By: Sean Moylan
Over the past five years or so, the Bordentown Regional High School boys’ varsity track and field team has managed to build a stellar reputation in Burlington County because of its great middle to long distance runners. Yet it was the Scotties’ throwers that took Division I by storm in the Greater Middlesex County Relays on Saturday.
Bordentown junior Donnell Hayden and Steve Melton won the discus relay event with a combined throw of 255 feet. Hayden’s toss alone went 136 feet. Hayden, a basketball star at Bordentown who is known for his incredible strength inside, teamed up with Scotties’ football star Sidney Tucker to take third in the shot put relay. Meanwhile the Scotties’ 4×200 meter relay squad placed third in Division I with a 1:36.8 time. Mike "Super Sonic" Steffen had the Scotties’ best split time (22.7 seconds) in the race.
Steffen has been performing at such a high level lately it’s just been a matter of picking which four events he’ll win at any given meet. In the Scotties’ first regular season meet at Delran this past Monday, Steffen won the 100 (11.3 seconds), the 200 ( 23.1 seconds), the 400 (53.1 seconds) and the long jump (18 feet and 9 inches).
"He’s gone 20 feet before in the long jump," said Bordentown Coach Tony Haneman of Steffen. Yet even with Steffen’s heroics, Delran won the overall meet 76-55.
"We didn’t have any pole vaulters," added Haneman. "We got swept in a lot of events and still lost by only 21."
The Scotties were able to stay relatively close because where they are good they’re very good. "Marvelous" Marvin Carter won the 800 with a 2:09 time and he placed second in the 400 hurdles. Carter also teamed up "Dangerous" Dan Millan, Prince Kim and Zach Bohanan to lead Bordentown to a win in the 4×400 relay. Steffen usually competes in that event but it was obvious that the Scotties needed him elsewhere on Monday. Bohanan also placed third in the individual 400. Millan, on the other hand, was the runner-up to Steffen in the 400 and the long jump, where he posted a fine 18 foot 7 inch leap.
In the meantime, Hayden won both the shot and the discus (133 feet). His 46-foot toss in the shot was a personal record. The terrific trio of Hayden, Tucker and Melton give Bordentown an added dimension this season.
"The kids are working hard. They’ve worked hard in practice. (Today) it just wasn’t good enough," said Haneman, who will always be satisfied if his Scotties give maximum effort like they did against the Bears.
Bordentown is scheduled to compete in the Hall of Fame Relays at Maple Shade on Saturday. It is also scheduled to host Stuart County Day School and Burlington City in a regular season meet on Tuesday.
FLORENCE
The Florence Township Memorial High School boys’ and girls’ varsity track and field teams were both able to flex their muscles and defeat Riverside Ram squads in Monday afternoon’s meet.
On the boys’ side Florence clobbered Riverside, 87-43. D.J. Pittinger was one of Florence’s biggest winners with victories in the 400 intermediate hurdles and the 110 high hurdles. Shaquan Virgil was a triple threat with wins in the 100 meter race (a 12.03 second time), the 200 (25.03 seconds) and the high jump and Florence’s Jim Karwacki won the 1,600 (5:15) and the 3,200 (11:24).
The Flashes also tasted some success in the throwing events as Adam Pernice won the shot put and the discus. "Rodney (Robeson) said he’s (Pernice) been working hard all season," noted Mike Flynn, the coach of the Flashes’ boys’ varsity track team. Robeson, the Florence girls’ coach, works with the throwers while Flynn works mainly with the runners.
One of the Flashes’ more talented runners, Justin Stone, won the 400 with a time of 56.6 seconds. Matt Belcher (second place in the 110 high hurdles and third place in the 400 intermediate hurdles), and Chris Salaga (second place in the javelin) also had productive days for the Flashes. The Flashes won the 4×400 relay race as well.
On the girls’ side Florence beat Riverside, 76-45. And of course, Anna Cook was in the middle of all the action with triumphs in the long jump (14 feet 9 ½ inches), the 100 hurdles and the high jump (5 feet).
"She jumped 5 feet in the high jump and then I made her stop. It was wet and she was slipping," said Robeson of Cook.
Nevertheless, Cook was so dominating in the high jump her closest competition came from teammate Brittany Spence, who placed second with a 4-foot leap. Spence, however, won the 400 with a 1:07.8 time. Florence’s Marla Sensi came through with wins in the 1,600 and the 3,200, where she posted a solid 15:16 time. Rebecca Wright (first place in the 800 with a 2:59 time), Arianna Williams (first place in the 200 with a 31.3 second time), Linda Obynani (first place in the 100), Kristine Doub (first place in the discus with a 69 foot 6 inch toss), Katie Eells (first place in the javelin with a 73-foot throw) and Cheryl Jiras (second place in the 800 with a 3:07 time) were some of the Flashes’ other big point scorers on the day.
"They did great," said Robeson speaking for both teams. While some of the Flashes’ times were down, that was due to the miserable weather conditions. Both Florence teams are scheduled to compete in the Hall of Fame Relays on Saturday. On Tuesday, both Florence squads are scheduled at Palmyra for regular season meets.
NBC
Although it may not compete with Willingboro for league supremacy, the Northern Burlington County Regional High School boys’ varsity track and field squad has at least one superior athlete in nearly every event. And barring injury, the Greyhounds may end up having their finest state tournament in years before all is said and done.
But any success this season will start with the veterans. Last year Steve Makuka (now a senior) did very well in the pole vault at the state tournament while Matt Melillo (now a junior) excelled in the 3,200 meter race at states. Both are expected to produce similar or better results this season, but Melillo also has a lot of talented running mates pushing in the distance races including senior Danny Bowden and freshman Mike Bowden, who already made his mark as a great runner during the cross country season. Add juniors Dan Lucy, Matthew Mayo and Caleb Walton to the mix and NBC has one of the strongest groups of distance runners in Burlington County.
"We’ve got some experience (in the distance events)," said NBC fourth-year Coach Tim Tedesco, who will also use sophomores Dale Dombrowski, Andrew McMullen, Sean Morrissey, Christopher Sichel and Bekir Yilmaz as distance runners. Freshmen Brian Giancola, Zack Goodwin, Reggie Jackson and Ryan Preidel may also make some noise in the distance events. Giancola has also shown promise in the hurdles.
Eric Barry (senior), Irving Fryar (senior), Keith Jones (junior) and Saidu Mustapha (sophomore) are all extremely talented and experienced sprinters and jumpers. Mustapha is already one of the best 400 runners the Greyhounds have ever had and he only has one year of varsity under his belt. Meanwhile sophomore Christopher Tomori is a standout in the hurdles and the jumps and senior Darnell Kirkland is a brilliant high and long jumper. Freshman Ben Richards gives NBC a triple threat in the sprints, pole vault and throws. Senior Jim Grogg should score his points in the hurdles and jumps. One of NBC’s best sprinters is senior Jason Castaldo and anyone who has followed his varsity soccer career at Northern Burlington is quite aware of his blinding speed. Nonetheless the Greyhounds have an influx of young talent in the sprints, including sophomore Kirkland Hamilton (also a thrower) and freshmen Logan Giberson, William Manogue and Zachary Miller.
Senior Ben Berben (800, high jump), sophomore Dave Specca (800, high jump, pole vault) and freshmen Ben Richards (sprints, pole vault, throws) offer NBC excellence and versatility in multiple events.
Junior Ben Case is the Greyhounds’ best and most experienced athlete in throwing events.
"He’ll throw all three (shot put, discus and javelin), but he’s best in the discus," said Tedesco of Case. If there’s one area where NBC lacks experience it’s in the throwing events.
Sophomores Matthew Palmieri, Adam Rothside Patrick Tobin and Neil and talented freshmen Frank Capra and Sami IJaz will also throw for NBC. Junior Kevin Hynes (pole vault), junior Nhamdi Ibeka (jumps) and sophomore Devon Bryant (hurdles) will also compete for the squad. Tedesco will be assisted by Bill Kostenko and Carlos Bovell this season.
"We are in a very difficult division for our dual meets. Our goal this year is to be competitive in every meet. And when we get to the championship meets and the relay meets, we are looking for some medals and advance some guys to the state meet," stated Tedesco.
Between Makuka, the Bowden Brothers, Melillo, Case, Mustapha and Fryar, the Greyhounds already have more than a few established stars. But the truth is they will not be the only ones people will be writing at by the end of the season. Young talent, especially in track and field, is always full of surprises.
The NBC boys’ track team was scheduled to have opened the season at Willingboro yesterday (Wednesday). Meanwhile NBC’s girls’ varsity track and field squad was scheduled to have hosted Willingboro in its regular season opener yesterday (Wednesday). Both NBC squads are scheduled to compete in Saturday’s Hall of Fame Relays.

