Senior Bennett Wright, juniors Benjamin Andrus, Luke Andressen, Ryan Gibson and junior Peter Simpson combined for 60 points in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, the 4-by-8 team picked up a win and Haddonfield rode those points and 21 others to its first sectional title in nine years this weekend at Delsea.
Wright [4:26.47], Andrus [4:26.75] and Andressen [4:32.33] went 1-2-3 in the 1,600, Andressen [9:37.87], Gibson [9:39.36] and Simpson [9:52.11] went 1-2-3 in the 3,200, and Wright [1:56.14] and Simpson [1:57.88] went 2-4 in the 800 for Haddonfield, which finished with a 91-84 margin of victory over Haddon Heights in the South Jersey Group 2 meet.
Haddonfield’s distance team also won the 4-by-8, with Andrus, senior Case Hurly, freshman Augustan Coley and junior John Leibrandt running 8:06.32.
The title was Haddonfield’s ninth overall but first since the 2016 team won South Jersey Group 2. The Bulldogs also won Group 3 in 1968, Group 1 in 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988 and 1993 an Group 2 in 2015.
Their nine South Jersey sectional championships are tied for 6th-most, behind Willingboro [17], Penns Grove [15], Winslow Township [14], Woodbury [13] and Bridgeton [10].
Senior Brant Nicholls also picked up a win for Haddonfield with a 13-6 clearance in the pole vault, senior sprinter Kai Richards took 3rd in the 100 in 10.97 and 6th in the 200 in 22.38 and sophomore Harrison Berman ran 16.12 for 5th in the 110-meter high hurdles.
Haddonfield also picked up two points in the 1,600-meter relay, which closed out Day 1 of the rescheduled meet. Richards, senior Connor Williams, sophomore Jack Brand and Andressen ran 3:30.72 for 5th place.
Sterling senior Bright John won a wild 100-meter dash that saw the first five finishers all run within 10-100ths of a second of each other. John won 10.94, followed by Haddon Heights junior Kani Golden and Richards, with Haddon Heights senior Daniel Furlong [11.03] 5th.
Golden won the 110-meter hurdles in 14.99 and the 200 in 22.04, so that’s 28 points for the Haddon Heights junior.
Gloucester City senior Ryan James doubled the high jump at 6-4 and triple jump at 44-3 ¼.
Other winners: Gloucester senior Kadon Harris [56.30 400IH], Cedar Creek senior Mandel Pettiford [168-2 discus] and Seneca junior Colin Smith [169-9 javelin]
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 