PHILADELPHIA – The major meets and the important races Alexis I. du Pont High wants to win most will come in May at the New Castle County, DIAA and Meet of Champions track and field gatherings.
But nothing is better in April than winning at the Penn Relays and Thursday the Tigers gobbled up a victory here they’ll long treasure.
They overtook Salesianum on the third leg of the Northern Delaware 4 x 400-meter relay championship and held off the Sals by three-hundreths of a second for a satisfying win in 3:24.39.
“It’s good to get the ‘W.’ We’re gonna progress from here,” said anchorman Donte Dockery, whose 50.51 split kept him just ahead of Sallies anchorman Bishop Lane’s speedy 48.55.
Jalen Wright, Dallas Parker, Lathan Love-Brown and Dockery turned in the fastest time by a Delaware team in the metric mile relay all day.
“They kept getting edged out every year at Penn Relays and Meet of Champions so this was very, very instrumental for them to win this year,” A.I. coach Antwain Flowers said.
“They didn’t really have a complete four years to compete [there were no Penn Relays in 2020 or 2021 due to COVID-19] so they wanted to just bring it home. They had the hunger to win it this year. They came back with the right formula this year.”
Cape quest
Konner Knarr had run the Penn Relays before. His three Cape Henlopen High 4 x 400-meter relay teammates had not.
So Knarr knew about the long waits from the bullpen to the paddock at the rim of the track before actually getting onto the Franklin Field oval to race.
“You’re in that long line forever and your Adrenalin is pumping like crazy,” Knarr said. “You’re ready to run. You just want to get out on the track.”
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Once the Vikings did, it was well worth the wait Thursday in the 127th renewal of the country’s longest-running track and field spectacle.
Knarr, Benjamin Clifton, Maurki James and Trey Leggins took second place in their heat in a season’s best 3:27.85. Only A.I. du Pont, Salesianum and Middletown (3:26.45) had faster 4 x 400 times among Delaware schools Thursday.
“The intensity and the competition,” Leggins said of what made Penn such a treasure. “It was loud and the fans get you going.”
Speed demons
Salesianum did have the fastest time among Delaware schools in the 4 x 100, a heat-winning 43.13 that, once again, demonstrated the Sals aren’t just a distance-running powerhouse anymore.
Anthony DelliCompagni, Vinny DelliCompagni, Jasyn Truitt and Lane passed the baton.
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Sals go the distance
Salesianum was the only Delaware school entered in the 4 x 800-meter relay heats that started the competition just after 9 a.m. Friday.
“When we qualified we marked it on the calendar and got ready to come,” said anchorman James Kennedy.
Matthew Miller, Vance Barbato, Matthew Bradley and Kennedy placed 15th in their heat in 8:13.14, with Miller and Kennedy each clocking sub 2-minute splits.
Though the Sals had hoped to get closer to 8:00, it was easily the fastest 4 x 800 by a Delaware foursome this spring and they still relished the competition and the camaraderie.
“It’s amazing,” Miller said.
Field day
A.I. du Pont’s Dockery also triple jumped 48-6 to place fourth among 15.
Courtney McDermott of Mount Pleasant threw the discus 171 feet, 10 inches to place eighth.
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