By Christopher Hunt
The last time Haddonfield’s Jon Vitez took the baton for the anchor leg of the distance medley relay, he felt great for the first few steps. Then his baton hit the runner’s foot to his outside and the stick clink-clinking to the infield, blowing the race and robbing spectators of a showdown between Vitez and West Orange’s Curtis Richburg.
But Haddonfield wouldn’t have traffic problems this time. The team switched the order to put Ben Potts of the leadoff leg. Once he broke free the team never looked back. Potts (3:05.), Jordan Harris (53.2), Colin Baker (1:57.1) and Vitez (4:14.6) won the distance medley relay in 10:10.60, the nation-leading time this season and 12th in the United States all-time.
“After that last time with the baton, it definitely made us want to come in here and run a fast time,” said Vitez, who received help on the anchor leg when he went by Livingston’s Jeremy Elkiam, who’s team was lapped. Elkiam ran pushed Vitez until Vitez’s last lap.
“Going into nationals, if you’re running 10:10, it puts you up there,” he said. “So if you have to come out here and run up front, it’s just the price you have to pay.”
St. Peter’s (N.J.) sophomore Najee Glass found more resistance in the 400. He powered to the front on the first lap with Clayton Gravesande of Franklin trailing. Gravesande kept pulling closer but Glass wouldn’t let him by, even when Gravesande made one last surge on the last curve.
Glass wouldn’t relent. He won in 47.87, a personal best by nearly a full second and the second-fastest time in the country this season.
“I knew I had to catch the guy in Lane 6 in the first 200 meters,” Glass said. “I went all out for the first 200 to get to the front. I felt him coming but I just had to give it all I had at the end.”
Glass had run 48.77 at the NJSAA Group Championships Friday but said he knew he could drop his best time running on a fast track. He has spent most of the season running on flat track without spikes.
“I wanted so long to do this,” he said. “I’m glad I finally fulfilled this goal. I was just waiting for an opportunity to come here. I knew I could run a fast time.”
Stephen Lewis of Liberty (Pa.) was waiting for the same opportunity. He said most of his high jump competitions are held on hardwood floors with little give and less traction. Plus he said the atmosphere, with the crowd at the New Balance Track and Field Center made it more like a national championship-style event.
But he felt even more pressure after two misses at 6-8.
“I got a little angry at 6-8 because I missed twice,” he said. “I just used that to get over and to get over the next height. I knew I could do it. I clear that all the time.”
Lewis missed only once at 6-10 while Paul Robeson’s O’Neill Sanford, returning from knee injury, missed twice giving the win to Lewis on misses. Lewis said he had just one good attempt at 7-0 but the meet overall, he used as a dress rehearsal for the Nike Indoor Nationals next month.
“Having the competition helped me,” he said. “It helps. It feels good, especially at something like this because it’s like Nike. This is almost the same as being at Nike.”
Mount Vernon became the fourth New York team to break 1:30 in the 4x200 this season. Kadeem Anderson (22.7), Rawle Crawford (22.1), Christopher Winslow (23.0) and Michael Blake (22.0) won in 1:29.84, the sixth-fastest time in the country this season. Blake breezed by Midwood’s anchor 10 meters ahead the two took the baton exchange together.
“I knew I was going to catch him,” said Blake, considered a freshman, although he ran in Jamaica at Jamaica College and moved to Mount Vernon before the school year. “I just knew I was faster than him.”
Nick Vena of Morristown, the junior class national record holder, won the shot put with a toss of 69-2. Farrell’s Cory Duggan won the pole vault in 15-3 and Indian Hills’ senior Corey Crawford 23-4.50.
Matt Conti of Shaker outkicked St. John by the Sea’s Danny Zaccareillo in the 800. Zaccareillo bulleted out of a tight pack and began a frantic dash down the back straight. Conti covered and sat until he saw an opening.
“I have speed,” Conti said. “I’ve been running the 300 meters and my coached wanted to move me up. I just wanted to go on the back straight. I just had confidence that I had more speed than him.”
Reach Christopher Hunt at chunt@armorytrack.com.