Pretty good early high jump battle at Toms River, with Highland’s Jayden DeLeon and Rahway’s Rolando Simpson both clearing 6-8 in the South Jersey Track Coaches Association #1 meet at the Bubble.
DeLeon matched the No. 4 performance ever by a Camden County vaulter indoors.
Unfortunately, the official results don’t show field event series, so we can’t tell you how DeLeon had the edge over Simpson. Note to whoever does the results for these Bubble meets: Field event series. Post them.
In any case, DeLeon smashed his indoor PR of 6-4, which he set last December at one of the SJTCA meets, also at the Bubble. He did clear 6-8 outdoors when he won the South Jersey Group 3 meet at Somerset.
DeLeon is the first South Jersey jumper to clear 6-8 indoors since Willingboro’s Nate Robinson when he placed 2nd at the 2020 Meet of Champions at Ocean Breeze, and he’s the first from Camden County since Larry Russell Jr. of Timber Creek back in 2014, when he won the state Group 4 title at the Bubble.
Simpson cleared 6-10 last spring at North 2 Group 3 sectionals at Warren Hills and he went on to win the Meet of Champions at Pennsauken with a 6-8. His previous indoor PR was 6-4 from last year’s MoC at Ocean Breeze.
Here’s at look at the all-time South Jersey indoor performance list:
7-4 1/4 … Mike Morrison [Willingboro], 2003
7-0 … Terry Ferguson [Cherry Hill West], 1987
6-11 … Mike Pascuzzo [Lenape], 1980
6-10 ¾ … Paul Klemic [Mainland Reg.], 1999
6-10 … Damon Julian [Edgewood], 1984
6-10 … Raffael Craig [Millville], 1999
6-10 … Josh Butler [Delsea], 2006
6-10 … Devin Bradham [Williamstown], 2015
6-10 … Ameer Banks [Delsea], 2015
6-9 … Andrew Athias [Cherry Hill East], 2011
6-8 ¼ … Mike Murawski [Holy Cross], 2003
6-8 … Barry Anderson [Rancocas Valley], 1977
6-8 … Chris Walsh [Shawnee], 1983
6-8 … Derek King [Cumberland Reg.], 1983
6-8 … Scott Harrison [Willingboro], 1984
6-8 … Kerry Vivett [Edgewood], 1985
6-8 … Ed Malone [Gloucester], 1986
6-8 … Jim Bowles [Rancocas Valley], 1986
6-8 … J.C. Slocum [Bordentown], 1989, 1990
6-8 … Jamal Sanders [Bridgeton], 1994
6-8 … Desmond Powell [Oakcrest], 1994
6-8 … Ryan O’Connell [Mainland Reg.], 1994
6-8 … Victor Mallory [Penns Grove], 1995
6-8 … Ernesto Colon [Pleasantville], 1995
6-8 … Jamal Ames [Vineland], 2004
6-8 … Uchenna Njoku [Cherry Hill East], 2009
6-8 … Ed Kramer [Cherokee], 2010
6-8 … Jeffrey-Jon Tucker [Eastern], 2013
6-8 … Larry Russell [Timber Creek], 2014
6-8 … Tariq Adams [Pleasantville], 2015
6-8 … Nate Robertson [Willingboro], 2020
6-8 … Jayden DeLeon [Highland], 2024
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 