3 meet [behind only Manalapan’s Clay Stevens, who ran 4:20.82], No. 4 in the 800 at 1:59.93 and No. 5 in the 3,200 [9:40.15]. He was fastest sophomore in South Jersey at all three distances.
This spring, Littlehales was the No. 2 sophomore half-miler in the state with his 1:54.93 to place 2nd at South Jersey Group 3 sectionals to Winslow junior Dominic Bassey.
That was fastest by a South Jersey sophomore since Rancocas Valley’s Jacob Tyndale ran 1:54.33 at 2016 Group 4 states at Egg Harbor and fastest ever by a Gloucester County sophomore.
Littlehales ran within about 1 ½ seconds of the Delsea school record of 1:53.49 set at Group 3 states at South Plainfield in 2011 by Steve Butenewicz.
Overall, Littlehales will be the 11th-fastest returner at 800 meters in the state and No. 2 in South Jersey, behind only Bassey.
In cross country last fall, Littlehales placed 4th at South Jersey Group 3 sectionals with a 16:07.51, fastest last year by a sophomore at DREAM Park.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 