By Billy Wright, Pennsauken High School Athletic Director
PHS winter track Coach Clinton Tabb’s heart was a flutter as junior ace Marquan Jones lined up for the starters pistol in the 4×200 meter relay at the NJSIAA Group III State Relay Championships. The quartet of Jones, Brandon Harley, Ryan Wemegah, and Martin Booker Jr. were well aware that both speed and precision passing of the baton were required if a gold medal was to be earned. Marquan exploded off of the starting line to put the Indians in front. A smooth excellent baton pass to Brandon put PHS ahead to stay and provided the quartet with a well deserved championship jacket.
Fifteen minutes later, the girl’s foursome took to the track attempting to duplicate the boy’s effort. After the first three legs of underclassmen, Indigo Pascall, Asia Davis, and Brianna Bryan, the Indians found themselves in fifth place, down by 11 meters and out of gold medal contention. Senior Olivia Jamison had other plans, as she raced after the leaders, closing to finish second, .17 of a second short of the gold.
The girls sprint medley team of Olivia, Asia, and Indigo then teamed up with Amanda Bakley to finish fourth and break the PHS school record.
Code Red had one more chance to shine with the 4×400 meter relay, the last event of the day. Both the boys and girls quartet earned a bronze medal to finish sixth. The boys used the same foursome as the state championship 4×200 quartet, and for the girls, Chataija Moore teamed up with Olivia, Indigo and Amanda.
Dow Wins Close Battle
In the midst of a tough quad wrestling match against highly touted Cherry Hill West and Washington Township, many in attendance were looking forward to the 195 lb. match-up between the Indians’ David Dow and 2014 Region 7 runner-up James Potts of the home-standing Lions. Points were hard to come by in this battle of Potts, who was ranked third in South Jersey, and David, ranked fifth. David took a lot of the suspense out of this one early with a takedown for a 2-0 lead. The two highly touted wrestlers then traded points before David prevailed 6-5.
The team scores were not as friendly to Code Red, as Cherry Hill knocked off PHS 37-28 and Washington Township came out on top 45-30. The Indians did manage a 69-6 win over Camden to finish 1-2 for the day.
Dow joined Eric Cintron and Thang “Tango” Ngo to win all three of their matches, two for bonus points by pin.
Tough Week For Hoopsters
A tough week for the PHS basketball teams saw keen determination but found both squads on the short end of the scoreboard in all five contests. Trenton Catholic and Northern Burlington swept both Indians teams; and Collingswood also took down the PHS ladies.
Briana Roberts has been improving in every game, scoring 40 points and grabbing 22 rebounds in three games. The Lady Indians currently sit number 13 in South Jersey Group IV competition, with the top 16 qualifying for the state playoffs. The boys have a tougher hill to climb, as they sit in the number 18 spot.
Athletes Of The Month
December’s honorees are Marquan Jones and Jessica Bello. Marquan is a mainstay on two Indian winter track relays that are ranked in the state; he has also run the fastest 400 meter dash among NJSIAA Group III competitors in the state. Jessica leads the Burlington County Scholastic League in Bowling average with a 190.1 per game average
Harlem Wizards Dunk Pennsauken In March
Frigid weather abounds and the spring seedlings and daffodils cannot come quick enough for most of us. For the Pennsauken All Sports Booster Club, March brings a big event in the form of the nationally recognized Harlem Wizards basketball team. The Boosters team up with several of Pennsauken Schools’ PTA to sponsor the event. The Wizards will perform at Pennsauken High School on Sunday, March 22 at 2:00 p.m. The Wizards will compete against a team of school teachers and administrators in what is sure to be a demonstration of phenomenal basketball skills as well as a hilarious exhibition of fun tricks. The Wizards will also visit several of the Pennsauken schools to demonstrate their skills and to deliver an educational and motivational message to our young people.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased from the PHS Athletic Department or from the PTA. Proceeds from the event support the $5,000 worth of scholarships that the club awards annually to deserving PHS student-athletes and the PTA organizations at the schools.
The Boosters Club exists as an organization of parents and community persons dedicated to the PHS athletic program. The club supports, encourages, and advances the mission of the athletic department. Meetings are conducted the second Tuesday of the month in the PHS library. Come out and join this worthy organization, which is attempting to make the high school athletic experience more rewarding for each student athlete.
If you want to keep up with all of the athletic happenings, the school district website, sports button is the place to be. Contest schedules for the winter, and spring 2015 season can be found at www.pennsauken.net, as well as information about the Varsity Club, All Sports Booster Club, college recruiting, and a wealth of other athletic related information.
