When Haddonfield won last year’s South Jersey Group 2 title, 81 of their 130 points were scored by seniors.

Usually, when a team loses that many seniors it’s a sign that the next year is going to be challenging.

Not for Haddonfield.

The Lady Bulldogs scored exactly 130 points again this past weekend at Delsea, only 14 from seniors to wrap up another sectional championship.

Haddonfield topped a very good Sterling team 130-86 to win its fourth straight sectional title and state-record 20th overall.

Haddonfield has won 14 of a possible 23 South Jersey sectional titles since 1998 and 21 overall – Group 1 in 1983, 1984, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1998 and 1999 and Group 2 in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022.

The only other South Jersey girls programs to reach double-digits in sectional titles are Winslow [13] and Paulsboro [10].

State-wide, schools with the next-most sectional titles are Columbia [17], Metuchen [17], Ridgewood [14], New Providence [14] and Hopewell Valley [11].

Last year, Haddonfield scored 64 of a possible 72 points in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200, with seniors scoring 58 of those points.

With that entire group having graduated, Haddonfield came back this year and scored 68 of a possible 72 points in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 – with 36 of those 68 scored by sophomores and 32 by juniors.

Haddonfield swept the 800 behind sophomore Riley Slootsky [2:21.18], junior Thea Spellmeyer [2:21.68] and sophomore Sarah Fetter [2:22.89]. All three PR’d.

Sophomore Audrey Naticchia won the 1,600 in 5:13.86 and the 3,200 in a PR 11:06.91.

Junior Libby DeMichele was second in the 1,600 in 5:18.89, and senior Jess Goode 4th in 5:22.37. In the 3,200, junior Helene Usher ran 2nd in 11:13.53, with sophomore Ava Thomas 4th in 11:22.28. both PRs, of course.

Cinnaminson junior Stephanie Renouf broke up both bids for Haddonfield sweep, taking 3rd in 5:22.24 and a PR 11:17.39.

That’s 64 points with only Naticchia doubling.

But there was much more to Haddonfield’s performance than the three distance runs.

Senior Livsey Kegler won the 100-meter hurdles in 15.84 for 10 big points and versatile freshman Audrey Adams scored 14 points with a 3rd-place finish in the intermediates at 1:09.24 and 4th-places in the high hurdles [16.45] and high jump [4-8].

Sophomores Mia Bompensa [8-0 pole vault] and Layla Petrovich [100-3 discus] recorded 4th-place finishes, junior Grace Malcarney took 5th in the intermediates [1:12.34], junior Franchesca Richards was 5th in the high jump at 4-8 and junior Chloe Kamp placed 5th in the long jump at 16-6.

Haddonfield also piled up 24 points in the three relays.

Slootsky, Thomas, Fetter and junior Maya Carey ran 9:38.44 to win the 4-by-8.

This is the 7th straight time Haddonfield has won the South Jersey Group 2 4-by-8 (there was no meet in 2000). Since the 4-by-8 was added to the state program in 2013, Haddonfield has won it every year except 2014, when Sterling won it.

Sophomore Miranda Keith joined Malcarney, Spellmeyer and Carey to place 3rd in the 1,600-meter relay in 4:15.12, and Kegler, Kamp and freshmen Molly Minor and Nicolette Pinkerton took 2nd in the 400-meter relay in 50.28.

The Sharpe sisters combined to score 80 points in their individual events and lead Clayton to its second straight sectional title.

They also got some help. More on that below.

The Sharpes combined for 34 points for Paulsboro at the 2018 meet, 53 points for Paulsboro in 2019 and 82 for Clayton last year. Paulsboro was 3rd in Group 1 in 2018 and first in 2019 and Clayton won its first two sectional titles last year and this year. There was no meet held in 2020.

This past weekend, Clayton outscored 2nd-place Haddon Township 129-93 in the South Jersey Group 1 meet.

The 129 points are 3rd-most ever scored in South Jersey Group 1.

Clayton this weekend goes for its 2nd straight state Group 1 title at Pennsauken.  The last school to repeat a state Group 1 title was Penns Grove in 2013 and 2014.

Arianna Sharpe won the 100 in 12.03, the 200 in 24.35 and the 400 in 53.49.

The 200 came down to a photo finish with Amirah Sharpe, who was also timed in 24.35. When the timers broke the performances down to 100ths of a second, Arianna had won in 24.341 with Amirah in 24.347, the difference of 6-1,000ths of a second.

Amirah won the intermediates in 1:01.66 and was also 2nd in the 400 in 53.60 in addition ot her 24.35 in the 200.

Ariel Sharpe ran 1:06.21 for 2nd in the intermediates, 57.27 for 3rd in the 400 and 25.84 for 3rd in the 200.

For Arianna, the 12.03 after a 12.23 in the trials broke a PR of 12.35 from South Jersey Elite at Delsea, the 24.35 broke a PR of 24.47 from last year’s Tri-County meet at Kinsgway, and the 53.49 broke a PR of 53.95 from Fast Times at Cherokee in April.

Amirah PR’d in the 200 and 400. Her previous bests were 24.51 and 54.19.

For Ariel, the 800 was a PR and it was the first time she had ever run it in a major meet.

Clayton also won the 400-meter relay in 50.22 and the 1,600-meter relay in 3:56.72.

Thomas, freshman Miyana Johnson, junior Erica Thomas and freshman Leila Ortiz ran on the 4-by-1 and Amirah and Arianna Sharpe were joined by juniors Kelsey and Erica Thomas on the 4-by-4.

Sophomore Alanna Woolfolk also had a big meet for Clayton, winning the high jump for a second straight year – she won SJ-2 for Delsea last year – and tying PR at 5-6. She also placed 4th in the long jump at 15-6 in what appears to be her first lifetime long jump competition.

Sophomore Maylisa Bluford recorded a 3 ½-foot discus PR and placed 2nd at 103-6, Johnson took 4th in the 100 in 12.86 [with a PR 12.71 in the trials] and was 5th in the high jump at 4-10; and Kelsey Thomas ran a PR 12.87 for 6th in the 100.

Clayton is heavily favored to win another state Group 1 title this weekend at Pennsauken, with North Section 1 runner-up Hasbrouck Heights, North Section 1 winner Hawthorne and Central Jersey Group 1 champion Shore Regional also capable of scoring big points.

Here are the highest point totals in South Jersey Group 1 history. Remember, the meet was scored 6-4-3-2-1 until 1990, so all the high scores are always going to be since that change:

148 … Penns Grove, 2013
132 ½ … Woodbury, 2007
129 … Clayton, 2022
128 ½ … Penns Grove, 2014
119 … Paulsboro, 1992
117 … Paulsboro, 2004
115 ½ … Haddonfield, 1998
113 … Haddonfield, 1999
113 … Clayton, 2021
109 … Palmyra, 2006
108 … Schalick, 1996
108 … Paulsboro, 2019
107 … Schalick, 2011
107 … Schalick, 2015
101 … Schalick, 2018

Burlington City’s first sectional champ in 13 years. City’s first double winner in 40 years. City’s first triple winner ever.

It sure was a historic weekend for junior Ny’era Hand-Brooks, who turned in a magnificent performance in the Central Jersey Group 1 meet at Howell.

Hand-Brooks entered three events, she won three events and she PR’d in two events.

Hand-Brooks won the 200 in 25.56, just 12-100ths of a second off her PR of 25.44 set at the BCSL divisional meet last month at Pennsauken.

She won the 100-meter hurdles in 15.15 after a 15.50 in the trials that was her first race ever under 16 seconds. Talk about a huge PR.

She also won the intermediates in 1:04.60, more than a 1 ½-seconds PR from her previous best of 1:06.25, also from divisionals.

Hand-Brooks also anchored City’s 3rd-place 1,600-meter relay team, which also included junior La’Secret Bolds, senior Ember Foreman and sophomore Rana Aykutoglu and ran a season-best 4:20.89.

At the Group 1 state meet this weekend at Pennsauken, Hand-Brooks will be the top seed in the high hurdles, nearly half a second ahead of Haddon Township’s Kaelin Marshall, who ran 15.63 to win the South Jersey Group 1 meet.

She’ll be No. 2 seed in the intermediates behind only Clayton’s Amirah Sharpe, who won the South Jersey race in 1:01.66, and the No. 4 seed in the 200.

Hand-Brooks is the top-ranked underclassman in all three races in New Jersey Group 1.

Bolds also had a big huge for City, winning the 100 in 12.81, taking 2^nd in the 400 in 1:00.61 and long jumping 16-1 for 4^th. All three marks are PRs.

Also for City, Foreman ran 4^th in the 800 [2:31.68]. Her PR was 2:44 two weeks ago.

Before this past weekend, City’s last sectional champ was Bessie Dean, who won the Central Jersey high jump at 5-0 in 2008 and the 200 in 2009 with a 25.80.

The last City girl to win more than one event at a sectional was Gina McMenamin, first in both the 1,600 [5:14.1] and 3,200 [11:03.2] in 1982.

City’s only other sectional champs over the years are Tonya Morris, who won the S.J. Group 2 long jump in 1988 at 16-9; Kelly Dickerson, who won the S.J. Group 1 high jump at 5-2 in 2001; and Ashley Smitherman, first in the 2003 S.J. Group 1 high jump at 5-0.

Thanks in large part to 30 points from Hands-Brooks and 22 from Bolds, City tallied 62 points and placed 4^th in team scoring behind Shore Regional of West Long Branch [107], Jonathan Dayton of Springfield, Union County [87], and David Brearley of Kenilworth, also in Union County [67].

Eastern junior Kadence Dumas turned in quite a middle-distance double over the weekend.

Dumas won the 400 at the South Jersey Group 4 meet at Buena in a personal-best 56.61 and placed 3rd in the 800 with another PR of 2:15.39.

The only other girl in New Jersey to run that fast for both the 400 and 800 this year is Union Catholic’s Peyton Hollis [55.81, 2:06.42].

Dumas is the first girl to run 56.61 and 2:15.39 or faster at sectionals since Brooke Fazio of Ridge in 2017 [56.01, 2:10.32] and the first from South Jersey since Carly Pettipaw of Lenape in 2015 [56.59, 2:14.27].

Heading into sectionals, Dumas had PRs of 57.61 from the Olympic Conference meet last month at Pennsauken and 2:21.87 from the Camden County Championships last month at Haddon Township. Dumas had only run three big-meet 800s indoors or out before sectionals.

Dumas ranks No. 3 in South Jersey this year in the 400 behind two of the Sharpe sisters – Arianna ran 53.49 at Group 1 sectionals and Amirah ran 53.60 – and she’s No. 3 in the 800 behind Cherokee’s Nicole Clifford [2:11.52] and Kelsey Niglio [2:13.31].

Her 400 time is No. 3 in Eastern history, behind Olympian English Gardner [53.00] and Jewel Ash [56.23], and her 800 time appears to be a school record.

At Group 4 states this weekend at Franklin Township, Dumas will be the No. 4 seed in the 400 [assuming everybody who qualified runs], behind Julia Jackson of Scotch-Plains-Fanwood [53.69], Laura Gugliotta of Howell [55.46] and Grace Kennedy of Scotch Plains [56.52].

In the 800, she’s the No. 5 seed behind Clifford [2:12.87] and Niglio [2:13.31] of Cherokee, Freehold Township’s Emma Zawatski [2:14.59], Jenai Berry of Scotch Plains [2:14.69].

She’s the top underclassman in any of the 400-meter dash races at states and No. 4 in the 800 [behind Niglio, Zawatski and Berry].

At sectionals, Eastern also got points from junior Johnay Stilley [2nd in 100 hurdles in [PR 14.76], sophomore Zoe Goldberg in the javelin [131-9] and senior Sophia Staiger [6th in 1,600, 5:13.99].

Also, the 400-meter relay team of Dumas, sophomore Lomaria Tengbeh, junior Ciyani Santiago and Stilley placed 2nd in 49.75, and the 4-by-4 team of Stilley, Tengbeh, junior Noelle Pfeiffer and Dumas took 6th in 4:06.78.

Eastern finished tied with Kingsway for 4th at South Jersey Group 4 sectionals with 36 points.

Juniors D.J. Germann and Ahmad Fogg and senior Malachi Wesley combined for 66 points in their individual events to lead powerful Egg Harbor Township to its 3rd sectional title in the last five years.

EHT amassed 125 points to win the in South Jersey Group 4 at Buena, finishing 45 points  ahead of 2nd-place Kingsway, which scored 80, with Washington Township 3rd with 70.

The Eagles’ 125 points are tied for 3rd-most in South Jersey Group 4 history behind Winslow’s 140 in 2003 and Rancocas Valley’s 136 in 2015:

140 … Winslow Twp., 2003
136 … Rancocas Valley, 2015
125 … Oakcrest, 2011
125 … Egg Harbor Township, 2022
105 … Winslow Twp., 2004
104 … Egg Harbor Township, 2017
104 … Shawnee, 1992

The only school to win more South Jersey Group 4 titles than Egg Harbor Township is Willingboro, which won eight in SJ-4 between 1977 and 1993. Vineland, Camden, Edgewood and Winslow have each won four as well, and I suppose you could lump Edgewood and Winslow together, although they are different schools, so that’s your call.

Germann picked up three 2nd-places, running 10.73 and 21.74 in the dashes – the 200 time is a PR – and long jumping 21-5 ¾.

We wrote on Friday about Wesley’s monster race in the high hurdles – you can read that here -and in addition to that record-setting performance he took 3rd in both the 200 in 22.25 and the intermediates in 56.05. Including his 13.93, that’s three PRs in three events for Wesley.

And Fogg won both horizontal jumps, sailing 22-0 ¾ in the long jump and 43-7 ¾ in the triple jump. He’s the first EHT jumper to win both at sectionals since Stevenson Cajuste in 2008.

Senior Isaiah Glenn cleared 6-6 in the high jump and got second to Cherry Hill East’s Dillon Page on misses. EHT’s Aaron Bullock added six more points in the high jump with a 6-0 clearance for 3rd place.

Junior Chris Griffin contributed 10 points with a 2nd in the javelin at 159-4 and a 5th in the discus with a 137-1.

In the shot put, seniors James Mahana and Cody Griggs both PR’d, Mahana in 3rd with a 55-2 ½ and Griggs in 4th at 47-8 ¾.

Sophomore Christopher Manzo [51.66 for 6th in the 400] and junior Sean Dever [146 for 6th in the javelin] also scored for the Eagles.

EHT also won the 1,600-metre relay in 3:24.98, with Wesley, Manzo, sophomore Chase Mazur and German in the lineup.

Junior Richard Axelsson, Mazur, sophomore Amir Halim and junior Ryan Taylor ran 8:24.12 for 6th in the 3,200-meter relay.

Egg will compete in the state Group 4 meet this weekend at Franklin Township. South Brunswick is favored, but EHT, East Brunswick, Westfield and Ridge could also be in the mix.

One of the more improbable sectional champs from South Jersey is Florence’s Barone VanKline, who won the 100-meter dash at the Central Jersey Group 1 championships at Howell.

VanKline is a freshman competing in only his third lifetime major meet (according to his MileSplit profile) and had a PR of 11.39 before Friday

He’s the first Florence boy ever to win a sectional title as a freshman and the first Florence sprinter ever to win the 100 or 200 at a sectional meet.

His 100 time is fastest by a Florence sprinter in 14 years, since Kevin Linico ran 10.91 when he placed second at the 2008 state Group 1 meet at Egg Harbor.

Oddly, this is the second consecutive year a BCSL freshman has won the CJ-1 title at 100 meters. Willingboro’s Malachi James won it last year, then won SJ-2 this year after Willingboro moved south and up one division.

They are the only Burlington County freshmen in history to win a sectional 100 title.

VanKline ran 11.66 and placed 5th at the County Open, then 11.39 to win the Freedom Division 100 title at the BCSL Championships. He PR’d at 11.31 in the 100 trials at sectionals and had the 2nd-fastest qualifying time, behind only Shore Regional senior Aidan Scaturro.

But in the final, VanKline won on a lean with his 11.09 to Scaturro’s 11.11 with a legal wind (0.4 headwind).

That performance ruined an otherwise perfect meet for Scaturro, who won the 200, 110 highs and 400 intermediates.

VanKline placed 2nd to Scaturro in the 200 in 22.69 [legal 1.9], another big PR. He had run 24.11 at counties and 23.03 at divisionals.

VanKline goes into the state Group 1 meet at Pennsauken as the No. 5 seed in both the 100 and 200.

He’s the No. 1 freshman in New Jersey in the 100 and No. 3 in the 200, behind Southern Regional’s Cole Cramer [22.60] and Sterling’s Azir Lee [22.63].

Florence also picked up 14 points in the javelin, with senior Brandon Makowski winning with a 13-foot PR of 156-8 and senior Paul Gross placing 4th with a 132-0. Makowski was also 4th in the shot put [39-2].

Also for Florence, junior Luke Skinner placed 2nd in the discus [114-10],

Sophomore Darien Woody placed 3rd in the 100 [11.48] and 4th in the triple jump [41-8], sophomore Elijah Quinn took 5th in the 100 [11.48], and senior Cameron Silinsky was 5th in the pole vault at 8-0.

Florence placed third in Central Jersey Group 1 with 42 points.

In the wildest three-team race at a South Jersey sectional meet in 34 years, Audubon, Salem and Glassboro were separated by two points at the end of the weekend at Buena.

Audubon and Salem finished tied for the South Jersey Group 1 team title with 96 points, an Glassboro finished two points back with 94.

The only other time in meet history three teams were separated by two points in a South Jersey sectional in any group was 1988 in Group 4, when Toms River South won with 29 points, Cherry Hill East scored 28 ½ and Brick was 3rd with 27. That of course was with the 6-4-3-2-1 scoring system, where closer scorers were the norm.

Just three years ago, Haddon Township [72], Clayton [71] and Woodbury [69] were separated by three points. This year’s meet outdid that one.

The tie is the first ever in the South Jersey Group 1 meet and the first in any South Jersey sectional since 1998, when Vineland and Overbrook shared the Group 4 title.

The team title is the first ever for Audubon and the first in 30 years for Salem, which won Group 2 in 1987 and 1991. Glassboro last won a sectional title in 2009 with the record-setting group that scored 181 ½ points.

Here’s how the anatomy of the closest three-team sectional race ever:

100-METER DASH [Salem 13, Audubon 0, Glassboro 0]: Salem junior Amare Smith ran 10.98 to remain unbeaten this year at 100 meters, and junior Abdul Bell [11.24] and junior Emmanuel Lane [11.28] placed 5th and 6th,, giving the Rams 13 points.

200-METER DASH [Salem 18, Glassboro 10, Audubon 0]: Glassboro senior Dallas Hohney won the race in 22.50, and Salem took the next three spots with Amare Smith [22.54], Bell [23.18] and Lane [23.19].

400-METER DASH [Glassboro 14, Audubon 6, Salem 1]: Hohney ran 50.27 for the win, Audubon senior Connor Bilotta went 51.59 for 3rd, Glassboro sophomore Clifton Moore was 4th in 51.96, and Salem freshman Terrance Smith placed 6th in 52.87.

800-METER RUN [Audubon 12, Salem 0, Glassboro 0]: Audubon senior Scott Hubbard PR’d with a 1:57.47 for the win, and senior teammate Makaio Kelii was 5th in 2:02.08.

1,600-METER RUN [Audubon 8, Glassboro 4, Salem 0]: Hubbard broke 4:20 for the first time with a 4:19.32, finishing just 16-100ths of a second behind Woodbury’s Peyton Shute. Both Shute and Hubbard ran under the SJ-1 meet record of 4:21.59 set last year by Brady Shute, Peyton’s older brother who now runs for Monmouth. Glassboro sophomore Elijah Whitaker placed 4th in 4:39.55.

3,200-METER RUN [Audubon 14, Glassboro 1, Salem 0]: Hubbard took 2nd to Peyton Shute with a 9:47.66, and junior teammate Joseph Gaspari was 3rd with a PR 10:00.75. Whitaker took 6th in 10:15.27 for Glassboro.

110-METER HURDLES [Glassboro 4, Audubon 2, Salem 0]: Glassboro sophomore Desmond Vassell [16.35] and Audubon senior Aaryn Myers [16.39] went 4-5.

400-METER HURDLES [Audubon 11, Glassboro 0, Salem 0]: Bilotta ran 57.25 to win the race, and Myers took 6th in 1:01.14.

400-METER RELAY [Salem 10, Glassboro 8, Audubon 6]: Salem ran 43.76 and edged Glassboro by 6-100ths of a second with Audubon 3rd in 44.64. Senior Jessiah Gildersleeve, freshman Cameron Smith, Amare Smith and junior Zaheim Jones ran for Salem; sophomore Brysheen Ferguson, senior Ralph McBride, senior Jonathan Sutton and sophomore Caron Wright for Glassboro; and Bilotta, junior William Lindemuth, Myers and sophomore Luke Hoke for Audubon.

1,600-METER RELAY [Audubon 10, Glassboro 8, Salem 2]: Audubon got the win with Bilotta, sophomore Amauri Pimental, Myers and Lindenmuth running 3:33.25. Glassboro was second in 3:34.72 with Ferguson, Hohney, Moore and junior Olawale Osinowo. And Salem picked up a 5th with Bell, Lane, Cameron Smith and Amare Smith going 3:39.28.

3,200-METER RELAY [Audubon 10, Glassboro 1, Salem 0]: Senior Clifford Gilmore, Kelii, sophomore Aiden Williams and senior Joshua Rossell ran 8:32.54 to record the win for the Wave. Glassboro placed 6th with sophomore Gavin Hoover, Osinowo, Vassell and Whitaker.

HIGH JUMP [Glassboro 5, Salem 5, Audubon 0]: Paulsboro junior Jamile Gantt went 6-6 for the win – that’s the best clearance in SJ-1 since Mark Jones of Lindenwold cleared 6-6 in 2006 and matches the best in SJ-1 since Haddon Township’s Mike Starks won the 1993 meet with a 6-10 ½ clearance. Salem junior Demetrius Jones and Hohney tied for 3rd at 5-10.

LONG JUMP [Salem 20, Glassboro 1, Audubon 0]: Lane went 20-10 for the win, Bell 20-7 for 3rd and Cameron Smith 19-10 for 4th for Salem. Glassboro’s Moore jumped 19-5 ¼ for 6th.

TRIPLE JUMP [Salem 14, Glassboro 10, Audubon 0]: Glassboro’s Moore went 42-0 ½ for the win, and Salem took the next two stops with Cameron Smith [40-7 ¼] and freshman Davi-Yonn Jackson [39-6 ¼].

POLE VAULT [Audubon 6, Salem 1, Glassboro 0]: Green Wave freshman Leo Davis cleared 11-0 for 3rd place, and Salem senior Collin Roy cleared 11-0 for 6th.

SHOT PUT [Salem 11, Glasboro 6, Audubon 0]: Senior Jayden Wright popped a PR 52-2 ¾ to win the shot, and senior Angel Torres Cruz added a 6th for the Rams with a 43-0. Glassboro junior Carter Kensil threw 44-4 for 3rd.

DISCUS [Glassboro 18, Audubon 1, Salem 0]: The Bulldogs went 2-3-4 for 18 points, with sophomore Damere Lassiter [149-5], Kensil [134-5] and sophomore Claivon Suggs [131-2]. Audubon senior Brady Gilbert snagged a point for the Green Wave with a 125-6 for 6th. Janier Armsteod of Penns Grove won the event with a 160-8, the best throw in SJ-1 since Pitman’s Will Cioffi threw 171-1 in 2013.

JAVELIN [Audubon 8, Glassboro 4, Salem 1]: One of only four events where all three schools scored. Audubon’s Lindemuth threw 145-2 for 2nd, Glassboro sophomore Maddox Wilson 143-7 for 4th and Salem junior Randy Sayers 136-7 for 6th.

Incredible meet! And the best thing about it is they’ll all do it again this weekend at Pennsauken.

Delsea is New Jersey’s top weight throw program and has been for years. But it showed this weekend it’s a lot more than that.

Delsea got 46 of a possible 48 points in the shot and discus but also scored big in the sprints, distance, jumps and relays on its way to 5th straight sectional title.

The Crusaders, back in Group 3 after two years in Group 2, outscored defending state Group 3 champion Pennsauken 105-92 to win the South Jersey Group 3 title on its home track in Franklinville.

Delsea’s streak of five straight titles is 3rd-longest in South Jersey history. Penns Grove won 10 straight in Groups 1 and 2 from 1977 through 1986, and Woodbury won nine straight in Group 1 from 1969 through 1968.

So Delsea’s streak is longest by any South Jersey school in 36 years.

Delsea won SJ-3 in 2017 and 2018 and SJ-2 in 2019 and 2021. There was no meet in 2020. The Crusaders also won sectional titles in 2006 and 2007 [Group 3] and 2010 [Group 2] for eight total South Jersey championships. Only Willingboro [18], Penns Grove [15], Winslow [13], Woodbury [13], Bridgeton [10] and Haddon Township [9] have won more.

Let’s start with the throwers, because every year Delsea is a throwing poowerhouse, and this year is no different.

Senior Jason Nwosu won the shot and disc with a 61-3 ¼ and a 167-8 on his first throw. In the discus, senior Cade Berardelli took 2nd at 165-1 and junior Luke Maxwell was 4th at 135-9. In the shot, senior Josh Caudill took 2nd at 52-10 ½ and sophomore Greg Masso PR’d with 52-8 ¼ for 3rd.

Only sophomore Gabriel Wilkins of Absegami broke up the double Delsea weight sweep with a 3rd-place finish in the disus. Wilkins threw 143-5, a seven-foot personal best.

Maxwell also placed 5th in the javelin at 135-9, giving Delea a total of 48 points in the three throws.

Senior Andrew Littlehales swept the 1,600 and 3,200 with PRs in both races. You can read about his Friday 3,200 win here. He came back Saturday to win the 1,600 in 4:20.51.

Senior Enrico Barnett had a big weekend, winning the high jump by clearing 6-4 on his first attempt and PR’ing in the triple jump with a 44-9 for 5th place but only 14 inches out of 1st.

Senior Jaedyn Stewart placed in both dashes, PR’ing with an 11.11 in the 100 for 4th place [previous PR was 11.23] and running 22.33 for 3rd in the 200 [previous PR was 22.95].

Delsea also scored in the pole vault, with sophomore Carlos Reyes matching his lifetime best of 11-6 for 4th place.

Sophomore Christian Langston, Stewart and sophomores Xavier Wyatt and Domenic Teti ran 43.09 for a close 2nd in the 400-meter relay, 1-100th of a second behind Mainland.

And Stewart, sophomore Dante McGrenehan, Wyatt and Langston ran 3:32.19 for 4th in the 1,600-meter relay.

Liliah Gordon mixed it up with some of New Jersey’s fastest two-milers and emerged with a PR and a lane in the state meet this weekend.

Gordon placed 5th in the 3,200 at the Central Jersey Group 4 Championships in Howell Friday in 10:52.18, which is No. 6 in Burlington County history and fastest ever by a Burligton County freshman.

The top five finishers finished just 10 meters apart, all five running between 10:50.16 and 10:52.18. Montgomery sophomore Julia Scrudato won the race in 10:50.16, with senior teammate Caroline Mehlhorn 2nd in 10:51.37. Freehold sophomore Emma Zawatski [10:51.39] and Middletown South sophomore Rosemary Shay [10:52.11] placed 3rd and 4th.

The Central Jersey Group 4 race produced five of the top seven times in all the 16 sectional races and the top five times in Group 4, so Gordon’s 10:52.18 makes her the No. 5 seed at states at Egg Harbor Friday and 7th-fastest among all the sectional meets.

Gordon’s previous PR was 10:56.77 from the indoor Meet of Champions at the Bubble in March.

The previous Burlington County freshman class 3,200 record was 10:56.34 by Moorestown’s Brianna Rogers at the 2005 Meet of Champions.

Her time makes her South Jersey’s fastest freshman since Haddonfield’s Briana Gess ran 10:45.12 at the 2014 state Group 2 meet at Egg Harbor Township.

Gordon’s time is No. 2 in South Jersey this year behind only Cherokee senior Nicole Clifford’s 10:46.71 at Cherokee Night of Racing in April, and she’s the top freshman in the state by nearly 20 seconds.

Gordon also ran an outdoor 1,600 PR of 5:15.48 for 9th in the 1,600.

All-Time Burlington County 3,200 Top-10
10:22.02 … Megan Lacy (Cherokee], 2012
10:40.95 … Erika Kemp (Rancocas Valley], 2013
10:43.3h….. Deanna Germano (Shawnee], 1985
10:45.73 … Meghan Hughes [Moorestown], 2002
10:46.71 … Nicole Clifford [Cherokee], 2022
10:52.18 … Liliah Gordon [Northern Burlington], 2022
10:54.16 … Lisa Burkholder [Cherokee], 2004
10:55.92 … Isabella Turner [Shawnee], 2018
10:56.34 … Brianna Rogers [Moorestown], 2005 freshman MoC
10:57.52 … Mara Schiffhauer [Seneca], 2014
10:58.97 … Megan Quimby [Lenape], 2015

Versatile sophomore Guerlande Pierre single-handled scored 32 points and the Timber Creek girls won their first sectional title in 10 years this weekend.

Pierre won the high jump at 5-0, placed 2nd in the long jump with a PR 17-5 ¾ and 2nd in the high hurdles with a PR 15.31 and added a 3rd-place in the shot put with a lifetime best of 35-2.

Timber Creek outscored Winslow 101-86 to win the South Jersey Group 3 title at Delsea, ending Winslow’s remarkable streak of eight consecutive South Jersey Group 3 championships, a streak that would have reached nine if the 2020 meet hadn’t been cancelled.

Winslow’s streak of eight straight titles is longest in South Jersey sectional history, one year longer than Woodbury’s seven-year streak from 1976 through 1982 in Group 1. It’s also tied for longest streak in state history in any sectional.

Mainland was a close 3rd with 83 points, just three points behind Winslow.

The last school other than Winslow to win SJ-3 was Timber Creek in 2012. Timber Creek also won SJ-3 in 2010.

Timber Creek scored 22 points in the three relays, and the unusual thing about that is that two girls – freshmen Billy Frazier and Adiat Olaogun-Dickson – ran on both the 4-by-100 and 4-by-800. That’s amazing range. Olaogun-Dickson also ran on the winning 4-by-400.

All 101 of Timber Creek’s points were scored by underclassmen. Of their 79 points in individual events, 65 were scored by sophomores and 10 by freshmen.

Sophomore Chloe Jones, freshman Ryan Jennings, junior Jessenia Edwards joined Olaogun-Dickson on the 4-by-4, which ran 3:57.35 – only 17-100ths of a second off the school record of 3:57.18 from the 2017 Meet of Champions.

Frazier, Olaogun-Dickson, Jennings and sophomore Naylah Jones ran 49.39 for 2nd in the 400-meter relay, and Frazier, sophomore Elaina Guillaume, freshman Ashley Haynes and Olaogun-Dickson ran on the 4-by-8, which was 4th in 10:26.84.

Chloe Jones won the 400 in 57.75 and also placed 6th in the 100 in 12.75 after going into the final as the No. 8 seed and 6th in the 200 in 25.78.

Naylah Jones took 2nd to Winslow’s Jaia James in both the 100 and 200. In the 100, she ran 12.25 in the final after a wind-aided 12.08 in the 100 trials. She ran a PR 25.46 in the 200. She was also 3rd in the 400 in a PR 58.12.

Jennings ran a PR 12.29 for 3rd in the 100 and a PR 25.59 for 4th in the 200.

Edwards scored in both the intermediates and triple jump, 34-2 ¾ for 5th in the triple jump and a 1 ½-second PR 1:10.28 for 6th in the intermediates.