The last leg

As the relay’s lone senior, Woodstown’s Lucas runs last race with his 4×800 buddies at the New Balance Nationals

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – When Cole Lucas was looking for a sport to play in high school Reggie Teemer encouraged him to try track. It will change your life, the coach told the incoming freshman. It turned out to work both ways.

On the eve of the final race weekend of his high school career Lucas admitted the choice to run track in the spring did change his life. But his impact on the Woodstown track program, especially its decorated 4×800 relay team, has been equally profound.

Since getting put together prior to last year’s South Jersey sectionals specifically to challenge to one team, the quartet of Lucas, Karson Chew, Jacob Marino and Josh Crawford has won state championships and set records many times over with Lucas serving as the reliable setup man to Crawford’s clinching anchor.

But the end of their partnership is near. The last time the Fast Four runs together is Friday night in the New Balance Nationals in Philly’s Franklin Field. Three members of the group will return next year, but Lucas, as the lone senior, will be moving on to the next level.

“I’m going to be very emotional after I finish, but I’m still going to give it my all while I’m running it,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to hit me until after that it’s going to be my last high school race with them.

“I’m definitely going to miss those three. We’re like brothers now. It’s crazy how close we’ve become in these couple of years. I’m going to miss them so much. It hasn’t hit me too much yet, but it will eventually. The memories I’ve made are going to be unforgettable. Teemer said it would change my life and it did.”

Woodstown’s 4×8 is among 11 Salem County athletes competing in six events at the national high school outdoor championships.

Salem’s Anthony Parker is in the boys long jump and Raniyah Parsons-Smith is in the freshman girls 100. Schalick’s boys 4×100 relay (Michael Eberl, Zaeshawn Mills, Reggie Allen, David Stewart), who’ve run the second fastest time in Group I history, is in the field and Navaeh Robinson is entered in the freshman girls javelin. And in addition to the 4×8, Crawford and Lucas will run in the deep individual 800.

There are 99 teams in the 4×8 that will be scored on time, meaning the Wolverines have one shot to shine. Their hope is to run 7:50 – or better. The meet record is 7:36.26.

One thing about this group, when they want something they go after it. They needed to meet the New Balance qualifying standard in the Meet of Champions – their final NJSIAA meet together – and did it in record time (7:54.84).

“I don’t think I’ll ever find another group of guys on the track team at the next level as close are we are,” said Lucas, who’s heading to Marist next year to run indoor and outdoor track.

The feeling is mutual.

“Everybody has their own job, everybody’s making sure our team is dominating and doing well, but Cole really has one of the most important jobs,” Chew said. “If me and Jacob don’t execute the way we want to, he’s there to (bring it back). He’s basically our Mr. Reliable. He’s the most reliable guy on the team and he makes sure we get back that spot that we need for Josh to finish with.”

Amazingly, the unit has only been together for two years. They were put together right before last year’s sectional championship to give Woodbury a run of its money, but it turned into so much more.

“We just wanted to beat Woodbury, we didn’t necessarily care about beating anybody else,” Lucas said. “When we got together that was our main goal, trying to beat Woodbury, and it turned out we beat the whole state.”

Multiple times.

But now it’s coming to an end. The whole group wants to run well for their legacy, but the underclassmen want to go, go, go to give their senior a memorable send off.

“Our plan is to go in there and dominate as much as we possibly can,” Chew said. “It’s the last race of our season and for us three it’s the last race of our career with Cole. We have to make this worth it. We’re going to run our … hearts out and do everything we can to give him a real big send off for the end of his high school career.”

Here are the Salem County athletes competing in the New Balance Outdoor National High School Championships at Franklin Field and the time their events are scheduled

NEW BALANCE NATIONALS
(SALEM COUNTY ENTRIES)
Josh Crawford, Woodstown, boys 800 – Sunday, 1:27 p.m.
Cole Lucas, Woodstown, boys 800 – Sunday, 1:27 p.m.
Anthony Parker, Salem, boys long jump – Sunday, 10 a.m.
Raniyah Parsons-Smith, Salem, freshman girls 100 – Thursday, 12:52 p.m. (prelims), 2:52 p.m. (finals)
Navaeh Robinson, Schalick, freshman girls javelin – Saturday, 10 a.m.
Woodstown 4×800 (Karson Chew, Jacob Marino, Cole Lucas, Josh Crawford) – Friday, 7:42 p.m.
Schalick 4×100 (Michael Eberl, Zaeshawn Mills, Reggie Allen, David Stewart) – Saturday, 1:57 p.m. (prelims), Sunday, 11:57 a.m. (finals)

ALL-SOUTH JERSEY
(Selected by SJTCA)
Track Coaches All-South Jersey Boys
800 – Josh Crawford, Woodstown
LJ – Anthony Parker, Salem
Multi-Event – David Stewart, Schalick
4×800 – Woodstown