On Tuesday, we took a look at every South Jersey school that’s qualified for the Penn Relays Championship of America girls 1,600-meter relay with the possibility that both Pennsauken and Winslow could make it to Friday this week.
There is no Championship of America favorite this year in the boys races, although many schools haven’t run a full-strength 4-by-4 and with good weather anything is possible.
So far only Burlington Township has run sub-3:20, and that was a 3:19.34 back on opening weekend of track season at the Don Danser Invitational at Rancocas Valley on April 4. The Falcons used Solomon Wesley, Jaydin Macklin, Robert Proctor and Jaylen Porter in that race.
Also under 3:25 are Deptford [3:20.51], Camden [3:20.94], Timber Creek [3:21.72] and Eastern [3:21.74].
The South Jersey small-school race is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. Saturday, with the large-school race at 12:10 p.m. The nine-fastest 4-by-4’s advance to the Championship of America race at 5:45 p.m. Saturday.
Deptford and Camden are in the Small-School race, and Burlington Township, Timber Creek and Eastern will be in the Large-School race.
Camden has the meet records for both the Small-School and Large-School races. Camen ran 3:12.36 in 2001 to set the the Large-School record and and 3:18.30 in 2005 to set the Small-School record.
Unlike the girls, South Jersey boys are in a CoA drought that has seen only one school qualify in the last 20 years, and that was Pleasantville in 2019.
Camden in 2001 and Winslow in 2004 both won the CoA race, Camden with Maurice Young, Dwight Ruff, Jade Smith, John Morris running 3:11.30 and Winslow in 2004 running 3:13.71 with Keith Harrington, Frank Jackson, Brandon Grantham and Reuben McCoy.
Here’s a look at the fastest 4-by-4 times South Jersey schools have run at Penn, with Camden and Edgewood/Winslow responsible for the top nine times.
3:11.30 … Camden, 2001 Championship of America [1st]
3:11.47 … Winslow Twp., 2003 Championship of America [2nd]
3:12.14 … Edgewood, 1985 Championship of America [3rd]
3:12.36 … Camden, 2001 South Jersey Large School [1st]
3:13.71 … Winslow Twp., 2004 Championship of America [1st]
3:13.7h … Edgewood, 1984 South Jersey [1st]
3:14.71 … Camden, 2000 Championship of America [5th]
3:14.78 … Winslow Twp., 2004 South Jersey Large School [1st]
3:14.95 … Winslow Twp., 2003 South Jersey Large School [1st]
3:14.95 … Willingboro, 2003 South Jersey Large School [2nd]
And here’s a look at every South Jersey school that’s reached the boys Championship of America:
1983
3:16.50 … Edgewood, 6th [Keith Gloster, Darren Johnson, Lee Jerkins, Dennis Mitchell]
1984
3:17.67 … Edgewood, 3rd [Lee Jerkins, Chris Chambers, Keith Gloster, Dennis Mitchell]
1985
3:12.14 … Edgewood, 3rd [Chris Chambers, Leroy Smith, Lee Jerkins, Brian Bennett]
1993
3:18.85 … Willingboro, 5th [Kenyon Reid, Sean Morton, Scott Jones, Barry Douglas]
1996
3:18.78 … Woodrow Wilson, 5th [Mike Robinson, William Spearman, Daine Chang, Gregory Arnett]
3:25.74 … Camden, 8th [Albert Newkirk, Floyd Ingals, Cory Alston, Kenny Fussell]
1997
3:18.42 … Camden, 7th [Corey Alston, Floyd Ingals, Sean Brown, Albert Newkirk]
2000
3:14.71 … Camden, 5th [Byron Oliver, Dwight Ruff, James Williams, Jade Smith]
2001
3:11.30 … Camden, 1st [Maurice Young, Dwight Ruff, Jade Smith, John Morris]
2002
3:17.84 … Winslow, 6th [Antraye Miles, Duan Freeman, Anthony Miles, Dante Freeman]
3:18.58 … Camden, 8th [Michael Levinson, Maurice Young, Jamar Ervin, Jade Smith]
2003
3:11.47 … Winslow Twp., 2nd [Anthony Miles, Dante Freeman, Duan Freeman, Antraye Miles]
3:19.10 … Vineland, 6th [Shannon Sherer, Marcus Lee, Dale Coleman, Schaefer Sherrer]
2004
3:13.71 … Winslow Twp., 1st [Keith Harrington, Frank Jackson, Brandon Grantham, Reuben McCoy]
3:15.33 … Camden, 2004 3rd [Dwayne Lewis, Sherron Bullock, Alonzo Brown, Carl Smith]
2005
3:17.83 … Winslow Twp. [Darwin Barber, Derek Rodgers, Brandon Grantham, Frank Jackson], 6th
2019
3:23.33 … Pleasantville [Quentin Bundy, Gabriel Moronta, Jalen Freeman, Sahmir Jones], 6th
All-Time South Jersy Sub-3:20 times at Penn
3:11.30 … Camden, 2001 Championship of America [1st]
3:11.47 … Winslow Twp., 2003 Championship of America [2nd]
3:12.14 … Edgewood, 1985 Championship of America [3rd]
3:12.36 … Camden, 2001 South Jersey Large School [1st]
3:13.71 … Winslow Twp., 2004 Championship of America [1st]
3:13.7h … Edgewood, 1984 South Jersey [1st]
3:14.71 … Camden, 2000 Championship of America [5th]
3:14.78 … Winslow Twp., 2004 South Jersey Large School [1st]
3:14.95 … Winslow Twp., 2003 South Jersey Large School [1st]
3:14.95 … Willingboro, 2003 South Jersey Large School [2nd]
3:15.33 … Camden, 2004 Championship of America [3rd]
3:15.34 … Camden, 1997 South Jersey [1st]
3:15.41 … Vineland, 2003 Class Race [1st]
3:15.71 … Camden, 2004 South Jersey Large School [2nd]
3:16.1h … Edgewood, 1985 South Jersey [1st]
3:16.33 … Rancocas Valley, 2017 Philadelphia Area [2nd]
3:16.50 … Edgewood, 1983 Championship of America [6th]
3:16.61 … Camden, 2002 South Jersey Large School [1st]
3:16.63 … Edgewood, 2001 South Jersey Large School [2nd]
3:17.10 … Winslow Twp., 2005 South Jersey Large School [1st]
3:17.12 … Winslow Twp., 2002 South Jersey Large School [2nd]
3:17.23 … Camden, 1996 South Jersey [1st]
3:17.27 … Woodrow Wilson, 1996 South Jersey [2nd]
3:17.67 … Edgewood, 1984 Championship of America [3rd]
3:17.78 … Winslow Twp., 2008 South Jersey Large School [1st]
3:17.83 … Winslow Twp., 2004 Championship of America [6th]
3:17.84 … Winslow, 2002 Championship of America [6th]
3:17.85 … Paul VI, 2016 South Jersey Large School [1st]
3:17.92 … Camden, 2000 South Jersey Large School [1st]
3:18.0h … Edgewood, 1983 Class Race [1st]
3:18.10 … Rancocas Valley, 2019 South Jersey Large School [1st]
3:18.15 … Willingboro, 2001 Philadelphia Area [2nd]
3:18.30 … Camden, 2005 South Jersey Small School [1st]
3:18.1h … Kennedy, 1983 South Jersey [1st]
3:18.36 … Willingboro, 2001 South Jersey Large School [3rd]
3:18.42 … Camden 1997 Championship of America [7th]
3:18.43 … Edgewood, 2001 Championship of America [5th]
3:18.58 … Camden, 2002 Championship of America [8th]
3:18.71 … Willingboro, 1991 South Jersey [1st]
3:18.74 … Camden, 2007 Philadelphia Area [1st]
3:18.78 … Woodrow Wilson [5th, Championship of America] 1996
3:18.79 … Pleasantville 2019 Class Race [1st]
3:18.85 … Willingboro, 1993 Championship of America [5th]
3:18.87 … Woodrow Wilson, 1992 South Jersey [1st]
3:18.87 … Pennsauken, 2023 South Jersey [1st]
3:18.99 … Pennsauken, 2019 South Jersey Large School [2nd]
3:19.03 … Lenape, 2000 Philadelphia Area [1st]
3:19.09 … Willingboro, 2002 Philadelphia Area [2nd]
3:19.10 … Vineland, 2003 Championship of America [6th]
3:19.27 … Willingboro, 1993 South Jersey [1st]
3:19.28 … Lenape, 2001 South Jersey Large School [4th]
3:19.35 … Timber Creek, 2009 South Jersey Large School [1st]
3:19.41 … Lenape, 1997 South Jersey [2nd]
3:19.47 … Eastern, 2002 South Jersey Large School [3rd]
3:19.3h … Woodrow Wilson, 1984 South Jersey [2nd]
3:19.74 … Winslow Twp., 2007 Philadelphia Area [2nd]
3:19.5h … Camden, 1986 South Jersey [1st]
3:19.78 … Camden Catholic, 1989 South Jersey [1st]
3:19.89 … Winslow Twp., 2006 South Jersey Large School [1st]
3:19.98 … Deptford, 2018 South Jersey Small School [1st]
3:19.8h … Willingboro, 1988 South Jersey [1st]
3:19.9h … Willingboro, 1979 South Jersey [1st]
From the Backstretch by Reuben Frank 