Seven Vikings advance to NJSIAA Group IV championship
By: Carolyn M. Hartko
Three South Brunswick High School boys earned gold medals in field events at last weekend’s NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV Championships held at Hillsborough High School. In addition, another boy and three girls scored a top six finish, so they will also advance to the next step of state competition, the All-Group IV Championship which takes place this weekend at Egg Harbor Township High School.
Two of the Viking gold medallists were also winners at the Greater Middlesex Conference Championships held the week before sectionals. With a distance of 43-1 ¼ in the triple jump, senior Nana Ampin was just 1.25 inches ahead of second place. Junior Yemi Ayeni not only took first place in the discus on Friday night (165-0), he came back on Saturday and placed fourth in the shot put with a personal best throw of 50-11 ¼ .
The third gold medal went to James Ivey who won the high jump on Friday by clearing 6-0 with the fewest misses. Ivey went on to place fourth in the triple jump (41-4 ½) and third in the long jump on Saturday (21- ½). Ayeni, one of the team’s five captains, was elated by the team’s success in the first day of competition. With 40 points, the Vikings were in first place in the team competition at that point.
"I told (Ivey) how proud I was of him after he came back to the bleachers and told me he got first place," Ayeni said. " I was really excited for him. Both of us have been through a lot for the team. We’ve both been through disappointments. And sometimes, we’ve been the (deciding factor) of who wins, so we’ve put pressure on ourselves just to do well. I was very excited that we both did well that day."
Normally, Ayeni throws better as a meet progresses. His best distances have usually come during finals. However, this weekend he threw the winner in the preliminaries, the first time he stepped into the circle.
"After that, I threw a 161, then a 164," the Viking junior said. "I think I was hyped, and I just had to get it over with. That was a great relief after I threw the 165. I felt better, so I just relaxed afterwards."
For the first time this season, Ayeni had some real competition. When one entrant from Manalapan threw a personal best of 162-4, it gave the Viking something to think about for the All-Group IV meet coming up this weekend.
"I’m going to get a run for my money there, because I heard there’s a kid from Toms River that threw 178 feet," Ayeni said. "That’s really making me work a little harder, so I’ll be able to do my best that day and just see what I can do."
Hitting a personal best in the shot put on Saturday was a bit of a surprise for Ayeni, since he did not practice that event the week before sectionals, concentrating on the discus. He plans to compete in both disc and shot again this weekend, since they will be held on different days, following the same schedule as the sectionals.
At the end of the meet, the Vikings were in third place with a total of 53 points. Freshman sprinter Charles Willis contributed to that with a bronze medal in the 100 meter dash (11.0) and a fifth in the 200 (22.6). The Vikings also advance in the 4×400 where that squad placed 6th (3:27.7).
In the girls’ competition, the Lady Vikings finished in 10th place overall with 16 points. Two girls placed in two different events each. Senior Shafeeha Potts earned a silver medal in the 400 hurdles (1:03.7), and she came in fourth in the long jump (17-1). She enters this weekend’s meet seeded fifth in the long jump and seventh in the intermediate hurdles.
"They were good solid performances," Lady Viking head coach Brian Jost said of Potts two events. "She just got nipped at the line in the intermediates. Otherwise, she could have walked away with a first place medal. Both girls had the exact same time. Shafeeha had the lead, and then the other girl kind of moved on her after the last hurdle."
Freshman Indira Morton posted a school record 34-9 in the triple jump, coming in fifth, and she was sixth in the long jump (16-5). Not bad for someone who tried the triple jump for the first time with a two-day crash course right before sectionals. Morton is seeded sixth in the triple, and 11th in the long jump for the Group IV championships.
South’s final point came from the 3200 meter race where junior Amy Rhein placed sixth (12:00). Rhein goes on to the next level seeded 19th out of a field of 24.
"Our competition was real tough in Central Jersey," Jost said. "Last year, I think we had eight girls (move on), but that was a very exceptional group. We thought going in this year, that four or five girls had a chance to advance if they performed well, and that’s about the number that we got, so we were pleased. It’s nice to see Amy, as an underclassman going for the first time. It’s nice to see Indira going in two events as a freshman. And it’s also nice to see Shafeeha, the senior, get one more shot at it. We have a good mix there."