Healthy McKenley goes long for Bonner & Prendergast at Panther Invitational
The ankle injury that kept Alton McKenley of Bonner & Prendergast from jumping during the indoor season is just fine.
McKenley broke the school record and recorded the state’s best long jump of the season with a leap of 23 feet, 11 inches to highlight the inaugural Panther Invitational at Strath Haven Saturday. It was one of three gold medals McKenley won. He also was first in the 200- and 400-meter dashes.
“I was really shocked,” McKenley said while watching the girls team compete at the Delco Relays. “I knew I had a good jump, but I didn’t realize how far until they measured it.”
McKenley’s jump was three feet better than his winning leap a week earlier at the Haverford Invitational and more than two feet beyond his previous personal best of 21-7½, which he recorded to take third at the Catholic League championships last season.
“I don’t know what it was,” McKenley said. “Everything just felt good.”
McKenley wasn’t the only winner for the Friars. Brian McGarrity (3,200) and Kyle Love (triple jump) also claimed gold medals.
Andre Fields of Strath Haven helped the host Panthers take first in the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 relays. Evan Blake (110 hurdles), Jonathan Norris (shot put) and Daniel Long (pole vault) also won for Strath Haven.
Shyheem Bacon of Glen Mills won the 100. Owen Sherbinko of Springfield captured the discus, and the Cougars were first in the 4 x 800.
Cardinal O’Hara’s Derrick Patrick highlighted a good day by Delco athletes at the Track & Field Coaches Association of Greater Philadelphia meet at Coatesville. The junior won both hurdles events including a personal-best time of 41.39 seconds in the 300 intermediate hurdles.
Radnor’s Ethan Zeh and Frank Brown dominated the 800- and 1,600-meter runs. Zeh won in a District 1 qualifying time of 1:56.51. Brown ran 4:27.00 to take gold and earn a trip to districts. The Raiders also were third in the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400.
Mike Donnelly of Haverford nearly made it a clean sweep by Delco in the distance races. He was second in the 3,200. It took a meet record time of 9:41.38 by Wissahickon’s Matt Maiale to beat Donnelly. The Fords were first in the 4 x 800 and the DMR.
Chason Wint had a good day in the field events for Haverford. He was first in the discus with a district qualifying throw of 136-10 ½ and third in the shot put at 44-7 ¾. Canaan Curry placed fourth in the 110 hurdles, and Collin Ney was fourth in the long jump for the Fords.
Matt Arndt of Penncrest won the shot put (48-0) and was fourth in the discus (131-5). Upper Darby’s Jalen Camille came home with a pair of medals. He was second in the long jump (20-8) and fourth in the 100 (11.69). Teammate Fatorma Deddeh placed third in the 300 hurdles.
Malachi Langley and Lamaj Curry had solid days for Chester. Langley was second in the 400, while Curry took fourth in the 800. Sun Valley finished fourth in the DMR.
