State Groups Outlook, Predictions

(Pub May 31)
It's taken a season for many and years for some to get to this point so let's just get right into it. A group-by-group breakdown:

Group 4
Prediction: Absegami wins another first one and another tight one. While depth definitely counts in other meets, a super-stud triad like that of Geoff Navarro, Ford Palmer and Demetrius Palmer is made for championship meets. Washington Township places in the top three.

Today's must-see event: The 400 hurdles. Not one state hurdler broke 55 seconds outside of Group 4. But in this group, seven athletes did including five in the South Jersey meet. This bunch was led by undefeated top seed Absegami senior Demetrius Rooks (53.43) and followed by Washington Township junior Tim Carey (54.34). The Egg Harbor Township duo of Harold Lathan and Stevenson Cajuste, seeded fourth and fifth respectfully, could advance to the Meet of Champions together.
Rooks is closing in on 2007 Delsea graduate Aaron Younger's personal best of 52.66 set at last year's MoC.

Decade best
Along with tossing a personal-best 156-7 in the discus Saturday, Washington Township senior Kwabena Keene threw a personal-best 59-3 in the shot put, becoming South Jersey's best shot putter since Paulsboro's 1998 alum Jon Kalnas.
While Kalnas' high-school best of 64-4.25 may be out of reach, there is no state thrower closer to 60 feet than Keene.
"I really want to break it," said the University of North Carolina-bound senior this season. "I'm so close."
Keene had a shot at reaching the mark Friday, the opening day of the two-day championship. His last chance will be at the Meet of Champions Wednesday.

Yersak and Kelly
Two seniors – one of whom was great all four years, the other blooming now – proved to be similar runners last weekend. Cherokee's Alex Yersak and Washington Township's Chris Kelly (9:38.16) each shed the pack on the last lap of last Saturday's 3,200. Yersak led Kelly by a couple meters and matched Kelly stride for stride to the line, winning his first title in 9:37.16 and says he did so by employing a new strategy.
"I'm not the pace setter anymore," Yersak said. "I'm trying to race the right way – be as relax as you can and then kick at the end … The last 500 meters, that's when I wanted to go."


Top Seeds
400 – Geoff Navarro, Absegami, Sr. (48.55)
100 – Geoff Navarro, Absegami, Sr. (10.72)
400 IH – Demetrius Rooks, Absegami, Sr. (48.55)
Shot put – Kwabena Keene, Washington Township, Sr. (59-3)
4x400 – Absegami (Santiago Galeano, Demetrius Rooks, Ford Palmer, Geoff Navarro) (3:17.27)


Group 3
Prediction: A South Jersey team wins. Which one, who knows? It took Morrisville and Morris Hills 45 points each to share the title last year and if the all the top seeds win out, both Delsea and Camden have 30 points on winner points alone. A tribute to our local talent, South Jersey Group 3 has a top seed in the 10 of the 16 events. Possessing the most remaining depth, Timber Creek should score most of its points behind the leaders. Top North Jersey teams include Morristown – led by the throwing tandem of Nick Vena and Anthony Napoleon – and Morris Hills.

Today's must-see event: The 800. As of Friday morning, Ocean City junior Brett Johnson has yet to lose a race this spring. After winning last Saturday in 1:56.96, Johnson enters the race seeded second to Morris Hills junior Liam Tansey (1:56.77)., but having ran 1:52.8 in a dual meet earlier this season, Johnson enters as the favorite.

Unless Johnson plans to double at next Wednesday's Meet of Champions, this could be his last attempt at John Richardson's school record of 1:51 for the year.

Also worth keeping an eye on, South Jersey's most impressive freshman this season, Kingsway's Tivo Rivera, is seeded third (1:57.65) and continue to drops time like it's hot.

Awesomeo Okoro
Delsea won last year's South Jersey Group 3 Championship by two points on the legs of its Big Three, Aaron Younger, Melton Diggs and Frank Lavan. But in a runner-up effort this year, nobody came up bigger than senior Udochi Okoro.
While Younger helped contribute a team-high 34 points for the 2007 Crusaders, who had nipped Camden 75-73, Okoro helped add 38 of Delsea's 65 total points, winning the 400 (49.35), the 200 (21.74) and the 4x400 (3:21.88) and placing second in the 100 (10.91).

Fully charged
Timber Creek senior Edward Evans threw 179-8 in the javelin, second to only Cumberland sophomore Andrew Pierce (181-2) and leaped 21-8.5 for third in the long jump.

Z-man
The owner of "Easiest first name to spell, hardest last name", Highland junior Ed Zubrzycki, has found some consistency, grazing over 14-6 twice in the last three weeks. The pole vaulter cleared a personal-best 14-7 to win the SJ Group 3 title, defeating favorite West Deptford senior Dan Batdorf (third, 13-0) for the first time since the early indoor season. Seneca sophomore Mike Maira was second (13-6).

Top seeds
1,600 -- Brett Johnson, Ocean City, Jr. (4.23.67)
400 – Udochi Okoro, Delsea, Sr. (49.35)
200 – Udochi Okoro, Delsea, Sr. (21.74)
100 – RJ Page, Kingsway, Sr. (10.60)
110 HH – Matt Marshall, Camden, Sr. (14.43)
HJ – Montez Blair, Timber Creek, Jr. (6-8)
LJ – Syteek Farrington, Camden, So. (22-9)
TJ – Wayne Walls, Camden, Jr. (46-2.5)
PV – Ed Zubrzycki, Highland, Jr. (14-7)
4x400 – Delsea (Kyle Webb, Austin Medley, Terrence Burns, Okoro), (3:21.88)

Group 2
Prediction: Pleasantville is the No.1 ranked team in our Top 20 and ran away with the SJ Group 2 title but lack a top seed. The Greyhounds showed during the indoor season that they can match intensities with any competitor when need be, but Bridgeton still may outscore them thanks in part to their stud throwers Dominique Williams, Steven Lane and Les Hall, but mostly because of senior sprinter Charles Allen. Pleasantville finishes second to Somerville for the second straight year with Bridgeton not far behind.

Today's must-see event: The 200. If either the Greyhounds or Bulldogs are going to win the title, faring well – or winning – this event is crucial. Bridgeton senior Charles Allen is seeded second to Abraham Clark senior Akeem Gauntlet (21.39) after defeating Pleasantville workhorse Kenny Davis (22.15).

Pirates Arrgh Back
South Jersey's top distance duo last year, Cinnaminson's Matt Poskus and Brian Tetreault, peaked at the right time. Unfortunately for the Pirates, right after championship season, they graduated.
Coach Dan Fourney has a knack for grooming runners into beasts and has done again this year.

Junior Todd Campbell and senior Kenny Hoff each left Buena as winners last Saturday, Campbell winning the 3,200 (9:40.30) and Hoff the 800 (1:57.75). Campbell is the top seed in today's 3,200, however, Haddonfield sophomore Jon Vitez had an atypical performance last Saturday and should be the favorite.

Bridgeton wunderkind
Laying low on the radar screen, Bridgeton senior Charles Smith went on to win the 100 (10.85) and the 200 (21., the former in a dead heat with Glassboro junior James Brown.

Top Seeds
3,200 – Todd Campbell, Cinnaminson, Jr. (9:40.30)
100 – Charles Allen, Bridgeton, Sr. (10.85)
Javelin – Brian Owens, Woodstown, Sr. (183-08)
4x400 – Sterling (Chris Ward, Greg Taylor, Matt Long, Robert Friedman) 3:24.46

Group 1
Group 1 Prediction: Penns Grove is clearly the best Group 1 team coming out of South Jersey, but knocking off defending champ Metuchen will be quite a task. After taking bronze last year, Penns Grove moves up a spot.
Today's must-see event: The discus. Penns Grove senior Tyree Rudolph set personal bests while doubling in the shot put and discus (147-0) last weekend, but will likely need another to defeat Wallington's Tomasz Dlugozima (146-7).

On your Mark
Coming off a runaway 1,600 the day before, Pennsville senior Mark Kearney flirted with a meet record in the 3,200 last Saturday, but came one second short, winning handily for the second straight year in 9:38.38.

"I was a little sore from yesterday's mile, but I just tried to keep a certain pace," Kearney said.

Having skipped Friday's 1,600, Kearney – who placed third at the state meet last year in 9:52.40 – should be fresh enough to add state champion to his resume. Kearney's biggest challenger looks to be Verona sophomore David Oster (9:45.67).

Sweet 16
Penns Grove long jumper Steven Brown leaped the second farthest of all South Jersey athletes Saturday (Camden sophomore Syteek Farrington jumped 22-9) en route to winning Group 1 with a personal-best jump of 22-8.

During the week leading up to the event, Brown worked on his timing to avoid fouling and to turn jumping into a science. Sixteen steps and Brown is airborne, discovered Brown and coach Tom Mason.

"When I get to eight, I keep my head up and go," Brown said.

"He was only fouling by half an inch," Mason said. "He felt like once he got all of the board, he could be in the 22s."

Top seeds
3,200 – Mark Kearney, Pennsville, Sr. (9:38.38)
1,600 – Mark Kearney, Pennsville, Sr. (4:27.22)
LJ – Steven Brown, Penns Grove, Jr. (22-8)
TJ – Sean Jimoh, Riverside, Sr. (44-10.50)
Shot put – Tyree Rudolph, Penns Grove, Sr. (147-0)

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Wayne Walls
Camden
Grade: Junior
Events: Jumps
Accomplishments: Needing to triple jump a personal best on his final attempt to win the South Jersey Group 3 meet last Saturday, Walls lived up to his practice guarantee of one upping the next guy, leaping a South Jersey-best 46-2.5 to beat Delsea senior Joe Gregory (45-2.25) and Timber Creek junior Eric Smith (45-1.5). Walls is the event's top seed at today's State Group 3 Championship at South Plainfield High.

Quote: "We always talk about it in practice," coach Greg Foster said. "I told him then 'We're going to see what you're made of now.' … He could've blown up, he could've failed, he could've done a million others thing. I'm very happy with his response." Said Walls: "I've always said I would be a foot ahead of them. I always had confidence in myself, I mean, I wasn't doing that good this year but I knew it would come one of these days."