2012 NJSIAA South Sectionals Team Preview
Not only does this weekend mark the unofficial start of summer as Memorial Day Weekend is upon us; but it also marks the arguably best time of the year for New Jersey Track and Field. Starting on Friday, the post season begins with the NJSIAA Sectional Championships at four sites around the state, followed by the NJSIAA Group State Championships the next weekend, and culminates with the NJSIAA State Meet of Champions the following week. The athletes have already had a great year and I cannot begin to imagine what we’ll be looking back on in one month when the season is complete. Each group will be previewed by gender with predictions of the top teams.
We begin with the Boys South Jersey Group 1, who will be competing at Buena Regional High School. Taking an overview, this meet could be a two team race between Haddon Heights and Haddon Township. However, Darrell Bush of Woodbury is now cleared to compete and this could make the Thundering Herd a factor, as they were the 2011 Champions. Throw last year's runner up team, Penns Grove into the mix as well. Haddon Heights and Haddon Township are still considered favorites due to the fact that they can score, and score high, for that matter, in nearly every event. Haddon Heights is led in the field events by Julian Figgins, Dominique Irons, and Wil Arthur and on the track by Kashif Miller and Kenny Lewis on the track. These five have displayed some very strong performances this season and coupled with the Gandolfo-Lucia brothers in the distance events, their overall balance make this team one of the favorites. Haddon Township is the second strong favorite for to the same reasons. They do not have the degree of sprinting depth that Haddon Heights does but they do have Corsen Harter who has the top 110 Hurdles mark by 0.3 seconds. Haddon Township also has strength in the distance events as the the members of the 4x800m team that ran at New Balance Indoor Nationals and Penn Relays can score in any of the distance events. Finally, they are led in the field events by James Madden and TJ Hawn, who currently hold the top marks in Group 1 South Jersey in the Pole Vault and Javelin respectively. With their depth in the sprints and jumps, Penns Grove should certainly earn some notice the meet. We'll have to see how Bush performs with the time he missed, but he is an amazing talent so do not count out Woodbury for a second. However, the winner could certainly be one of the “Haddons” due to their strength in the field events.
Moving onto the Girls South Jersey Group 1, we have Schalick who returns as the 2011 Champion and is the top ranked Group 1 team in South Jersey this season, according to the SJTCA rankings. This season Schalick has a lot of depth in both hurdles events, as well as the throws. They are led by Jessica Williams, Cheyenne Lutek, and Valerie Orth who are all ranked first or second in the throwing events to go along with their depth in the hurdles. Haddon Heights drops down from Group 2 this year and hopes to take the title from Schalick. They are led on the track by Dazmonique Carr who is ranked second in the 100m, 200m, and 400m behind the Penns Grove duo of Kianje Pollard and Faleesha Dowe. What could end up giving Heights the edge is their ability to score in the distance events, which may be the deciding factor if they can stay close to Schalick in the field. Penns Grove, who was the 2011 runner up, is the third team considered to have a good shot to win the title. The have the ability to score high in the sprints with the aforementioned duo of Pollard and Dow. These two paired with Antoinette Winchester and Chinwe Nnadi in the throws and jumps, respectively, give Penns Grove a legitimate shot. This team race looks fairly even, perhaps coming down to the 4x400 at the end.
Moving onto Group 2 Boys, this looks like it is going to be a fantastic competition. The winner will most likely come from the grouping of Willingboro, Bridgeton, Pleasantville, and Barnegat Township. Deptford or Sterling will most likely be in the Top 5 as well. Willingboro won the Woodbury Relays for this group; but the field events were not factored in. This does not weaken Willingboro’s chances; however, due to the fact that they are extremely talented in the jumps with Issac Williams, Anthony Nah, and Marlon Bryan who are ranked first or second in those events. Williams has the top mark in the high jump by six inches! Williams and Byran have also posted some amazing performances on the track so their ability to score in many events could put Willingboro on top. Pleasantville and Bridgeton also have a strong chance to win due to their ability to score in events that Willingboro may have trouble scoring in. Pleasantville is led by the Clark twins who can run great in any event from 400m up to 3200m, as well as shot putter Dontaye Rivera. These three will have to come up big to put Pleasantville on top. Bridgeton can score huge in the throws with a familiar name, Braheme Days Jr. He has some help in Christopher Brown, who would be a top thrower on most other teams in South Jersey. Bridgeton needs to steal some points on the track to have a shot at this one. Finally, Barnegat Township could finish high up in this one as well. They are a deep team with the ability to score multiple athletes in the sprints and in the field. If Matt Nelson shows up, he can add to Barnegat’s total by being able to score high in the distance events. Deptford, with their hurdling depth and ability to score in the throws, could factor in as well. It could very well come down to which team’s “heavy hitters” score the most points.
On to the Group 2 girls, this should be a two team race between Haddonfield and Buena. Haddonfield can score multiple athletes in nearly every event and this makes them very formidable. They are led by Shelby Cain and Meghan Malloy in the 1600m and 3200m, as those two can push each other the whole race to some fairly quick times. Emily Carson can score in the 100m on up to the 400m and they also have two strong hurdlers/middle distance runners in Olivia Blaber and Lauren Roberts, as well as a top high jumper in Elizabeth Herrmann and Javelin star Katie Johnson. All of these athletes could make them the champion after the weekend is done. It may not be a done deal though, as Buena, along with West Deptford and Pemberton, are going to put up a fight. Buena is very strong in the jumps, led by Emely Ramirez and Casey Sturts, who can place in any of the four jumping events while Andrea Olsen leads them on the track. If these three can put together a great weekend, Buena will have a shot. West Deptford and Pemberton should fall in behind these two, if not challenge for second. West Deptford is led by distance runner Samantha Budd and jumper Megan Kirschling. Budd currently holds the top 800m mark in the group and has also run a 4:50.90 1500m, which is roughly a 5:10 1600m. She could score big if West Deptford enters her in both. Kirschling has the top mark in the high jump by six inches and will also be a factor in the hurdles. Pemberton is led by their sprinting and jumping duo of Nia Lawrence and Shailah Williams and should be in the top four.
On to the big schools now! The Group 3 boys are going to put on quite a show! The group features arguably the best team in the state and a couple other teams that are extremely strong themselves. We do not want to put a bulls-eye on them, but this really looks like Oakcrest’s meet. Oakcrest has historic firepower in the sprints, hurdles, and jumps. Fabian Santiago, Reginald Morton, and Charles Darnell are going to put up major points in the sprints and jumps with Syid Evans-White, Stephen Adkisson, and Akmed Muhummed doing the same in the hurdles. Timber Creek, who is ranked right behind Oakcrest in the SJTCA rankings, is most likely the team with a legitimate shot at Oakcrest. Like Sylvester Stallone in “Rocky III”, where he takes Clubber Lang’s best shots and then goes at him, Timber Creek will have to somehow withstand Oakcrest’s punches in the sprints and hurdles. If they can stay close in the jumps; they can use their superiority in the throws led by Quanzell Lambert to take a shot at the title. Delsea, Highland, Kingsway, and Central Regional all look to fight it out for the remaining top 5 spots. Highland, which is a very well-rounded team, led by Steve Maine and Jameer Roberts, along with Delsea, led by Nick Costello, Marcus Williams, and Josh Awotunde, will most likely take the next two spots.
The Group 3 Girls will most likely be a two team competition between Delsea and Winslow Township. The two are ranked fourth and fifth currently in the SJTCA rankings and have some amazing athletes on their team. Winslow is a team that is extremely strong in the sprints, hurdles, and jumps and has many athletes to complement Ste’cye McNeil. McNeil has the ability to score in any event from 100m up to 400m, including the hurdle events. She will get a lot of help from Cidae’a Woods who can put up big points in the sprints and jumps. Freshman Gabrielle Bennett, along with a multitude of other athletes, makes Winslow Township a complete team that will be very tough to beat this weekend. Delsea Regional High School has the advantage of being a better-rounded team and will bank on this fact to put them on top. Delsea is led by Ashley Woodards in the sprints and she has the ability to stay close to, if not defeat, Winslow Township’s sprinters and hurdlers. Celine Mazzi is having a great outdoor season and can score in any of the distance events. If Delsea’s jumpers can stay close to Winslow’s, and Jeanne Berry and Jala Washington score big in the throws, they can take this meet. This is going to be a very exciting meet these two teams, with Toms River South, Kingsway, and Timber Creek likely to fill out the top 5.
Wrapping up the public sectionals is Group 4. The boys meet may turn out to be a two team race with a few times trying to break into the top 3. Egg Harbor Township is the top ranked Group 4 team in the SJTCA rankings and is the slight favorite. Cherry Hill East will be their main competition and if Egg Harbor can stay close to Cherry Hill East’s top sprinters, they should take the meet. Cherry Hill East is led by Alex Reber and Brian Reagan in the sprints and the hurdles. Reber, who has the fourth fastest intermediate hurdle time in the state, will be extremely tough to be in this event in addition to the sprint events. He currently holds nearly a four second advantage in the intermediate hurdles. Reagan is a strong counterpart to Reber in the sprinting events and these two should post big points here. Saying Egg Harbor is a well-rounded team is an understatement. Their main goal for the weekend should be to try and steal points in the sprinting events. If they can do this, their depth in the middle distance events, hurdles, and field events will lead them to the title. Their 4x800 went 8:04 at the Carl Lewis Relays on Monday and with Tom McLaughlin’s ability, they can get some points here that Cherry Hill East may not be able to. In addition to this, they have the top two high hurdle times and ability in the field events that could close the deal. This is evidenced by their four shot putters ranked in the top 7, two discus throwers in the top 8, and two triple jumpers in the top 5. Of course nothing is promised, but Egg Harbor appears to have the depth that wins sectional titles. Cherokee will look to slide in and break these two teams up from their 1-2 ranking. Cherokee is extraordinarily strong in the middle distance and distance events and these points will rack up! Drew Viscidy can also score in the sprints and this could push Cherokee up into second place.
The Group 4 girls are the toughest to pick and could arguably be the most competitive team competition of the day. Southern Regional, Cherokee, Lenape, and Millville all have a legitimate chance at the title. The first three teams are painfully close as all three are considered well-rounded teams. All three can score in just about any event, whether on the track or the field, and this one may come down to which team’s top athletes can get the most points. Southern Regional is led by Jillian Smith in the distance events, Dana Ohlson in the hurdles and jumps, and Michelle Simmons in the sprints. Cherokee is led by Jessica Woodard who would have the ability to get 30 points for her team were it not for Maria Jimenez of Vineland , new State Record holder in the Javelin. However Woodard will still get pretty close to that. They then have Megan Lacy who has showed her range this season in the distance events and can score in any of those. She’ll also have some help in the 800 from Jessica Wright. Cherokee also has a standout athlete in the sprints in Courtney Foster. Lenape is led by Evann Thompson and Shaya Wilkerson in the sprints, hurdles, and jumps. They’ll need some points from their “Star Wars” like master-apprentice duo of senior Natalia Ocasio and freshman Camille Franklin to have a chance at this one. Finally, Millville, who is always well-coached, should remain a consideration to win this title. They have some amazing quality in the sprints, hurdles, and jumps in Myangel Davis and Victoria Thaler to go along with their top throwers Ashli Weems and Alexis Kennedy. This one is most likely a toss up between Southern Regional, Cherokee, and Lenape.
Let’s not forget those Non-Public Teams as they’ll travel to Buena and South Plainfield for their sectional meets. With powerhouses such as CBA on the boys side and Monsignor Donovan and Red Bank Catholic on the girls side; the top South Jersey teams on the boys side look to be Holy Cross in Non Public “A” and St. Joseph’s Hammonton in Non Public “B” and for the girls Bishop Eustace in Non Public “A” and St. Joseph’s Hammonton in Non Public “B”.
Hold on tight, it is going to be a great three weeks!