Highland senior Jayden DeLeon became South Jersey’s first Meet of Champions high jump champ in 10 years Sunday at Ocean Breeze.
DeLeon, No. 11 in state history with his 6-10 ¼ clearance at sectionals, was the only competitor to clear 6-6. That made him the first South Jersey jumper to win the indoor MoC since Pleasantville’s Tyriq Adams cleared 6-8 in 2015 at the Bubble.
The last jumper from Camden County to win an indoor Meet of Champions was Cherry Hill West’s Terry Ferguson, who cleared 6-10 in 1987 at Jadwin Gym.
Edison senior David Brown, New Jersey’s other 6-10 jumper this year, placed 2nd at 6-4. Neither 6-8 jumper cleared 6-6 and only one of the four 6-6 jumpers cleared 6-4.
Brown is the only high jumper to defeat DeLeon this year. That happened at a SJTCA meet at the Ott Center in December, where Brown – who had a 6-2 PR last year – cleared 6-10 and DeLeon 6-6. His last loss to a South Jersey jumper was at last year’s Woodbury Relays, where he cleared 6-2 and was 3rd, behind Teron Murray of Camden [6-6] and Cinnaminson’s Derrick Robinson [6-2].
DeLeon is Highland’s 4th Meet of Champions winner. Kevin Pumphrey won the 3,200 in 1986 in 9:15.76, Steve Mazur won the 3,200 in 1992 in 9:32.71 and Floyd Whitaker doubled the horizontal jumps with 23-5 ½ and 46-3 ¼ in 2020.
South Jersey Indoor Meet of Champions High Jump Winners
1976 … Barry Anderson [Rancocas Valley], 6-6
1980 … Mike Pascuzzo [Lenape], 6-10
1984 … Scott Harrison [Willingboro], 6-8
1985 … Kerry Vivett [Edgewood], 6-8
1987 … Terry Ferguson [Cherry Hill West], 6-10
1998 … Raffael Craig [Millville], 6-6
1999 … Raffael Craig [Millville], 6-10
2000 … Paul Klemic [Mainland Reg.], 6-10
2002 … Mike Morrison [Willingboro], 7-1
2004 … Jamal Ames [Vineland], 6-6
2006 … Josh Butler [Delsea], 6-6
2015 … Tyriq Adams [Pleasantville], 6-8
2025 … Jayden DeLeon [Highland], 6-6
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 