Chargers in Elite Company with Four Straight State Titles

Stop me if you’ve read this one before—the Timber Creek boys' track team has won the New Jersey Group 3 Championship.

If it sounds like a familiar line, well, that’s because it is.

The Chargers accomplished a remarkable feat last weekend when they captured their fourth consecutive NJSIAA Group III state title, continuing a run that places head coach Chris Grottini’s team among the most dominant in the state’s storied track and field history.

It also places his team in the elite stratosphere of other dominant South Jersey teams. Eastern High School has won 12 consecutive field hockey championships dating back to 1999. Moorestown lacrosse won 10 consecutive Tournament of Champions titles from 2000 to 2009. Paulsboro wrestling won an astonishing 25 straight Group I titles from 1983 to 2007.

A few days removed from his team’s achievement, Grottini reflected on Timber Creek’s run of success and what it has meant to everyone associated with the program.

“As a coaching staff, we were elated to have been able to win the Group III state meet for a fourth consecutive year. The kids were all pretty excited, as well. After all of their hard work, they were able to reap the ultimate reward,” he said.

And while it’s mind-boggling that one team could be so successful for so long, Grottini gave a simple assessment of what has made his team so good.

“We've had a group of kids that believe in their abilities and are very coachable,” he said. “They've rallied around each other's performances and are genuinely interested in how to get better.”

The latest triumphant caps a perfect run for Timber Creek’s graduating seniors, who, in addition to winning a state title in each of their four years, were never beaten in dual meet.

“For the seniors, they get to say that they've never been beaten and for the underclassmen, they now understand what it's like to compete at a high level, set ambitious goals and go about striving for them.  It's all very satisfying,” Grottini said.

This championship, however, was a bit different than others. In previous years, Timber Creek was able to simply overpower opponents, while this year required more of a “grind it out” approach.

“In the past, we've been able to get a great deal of points from individual wins, but that wasn't the case this year,” Grottini said. “I really believe that we were the most well-rounded team at the meet. We didn't just get our points from one type of event—we showed good depth and balance.”

Among those who demonstrated that depth and balance were Damiere Byrd, Kevin Potter, Quanzell Lambert, Donnie House and Josh Gray.

While Byrd successfully defended his 100-meter title, House and Potter finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 110-meter hurdles. Josh Gray was the team’s leading scorer, tallying 14 total points behind his third-place finish in the long jump and second-place finish in the triple jump.

The Chargers clinched the group championship when Lambert's throw of 56 feet, 4 1/2 inches earned him a second-place finish in the shot put.

“They really thrived in that environment this weekend and we couldn't be more proud or happier for these kids,” Grottini said.

Nine Timber Creek athletes will compete in today's Tournament of Champions at Old Bridge.