Cape Atlantic League "Previews"

(Published in Late March ...)
2008 Cape Atlantic League
American Conference
Absegami
When you’re in one of the toughest conferences in South Jersey, it helps to have two superior athletes.
Between the two of them, senior sprinter Geoff Navarro and junior Ford Palmer cover seven events just about as well as a duo can.
Navarro, the indoor Group 4 sectional champion in the 55-meter dash, reigns in any event less than or equal to 400 meters and All-Group junior Ford Palmer rules any event equal to or greater than 400 meters. Perfect, except for the being thin in depth and lacking big-meet throwers, triple jumpers and pole vaulters.
Sprinters senior Douglas Irwin and sophomore Rasheed Grandy, a transfer student from Atlantic City, should help shadow Navarro, possibly finishing in a fringe placing, but definitely solidifying one of the state’s best sprint relays.
For all their faults, the Brave remain strong conference contenders and, with a couple surprises, maybe even more.
Atlantic City
There’s no shame in admitting being overmatched, not in this conference anyway.
We’re going to struggle, said 15-year coach Tim Donnell, but that doesn’t mean the season can’t be without success. Juniors Danny O’Donnell and Matt Ardelean, along with several at Mainland, are a couple of the best distance runners in the league and should keep the Vikings (3-6) on the scoreboard.
Egg Harbor Township
Based on his record, senior Stevenson Cajuste may be the preseason favorite to win South Jersey MVP, if there was such an award.
In niche events most teams lack in, Cajuste flourishes like no other, able to dominate the 110 hurdles, the 400 hurdles, the long jump and the triple jump.
Coach George Wilikinson’s team, as a whole, excels in hard sought events. Tre Lathan is also a top hurdler, seniors Jared Pagano and Cyrus Manahan are strong 200 and 400 runners, and all together with Cajuste form a superb 4x400 relay, one that beat Absegami’s to win the Group 4 sectionals in 3:27.89. The Eagles (7-1) are soft in weights, pole vault and, for now, distance events. But besides having a cool name, freshman Dustin Roadside proved himself as a tough distance runner this winter. Without any cross-country experience -- or at least not any to be found by this reporter -- Roadside ran a 4:40 in an indoor 1,600. If he drops time and starts scoring in some big meets, the Eagles have to be the favorites.
Hammonton
Coming off a 1-8 year, the Blue Devils may need some time before they can compete. Coach Pete Lancetta knows this. But the season isn’t without loss nor goals.
Strongest in sprinting events, Hammonton could make some noise, especially with senior Chris Helm taking aim at the school’s record in the 100.
Millville
There’s a lot to like about Millville.
After three years of being among the elite, senior Chris Church narrowly enters this spring as the quickest sprinter in South Jersey.
The loss of All-South Jersey sprinter Marquis Bonds to graduation hurts the Thunderbolts, but, as shown this winter, junior Khalid Cherry is no slouch. Without knowing the other half, just the combo of Cherry and Church gives Millville (0-8) an edge in most sprint medleys, 4x100s and 4x200s.
And while not yet spectacular, juniors Kevin Dever and Josh Parr form the best pole vaulting platoon in South Jersey. And lastly, in 1:58.13, Elijah Jones ran the fourth fastest 800 in South Jersey this season.
But Millville has its share of gaping hole: short on throwers (Marvin Logan can throw a shot 43-plus, a discus about 140), and no serious hurdlers, high jumpers or long-distance runners.
While the Thunderbolts are dominant at times, all their deficiencies – until proven otherwise -- keep them from being considered legitimate conference contenders.
Vineland
The Fighting Clan(7-1) lost a lot of pieces that helped them tie Oakcrest and Egg Harbor Township for the division title last year. Of the fifteen who graduated, the contributions made by sprinter Yadid Chaniz-Rico, multi-event athlete Davon Goldsborough and distance runner Joshua Arocho will be hard to replace.
But coach Elliot DeShields – and many other coaches -- sees them as contenders nonetheless, and with his career record 108-18 in a perennial hard conference, it’s hard to disagree.
Junior novice Jamal Boozer was a major pickup, dashing 6.67 FAT. He joins a 4x400 of Stanley Lewis, Chris Tarpley and Anthony Rivera that placed third in the Group 4 sectionals in 3:30.45.
Being a Group 4 qualifier last spring, senior Travis Douglas should led throwers in the discus (146-08) and javelin.

National Conference
Buena
The division title has belonged to Bridgeton ever since 2005 and coach Mike Gillespie is not saying his Chiefs will break the three-year streak, but he’s also not saying they can’t.
Strong on leadership and unity, the Chiefs(5-3) have too many newcomers and question marks to be among the favorites – Pleasantville and Bridgeton – but if tradition means anything, they should contend, he said.
Three-event seniors Darius Melton and Martin Craig are looked to as leaders, as are senior throwers Len Smith and Darion Henderson who hope to diminish the loss of graduated Group 2 discus champ Steve Hague.
Holy Spirit
Long in leadership, short in numbers, Holy Spirit hopes (7-2) to be competitive this season.
With distance buff Mike Keebler now racing at Boston College, one of five Spartans lost to graduation, coach David Pfeifer is relying on scoring from senior thrower Pat Shell and senior sprinters Nick Hall and Bob DeMarco.
Middle Township
A small turnout has dashed any thoughts of the Panthers being a world contender, but coach Ed Letts has his goals.
With only 12 athletes, repeating even last year’s modest 1-8 record may be tough but Letts said his strong bunch welcomes the challenge. Throwers senior Dan Newcomb and sophomore Kevin Hebron, a Group 2 state qualifier in the discus, should score regularly and Letts also believes sophomore Charles Cooper has a 21-foot long jump in him.
St. Augustine
It has taken 10 years, but the Hermits finally have their track program back. But unlike the normal excitement that comes with a start-up program, this kind is also tinged with optimism. Thirty kids have signed up for it.
And of the young cross-country team that went 8-1 this fall, eight runners are partaking in track including freshman Ryan Mathews and sophomore Philip Fanz, both figured to switch off on or double the 1,600 and 3,200.
First-year coach Ed Fanz, who also coached the cross-country team, said senior Josh Maldorado will probably assume the sprinting duties, but other athletes still need to be evaluated before assigning other roles.

FIVE TO WATCH
Chris Church, Millville, Sr. -- Church proved himself as the fastest man in the whole wide South Jersey this winter, having won the Group 4 state title in the 55-meter dash, followed by an area-best 6.45 at the Indoor Meet of Champs for fourth. And last spring in the Group 4 meet's 100, Church dashed a personal-best 10.79 for third. Now, with the two gone and graduated, Church -- who has been among the best since his freshman year -- needs to step up before he can take over.

Kenny Davis, Pleasantville, Sr. – A class drop to Group 1 meant utter domination for Davis. Like a meandering Godzilla, Davis plowed through the small schools, earning wins in the high jump (6-2), the 55 hurdles, the 400 and the 4x400 at both the SJ Group 1 Championship and the State Group 1 Championship. For those with calculators, that's 80 combined points by one individual in two meets. Wow. Davis, the lone remnant of last year's great 4x400, now anchors another speedy cast, one of which finished second at the Eastern States Championships in a state-best 3:21.49.

Brett Johnson, Ocean City, Jr. – The "Boy's Cross-Country Athlete of the Year" crossed over to play basketball last winter; let's just hope his ankles remain unbroken this spring. Days after winning the 1,600 (4:22.22) and the 3,200 (9:51.00) at the SJ Group 2 Championships last spring, Johnson was shut down after finding a stress fracture in his left foot. Johnson looked fine this fall, placing fifth at the Cross-County Meet of Champions in a SJ-best 16:03. With the State Indoor Group 3 Champion in the 1,600, senior Ryan Birchmeier (4:20.51) running aside Johnson as a teammate, neither should slow down.

Dominique Williams, Bridgeton, Sr. – Not many shot putters can be formidable in the hurdle events, but Williams is able to pull off the odd couple. Although not being able to showcase his skills after being disqualified for forgetting to remove his spikes at indoor sectionals, thereby ending his season immediately, Williams showed he can throw a shot 52-9 and ran the 55 hurdles in 8.38 this winter. His farthest throw last spring traveled 54-2.

Ford Palmer, Absegami, Jr. – Football and long-distance running usually don't mix, but Palmer has the right blend of tenacity, speed and endurance to make it all work. Having had ran 1:54.41 for seventh at the Meet of Champions last spring, Palmer finished with South Jersey's fastest 800 this winter in 1:56.04, good for third at the State Group 4 Championships. In his lesser ran race, the 1,600, Palmer ran a 4:33.6 for bronze at the SJ Group 4 Championships.