The Hillsborough girls repeated as champs, the Ridge boys returned to the top, Brian O'Sullivan provided another aerial show, and Franklin's Cameren Anderson pulled off a very rare throwing trifecta at the Somerset County Championships on Tuesday in Hillsborough.
BALANCED ATTACK SPARKS HILLSBOROUGH
Hillsborough won its second straight girls title and 12th overall in dominating fashion, outscoring runner-up Franklin, 153-96.
The Red Raiders were led by Sabrina Sardar, Ernestina Danquah, Michaela and Isabella Ruffa, Zoe Amofa, and Laina Denys.
Sardar, a junior, won the 400 hurdles in 1:05.41, ran on the winning 4x400 (4:05.50) and was second in both the 200 (26.32) and 400 (58.11). Danquah, a senior, won the 1100 dash in 12.47. Amofa, a senior, placed second in the 100 hurdles in 15.67 and was second in the 400 hurdles (1:06.51). Denys, a junior, finished second in the 1,600 n 5:10.96 and took third in the 800 in 2:21.97. In the field, freshman Isabella Ruffa won the javelin, and Michaela, a junior, placed second in both the shot and discus.
BACK ON TOP
On the boys side, Ridge, which lost to Watchung Hills by one point last year, captured its third county title with a 110-79.50 victory over runner-up Franklin. Ridge also won its other 2 titles in 2009 and 2021.
Sophomore distance ace Brenden McMahon and a resurgent field event squad propelled Ridge to the championship.
On the track, McMahon won the 1,600 in 4:22.92 and the 3,200 in 9:43.74 in the 3200, and several other athletes came up with key points for the Red Devils. Patrick Doran was second in the 800 and ran on the winning 4x400 relay. Owen Mays placed second in the 400 hurdles, ran on the winning 4x400, and was third in the 110 hurdles. Dev Patel finished second for Ridge in the 1,600 with a PR of 4:23.77, and he was fifth in the 3200.
Ridge also scored 26 points in the field, highlighted by Will Deady finishing third with a PR of 5-10 in the high jump, Chris Kirkwood matching his PR of 13-0 to finish second in the pole vault, and Lokaditya Hariharan finishing second in the shot put with a 51-10.
RARIFIED AIR
Hillsborough senior Brian O'Sullivan matched his NJ mark of 16-0 in the pole vault, and then had the bar raised to 16-9. The Rutgers-bound O'Sullivan, who has a PR of 16-6.25 from the Skyland Championships this past indoor season, narrowly missed at 16-9. It seems like a matter of time before he smashes his PR and makes a run at 17-0!!
THREE FOR THREE
Anderson, a senior, did something that just doesn't happen very often by winning all three throws in the boys competition. Anderson won the shot put with a PR of 57-3.75, repeated as champion in the javelin with a PR of 157-10, and won the discus with throw of 138-2.
DOUBLE WINNERS
Emily Kolodziej of Somerville, Julia Scrudato of Montgomery, Graham Houghton of Pingry, and Daniel Okafor of Franklin all won two events.
In the boys competition, Houghton, a sophomore, won the boys 100 in 10.92 and the 200 in 22.31, and Okafor finished first in the triple jump with a 43-4 and captured the long jump with a leap of 20-9.