From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank

\Junior Jaiden Steele raced to three 1^st-place finishes and a 2^nd to lead Camden to its 11^th state championship but first in 20 years.

Camden edged Hasbrouck Heights 46-45 to win the state Group 1 meet in Somerset. It was the first Group 1 state meet decided by one or fewer points since 2007, when Metuchen edged Woodbury 45-44 at South Plainfield. Glassboro was 3^rd with 38 ½ points, with Woodstown 4^th with 38 and Clayton 6^th with 32.

This is the Panthers’ 11^th state championship but first since 2005, when they defeated Colts Neck 55-42 to win Group 3.

Camden also won state titles in Group 4 in 1975, 1995, 1996 and 1997 and Group 3 in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2004.

Only five schools have won more state titles: Christian Brothers [28], Montclair [21], Glen Ridge [15], Willingboro [14] and Woodbury [13]. Palmyra and Plainfield have also won 11.

Steele repeatd as state champ in the 100 in 10.86, leading a 1-2-3 South Jersey finish with Burlington City junior Donte Davis [10.91] and Glassboro sophomore Xavier Sabb [10.96]. Steele won Group 2 last year.

He also ran on Camden’s two 1^st-place relay teams. The Panthers won the 400-meter relay in 42.50 with junior Christian Braxton, Steele, junior Chase Robinson and junior Wasi Muhammad and the 4-by-4 in 3:21.59 with Robinson, Muhammad, junior Jeremiah Steeley and Steele.

This is the first time Camden has ever won two relays at the same state meet and the first time they’ve won the 4-by-4 at states since 2004, when Alonzo Brown, Sherron Bullock, *Carl Smith, *Devon Burroughs ran 3:19.75.

Robinson also placed 4^th in the intermediate hurdles in 55.06 and Muhammad was 3^rd in the long jump at 21-4 ¾.

Senior Alexander Osayemi swept the 200 [22.04], 400 [47.81] and intermediates [52.79] to become the first Clayton boy ever to triple at states.

Woodstown junior Josh Crawford won the 800 in 1:53.44, with senior teammate Cole Lucas 3^rd in 1:55.01. Woodstown won the 4-by-8 without either one, if the official results are accurate. Woodstown ran 7:59.15, the fastest South Jersey Group 1 time ever and fastest by any New Jersey Group 1 school since Shore Regional ran 7:57.80 in 2017. Junior Karson Chew, sophomore David Farrell, sophomore Pacey Hutton and junior Jacob Marino are listed as Woodstown’s runners. Woodstown was also 2^nd in the 4-by-4 in 3:23.43 with Chew, sophomore Kyle Reitz, junior Anthony Costello and Crawford.

Crawford is Woodstown’s 1^st state champion since Brandon Bedillion won the javelin in 2015 and first ever on the track.

Other South Jersey winners were Palmyra senior Jaleel Latimore, Salem senior Anthony Parker and Haddon Township senior Jacob George.

Latimore cleared 6-6 and became Palmyra’s 1^st state high jump champion in 31 years, since Marvin Bass cleared 6-9 at the 1994 meet. Parker jumped 22-5 and became Salem’s first state long jump champ since Anthony Gregory’s 21-10 in 2007, finishing six inches ahead of Glassboro freshman Alex Adeleye’s 21-11. And  Jacob George cleared 14-6 to become Haddon Township’s 1^st state pole vault champ since Jason Groff in 2013.