It’s too often you get the opportunity to break a 55-year-old record. But that’s exactly what Millville senior Jamal Wallace did in Somerset on Saturday.
Wallace, who had a discus PR of 156-3 just three weeks ago, bombed a 182-5 to win the state Group 4 title and break a school record set in 1970.
At the 1970 Meet of Champions at Highland Park, Millville’s Jim Stites won the discus with a throw of 178-0, at the time a South Jersey record. That held up as Millville’s school record until Wallace smashed it on Saturday.
Wallace first took up the discus just 14 months ago and debuted last April at the Deptford Spartan Relays with a throw of 81-2. He threw 147-8 by the Cumberland County meet at Bridgeton last May and that remained his PR until a 156-3 at Delsea this past March. He improved to 159-3 at Woodbury and then surpassed 160 and 170 feet for the first time with a 176-3 to win the Cape-Atlantic Championships at Buena on May 10.
He won Group 4 sectionals at 171-9 and then on Saturday became Millville’s first state champion since Azim Smith won the Group 4 400-meter hurdles in 52.22 in 2001. The last Millville thrower to win states was Stites in Group 4 in 1970 with a 168-0. He also won the javelin that year with a 209-7.
Stites’ 182-5 makes him the No. 1 seed for Wednesday’s Meet of Champions at Pennsauken, and it’s the No. 2 throw all-time in Cumberland County, behind Braheme Days Jr.’s historic 216-11 to win the 1996 Golden West Invitational in Sacramento, Calif.
By the way, field series information is not available in the official results because the NJSIAA still thinks it’s 1987.
Wallace is the first South Jersey thrower to win the Group 4 discus since Egg Harbor Township’s James Plummer threw 188-4 in Group 2 in 2013.
His throw is No. 17 in South Jersey history and best by a South Jersey Group 4 thrower since 2013, when Days threw 199-6 when he won the Meet of Champions in South Plainfield and Plummer hit 197-0 when he won Greensboro Nationals.
All-Time South Jersey Discus list
216-11 … Ron Dayne [Overbrook], 1996
199-6 … Braheme Days Jr. [Bridgeton], 2013
197-0 … James Plummer [Egg Harbor Twp.], 2013
192-5 … Josh Awotunde [Delsea], 2013
191-11 … Franklin Simms [St. Augustine], 2022
189-7 … Ray Wilks [Bridgeton], 1995
185-11 … John Mooers [Middle Twp.], 2015
185-10 … Russ Willett [Penns Grove], 1985
185-7 … Matt Huckabee [Timber Creek], 2010
185-6 … Kamron Kobolak [Cinnaminson], 2018
185-5 … Ken Manahan [Deptford], 1976
184-8 … Damere Lassiter [Glassboro], 2023
184-4 … Adam Hunt [Collingswood], 2017
183-9 … Jason Nwosu [Delsea], 2022
183-4 … Janier Armstead [Penns Grove], 2023
183-2 … Anthony Liakhnovich [Hammonton], 2025
182-5 … Jamal Wallace [Millville], 2025
181-10 … Jason Winrow [Cumberland Reg.], 1989
181-10 … Shawn Brady [Bishop Eustace], 2024
180-3 … Howard Clark [Pennsauken], 1998
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 