NB: Johnson adds to early legend

(Pub May 3)
Brett Johnson, who seems to be entering the realm of Chuck Norrisesque folklore in only his junior year after posting times of 1:52.8 in a dual-meet 800 and a split of 4:10 in the 1,600 leg of a distance medley relay, added a new wrinkle to his season story, traveling to North Country to set a U.S. best in the 1,500 Thursday.
In the Ironman Invitational race ran at Don Bosco, the Ocean City runner posted a 3:53.71, more than 11 seconds better than runner-up Dos Bosco Prep's Robert Molke (4:05.19). No sightings of a giant blue ox reported either.

The O.C. Finale
A hamstring injury initially thought to be a sprain for Ocean City senior Ryan Birchmeier is now being ruled a tear, effectively ending a dazzling year for the long-distance runner and the chance of seeing one of the greatest distance duos, alongside junior teammate Brett Johnson, in South Jersey history, assistant coach Bill Moreland said.
The Saint Joseph University-bound runner came back last spring from an IT band injury suffered during the 2006 cross-country season. Heavy summer mileage helped Birchmeier pull off two of the most impressive seasons this year, taking second only to Johnson in the Cross Country Group 3 State Championships in 16:10 and first in the Indoor Track Group 3 State Championships' 1,600 in a season-best 4:20.
Birchmeier injured himself during a pre-season sprint workout.

A Tough Loss
The cause of injury has yet to be determined, or at least discovered by this reporter, but reports from a team source say that Holy Cross senior Mike Sheehan may not compete again this spring. Best case scenario, says the source, is the long-distance runner being ready for the Non Public State Championship.
Sheehan – who anchored the team of Terrance Osborne, Rich Fisher and Matt Cusack with a 4:22 mile split to win the Group 2 distance medley relay at April 21 Woodbury Relays in 10:32.3 – plans to join the naval academy in Annapolis upon graduation.

Comes in Threes
For the sake of closure, Haddon Heights junior Josh Black is also out for the season, coach Matt Martin said. Even if healthy, Black -- who hasn't competed since injuring his back late in the cross-country season – has missed too much time to contend at the level that made him elite this past fall.
Even without Black, the Garnets are enjoying a turnaround year thanks to a myriad of surprises including jumpers Chris Roundtree, AJ Toliver and runner Colin Lynch.
After beating West Deptford April 14 and seeing West Deptford take down defending conference champ, Haddonfield, Wednesday, Haddon Heights needs to beat No.19-ranked Haddonfield Tuesday to clinch the Colonial Conference.

Names
Due to space limitations, a couple cool names were bumped to this issue. To recap, Egg Harbor Township freshman runner Dustin Roadside, Washington Township junior runner Xavier Fraction, Cherokee junior jumper Major Mobley, Haddonfield sophomore runner Boo Vitez and Glassboro junior sprinter James Brown all have some great tags. But no matter how a moniker is constructed, the holder needs a varsity letter to be considered.

Tivo Rivera – While the device with the same name can record missed episodes of "The Office", this Tivo is much more valuable. The Kingsway mid-distance runner, known as Tivosiel to his parents, entered this year as one of track's most heralded freshmen and has shown why this spring, fixing himself into the Dragons' 4x400 and 4x800 relays and belting out consistent 2:00 to 2:03 splits in the latter. Not bad for a ninth grader.

Ford Palmer – If there was ever a name that seemed to guarantee glory on the gridiron, Ford Palmer might as well be it. A rare double sport athlete in football and track, specifically mid-distance running, this Absegami junior has been among the best 800 runners in South Jersey since last spring when he placed seventh at the Meet of Champions in 1:54.41.
Last Saturday at the Penn Relays Palmer joined Geoff Navarro, Demetrius Rooks and sophomore Santiago Galeano to win a 4x400 heat (event No.192) in 3:21.40, a school record that eclipses the 20-plus-year-old mark of 3:23.
While Palmer placed second to Lenape junior Ryan Garvin (1:55.55) in the 800 at Thursday's South Jersey Open in 1:55.97, senior teammates Navarro and Rooks combined for three gold medals; Navarro won the 100 (11.1) and the 400 (48.96) and Rooks won the 400 intermediate hurdles in 54.69.

Thursday Notables
Just because a number of triple jumpers surpassed 43 feet at the South Jersey Open doesn't make the feat any less impressive. Coming in first with a moon jump of 43-5.5 was Schalick senior Matt Kates, second was Haddon Heights junior Chris Roundtree (43-2.75), third was Glassboro freshman P.J. James (43-2.25) and fourth was Glassboro junior Ryan Chance (43-2).
Pennsauken shot putter Joseph Carmichael threw a personal-best 52-11 to stave off Holy Cross senior Frank Allen (49-1).
And despite coming in second in the 1,600, Bishop Eustace junior Andy Arnold came a long way from last year in the event, finishing behind only Shawnee sophomore David Forward in a personal-best 4:24.66. Arnold finished 16th in the 1,600 in 4:29.73 at the Indoor Meet of Champions this past winter.
Reach Steve Wood at swood@courierpostonline.com.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

David Forward
Shawnee
Grade: Sophomore
Event: Distance

Accomplishment: Success in the 3,200 has kept Forward away from his first love, the 1,600, at group meets. When given the chance, though, Forward makes it count. After lowering his personal record by 11 seconds last year at the SJ Open, the sophomore came full circle Thursday, shaving nearly seven more seconds off his personal record by finishing the last 800 in 2:08 to hold off Bishop Eustace's Andy Arnold in 4:22.82. Forward plans to run another 1,600 today as part of the South Jersey Relays' 4x1,600.

Quote: "I think I could've gone out faster," Forward said. "All week I was planning to go out in 64 [seconds], 65 , but every time when there's one lap left there's doubts in my mind and I'm like 'Let him go just this once.' But I felt pretty good. The striders on the line, my legs felt really light and I knew I had something left."