Seniors Dominic Bassey and Jayden Poteat and junior KaRon Ali swept the 400-meter dash for 24 points on the way to the team title Saturday at the South Jersey Group 3 sectional championships in Toms River.
Winslow edged 2nd-place Delsea 70-64 to win its 3rd sectional title and first since 2020. The Eagles also won South Jersey Group 3 in 2008, the first year of indoor sectionals.
In that 24-point 400, Bassey ran an indoor PR 50.79 in his first 400 this winter for the win, Poteat ran 51.63 for 2nd and Ali was 3rd in 51.63.
Winslow also scored big points in the 55, with Poteat winning in 6.56 and Ali 4th in 6.65, and the 800, where Bassey ran 1:59.95 for 2nd and senior David Duran was 5th with an indoor-best 2:02.09.
Junior Prince Owos-Twum, Ali, Bassey and Poteat ran 3:27.67 to win the 4-by-4 and clinch the team title.
Julian Rich scored eight points with a 2nd-place in the 3,200 in 9:53.32, a PR for the Camden County Vo-Tech student, and senior Kristopher Jackson broke eight seconds for the first time in the hurdles, placing 5th in 7.98.
Delsea junior Matthew Littlehales swept the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 with 1:59.12, 4:27.75 and 9:50.44 and the Crusaders also got wins in the pole vault from senior Henry Cifaloglio at 14-6 and 58-7 in the shot from Jonathan Harris.
Depetford senior Ryan Sanchez ran a PR 7.42 to win the 55-meter hurdles. That’s fastest in New Jersey this year and No. 5 on the all-time Gloucester County list.
Highland senior Jayden DeLeon won the high jump with a monster 6-10 ¼ lifetime-best jump. That broke the overall meet record of 6-10 set in 2008 in Central Jersey Group 2 by Matawan’s Mike McGuiness and matched in 2010 by Summit’s Mark Jones in North 2 Group 2.
His clearance is No. 5 in South Jersey history and best since legendary Mike Morrison of Willingboro cleared 7-4 ¼ at the 2003 Nike Indoor Classic at the Prince George’s Sports & Learning Complex in Summerfield, Md. It’s also No. 13 in state history and No. 5 in the U.S. this year, according to the MileSplit national database.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 