East Orange Campus High School boys’ track and field team captures Essex County Relays title

EAST ORANGE – The East Orange Campus High School boys’ track and field team captured the boys’ team title at the Essex County Relays at Livingston High School on Friday, May 6.

The Jaguars had 69 team points. Seton Hall Prep was second at 53; Weequahic was third (47), Montclair was fourth (46) and West Orange was fifth (42).

It marked the first time that the EOCHS boys’ track team won the County Relays.

The Jaguars won the 400-meter intermediate hurdles relay in a total time of 2:47.78. Cory Poole, a junior, was first overall in 54.14; Akeem Lindo was fourth in 55.19 and Ibrahim Fobay was eighth in 58.45.

Willesley Lindo, Akeem Lindo, Poole and Immyouri Etienne won the 4×400 in 3:22.68. Dominic Dazzell, Willesley Lindo, Poole and Keneek Tomlinson won the 4×200 in 1:31.71.

The 4×800 took sixth in 8:20.60; second in the shuttle hurdle relays in 59.98; third in the sprint medley relay in 3:41.26; second in the long jump relay at 37 feet, 7 1/4 inches (Stanley Igbudu, third, 19-4; and Oswald Murray, 15th, 18-3 1/4);  second in the triple jump at 84-3 1/4 (Charon Jenkins, second, 43-9 3/4; and Igbudu, ninth, 40-5 1/2); fourth in the shot put at 83-0 3/4 (Treymont Carter, sixth, 42-11 1/2; and Zyair Crump, 11th, 40-1 1/4); and fourth in the discus (Timaul Williams, ninth, 120-3; and Crump, 114-0).

EOCHS first-year head coach Lance Wigfall said perseverance was the key to the Jaguars’ crowning achievement, after the team failed to score points in the high jump and was disqualified in the 4×100.

“The team understood what was going on and they did it. They jelled tighter,” said Wigfall. “They just came together as a unit even stronger. They showed the difference between friends and family. I believe that with friends, you can say that you can do whatever you want or whatever you have to do to help them out. But with family, you actually endure everything together, and that’s what they did. They asked what they had to do and I told them ‘we just have to put ourselves in a position and every person do their own jobs. Everybody just focus on your job and just work as a unit.’ They persevered through that.”

The EOCHS girls’ team was second in the 4×100 in 50.21 with Mary Pierre-Louis, Mellica Gordon, Adelia Francis and Kevaray Gillette.

The Super Essex Conference Championships will be held Saturday, May 14, at School Stadium in Newark.