Seniors Leila Ortiz, Miyana Johnson and Rainelle Blocker combined for 62 of 73 points, and the Clayton girls roared to their 3rd state Group 1 title in the last five years.
Ortiz won the 200-meter dash in 25.57 and the 400 in 57.42 and placed 2nd to Riverside’s Sydney Greenidge in the 100 in 12.40, ohnson was 2nd in the 200 in 25.94, 3rd in the 100 in 12.50 and 3rd in the high jump at 5-0 and Blocker won the javelin at 111-0 and was 4th in the shot at 35-10 ¾.
Ortiz and Johnson also ran on the Clippers’ winning 1,600-meter relay team as Clayton outscored 2nd-place Metuchen 73-56.
Clayton also won state Group 1 titles in 2001 and 2002. They’re the 1st to win three Group 1 titles in a five-year span since Glen Rock won four straight from 2000 through 2003.
Woodbury [29 points], Glassboro [28], Haddon Township [27], Audubon [22], Maple Shade [18], Riverside [16], Schalick [16] and Pennsville [16] made it nine South Jersey schools among the 12 highest-scoring teams.
Sophomore Gabrielle Pernell-Lipsey and junior Deondria Simon joined Johnson and Ortiz on the 4-by-4, which won with a 4:05.03.
Girls from Clayton, Burlington, Pennsville, Glassboro, Maple Shade, Schalick and Woodbury all scored wins in Somerset.
Glassboro junior Sunsarai Moore swept the two weights, winning the discus at 142-6 and the shot put at 39-9. Burlington sophomore Nyima Burley won the triple jump with a 35-9. Pennsville senior Megan Morris won the pole vault with a 10-6 clearance. Maple Shade sophomore Ciani Floyd edged Florence junior Zoe Saunders to win the 100 hurdles in 15.69. Schalick senior Jordan Hadfield won the 1,600 in 5:01.16, edging Audubon junior Riley Fayer [5:03.61]. And Woodbury senior Denirah Jones won the long jump at 17-0, leading a 1-2-3 sweep with Burley [16-10] and Haddon Township senior Jessica McGray [16-3].
Glassboro’s Moore led a 1-2-3-4 South Jersey sweep in the shot put, with Woodbury senior Antonia Federici 2ndat 37-0, Pennsville junior Tatiyonna Crawford 3rd at 36-9 and Clayton’s Blocker 4th.
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 