(Pub May 24)
Leaders: After Day 1, Absegami boys (40) and Toms River North girls 36) led South Jersey Group 4, and Penns Grove boys (54) and Pennsville girls (41) led SJ Group 1.
Bell time: Penns Grove sophomore Stephon Bell sped past the Paulsboro duo of Willie Anderson (57.46) and Darren Carter (57.58) in the Group 1 400 intermediate hurdles while in the fifth lane, finishing in 57.08.
Quote: "I kind of felt like somebody was behind me, but I kept going at a steady pace," Bell said. "I didn't slack or slow down or someone would catch me.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP – It didn't take long into the spring season to see that Absegami's feared two-headed monster of sprinter Geoff Navarro and runner Ford Palmer had grown another head – and another set of teeth.
Senior Demetrius Rooks emerged as a major scorer on the first of the two-day South Jersey Group 4 and Group 1 Championships Friday, winning the 400 hurdles in a personal-best 53. 37.
Still, the pain derived from a race widely regarded as one of the most punishing in track was nothing compared to what Rooks felt last year.
"I had a toothache every day for three months," Rooks said.
Rooks burdened the toothache last spring, running through the pain to a then personal-best 56.0 until it became too excoriating. Then the real pain settled in.
A dentist had unknowingly pulled the plug on Rooks' season a week before sectionals when he pulled out his four Wisdom teeth, making Rooks' win Friday all the more sweeter.
"I almost false started because I was so anxious to get off," he said.
In a strong field, teammate Navarro won the 100 (10.72) and the 400 (48.55) to help catapult the Braves ahead of Egg Harbor Township (30), Washington Township (29) and Oakcrest (20) into first with 40 points. Rooks also earned two assists by holding the blocks for Navarro.
"Just knowing I work with him in practice, he gives me a little extra something," Navarro said. "A little pep talk before my run. It feels good. They're behind me."
Navarro will run the 200 today and also team with Palmer and Rooks in the 4x400 relay to reach his ultimate goal.
"I'm just trying to score our team some points and I'm trying to get the team our first sectional title," Navarro said.
The top six finishers in each event move on to next week's state championship.
Washington Township senior Kwabena Keene had no trouble passing the cut, launching a personal-best 59-3 to win the shot put and besting Pennsauken junior Joseph Carmichael's personal-best of 54-0.
Told to take it out faster by coach Rich Bostwick, Washington Township senior Chris Kelly led through three laps of the 1,600 before being swallowed by a pack of runners led by junior teammate Xavier Fraction. Fraction split a 60-second final lap to hold off South Regional's Victor Sherman (4:24.16), finishing in 4:22.77.
After Mainland's Kevin Cronin surprised him by grabbing and holding the lead last year, Fraction said he learned from his mistakes.
"I'll study my competition a lot now, see what everybody is running," Fraction said. "I think all those workouts during the indoor season helped me to find what kind of racer I am. I like to sit and make moves."
After losing by only an inch in the long jump last year, Penns Grove junior Steven Brown knew that a few run-through practices would help not only prevent future fouling (stepping over the line) but also make up the difference.
"That's what hurt me in the beginning of the season," said Brown, after leaping a personal-best 22-8 to win the Group 1 event. " I was getting big jumps but they weren't getting marked. Penns Grove ended the day in first.
Lenape sophomore Caitlin Orr was just one in a swarm of girls heading toward the bell lap of the Group 4 1,600 with heavy favorite Southern Regional junior Jillian Smith buzzing just ahead.
The idea was Smith, a 4:49 miler, would exert just enough energy to win and carry on with the rest of her events.
The idea proved correct, but Orr refused to make it easy on Smith, breaking the school record teammate Miya Johnson set last year by running a 5:02.56. Smith won in 5:00.84.
"I didn't want to be the one to say 'Oh, that's Jill. She can just go,'" the sophomore said. "I really had to get second and I knew that. And I knew there were girls behind me … I knew if I could kept close with her, I could finish just as strong as her.
"I just tried to tie onto her and let her drag me along."
Williamstown junior Maria Ruiz (5:05.01) and Williamstown junior Lindsey Bertulis (5:05.48) also posted personal-best times, taking third and fourth.
Oakcrest junior Nijgia Snapp broke the 1980 record in the 400 by dashing past the field to a 55.15 finish to end the day's worth of track events.
Eastern sophomore English Gardner – who won the 100 in a season-best 11.79 earlier – was on the Snapp's heels with about 200 to go when she tripped over herself, landing on her head.
Gardner laid flat and still when a crew rushed to her aid, testing her immediately for a concussion. All signs proved negative, coach Sonny Anderson said, but her status in the 200 and 4x400 relay are in question.
Anderson had nothing but praise for Snapp afterward.
"The competition was there. [Snapp] ran a great race," Anderson said.
Palmyra senior Rajeanna Marigna won two events, the 100 (12.34) and 400 (58.06), to help keep her fourth-place team in contention for the Group 1 title heading into today.
Pennsville girls led Group 1 with 41 points after eight events Friday. Sophomore javelin thrower Lindsey Minch rocketed the spear 122-09, beating Maple Shade's duo of Kelly Flagg (110-03) and Kristen Moule (104-04). Maple Shade was in second with 36 points at the end of the day.
Pitman finished the day in third with 34 points, winning two events thanks to discus thrower Chelsea Cioffi and 1,600 runner Rachel Greenberg, Cioffi throwing nearly 24 feet past the competition for a 121-8 victory and Greenberg ran a 5:25.71.
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