Nick Raynor, Ryan Fryc, Lucas Klama and Aidan Peters were fairly confident that they could advance out of the Central Jersey Group 2 championships.
They did better than that.
Seeded fourth, the Bordentown Regional High School boys 4×400 relay put together its finest race of the year for an exciting finish to the final race of sectionals. The Scotties won the event in a season-best 3:30.80.
“Exciting is an understatement,” said Raynor, who ran the first leg. “It was something that none of us were honestly expecting going into it. I mean, we were ranked fourth going in, so we were not expecting to come out winning the whole thing.”
The 4×400 relay is one of four events in which Bordentown advanced to the Group 2 state championships. The top six finishers in each event move on to the Group 2 meet that was scheduled for May 30-31. Klama ran a personal-record 1:59.89 for fourth in the 800 meters, Fryc ran a personal-best 51.84 for fifth in the 400 and the 4×100 team of Peters, Jacob Blanding, Ethan Larbi and Jamari Glover ran 44.27 for the sixth and final qualifying spot.
“We had seven total kids in four different events qualify for states, which is probably the most qualifiers we’ve had in a long time,” said Bordentown boys coach Joe Minch. “Obviously Brock (Schenck) a few years ago was much higher ranked in some of the events he was in, but as far as team wise, having this many guys come together and especially the relays, typically the relays we don’t get too many of those in. So it’s very nice.”
The thrilling 4×400 win also lowered their qualifying time for the Adidas Track Nationals that will be held June 18-21 in Greensboro, N.C. They’d already hit the qualifier, but this further affirmed that they belong among the country’s best.
“I think it’s just going to be great because we’re all going to be down together and we could just run and I think we’ll be fresh too because we’re just running the 4×4,” Fryc said. “So I think we’re just going to try to get our time as low as we can and just work our hardest and have fun.”
Fryc ran the second leg at sectionals, but like his teammates, he wasn’t totally rested. His day began with him advancing individually in the boys 400 meters.
“I was pretty confident going into that,” said Fryc. “And my coach just gave me some suggestions on what to do with my form, and I think that helped me a lot more too because I was kind of striking the ground differently. And then once I learned how to actually pace myself, it was different and I got a better time.”
It’s been a long road back to top form for Fryc. He missed all but the final game of the Bordentown basketball season with a broken ankle. Not only was he frustrated not to be able to help the basketball team, but it also set him back in terms of fitness coming into the season.
“My starting times were really bad in the beginning,” Fryc said. “They were like 54s, which I was disappointed with, but it was just how it was.
“I wouldn’t say I was worried,” he added. “I just knew it was just going to take some time and I just remembered after every meet, I would just try to do better and try to do better and that’s just what happened.”
The 4×400 saw its potential midway through the season as they started to all round into form, but there were still challenges. Klama was bothered by shin splints that forced the Scotties to limit him. Peters was bothered by a tight hamstring. But as they came down to the final weeks of the season, they put everything together to produce a sectional title. The Scotties win established some separation from the second through sixth seeded teams that were all within a second of each other coming into the race.
“We have very good team chemistry,” said Raynor. “We get along with each other very well. We were all hungry for a medal. We wanted it because at divisionals, we qualified for nationals, but we wanted to really qualify by making it to states. And I think just with our close connections, with the hard work that we put in together, it paid off during that race.”
Bordentown’s 4×400 boys, as well as their girls, had placed second in the Patriot Division at the Burlington County Scholastic League Championships. The boys went one step further at sectionals.
“I’ll admit, I did not see us winning that event,” Minch said. “I thought we had a good chance to go on to states being in the top six. But as far as winning it, I did not think that at all until about our second or third leg.”
Raynor gave the Scotties a solid first leg to give them some early confidence. He handed it off to Fryc, who kept Bordentown in the hunt. Klama pushed into a sizable lead for the team with his best split of the season, and Peters held off any challengers to give the quartet a win by a full second. Raynor was tired after his leg but was energized watching his teammates finish off the win.
“Lucas Karma, he came with an insane comeback and put us in first with a major lead,” Raynor said. “And I just forgot about being tired. I had so much adrenaline. I was so hyped.”
The relay is a combination of different individual talents and gets coaching from former BRHS standout Andrea Conaway. Fryc and Peters focus on the 400, and Peters also has some sprint speed that allows him to be a part of the 4×100 relay too. Raynor has always focused mostly on the 400 – he nearly qualified for states in the indoor season 400 – but he ran the 400-meter hurdles at sectionals. Klama specializes in the 800.
“I think it just combines perfectly because we’re always talking during practice and always communicating with each other and do the same drills and we’re always just trying to push each other to get better,” Fryc said. “I think that even though we run different events, we’re still supporting each other.”
It’s helped a lot that they’ve had each other as teammates for years. They have been training together since they joined the team early in their high school years.
“They’re all pushing each other, they’re all pushing to get better, and a lot of them have been here,” Minch said. “I think in years past, we’ve kind of gotten kids late in their career, in their high school career.”
Their big-meet success late this year will motivate the trio of juniors coming back. They will be gearing up next year to do even bigger things. And it’s a great send-off for Raynor, who will have to be replaced next year as he heads off to Stockton University to continue competing while studying to be a physical therapist. Raynor is in his second season as Scotties team captain.
“Nick, he’s not our fastest guy, but everyone looks to Nick,” Minch said. “He’s the senior, he’s the leader of the team. Everyone looks to him to bring his energy and bring his calmness before the race. I would say him and Lucas had their best splits of the year in this race. And I was so happy for him because he struggled. Nick was dealing with some hamstring tightness in the beginning of the year. And so he was kind of rounding into form and luckily he’s gotten healthy at the right time and has been able to run some really good races individually and in the relay in the 4×4 for us.”
One of their lasting memories of the season will be the surprise win in sectionals. It will impact their takeaway on the spring season.
“It’s a great success,” Fryc said. “I didn’t really expect to do much this season because I was just coming back, or even just in general with the 4×4 team because we didn’t really have everything lined up. And we kind of just took the shot and we just all ran really well. And that’s kind of like where this success came from.”
It was an impressive performance at a key moment. It has the Scotties thinking they could do more down the line.
“As a whole that relay ran really well together and it’s a really good sign,” Minch said. “Now they get two weeks from last weekend to kind of get a little bit healthier and just dial it in for states.”
It gets even tougher to qualify out of the state groups to go to the Meet of Champions. Just earning the chance to advance is helpful. Bordentown thinks they could go even faster to perhaps earn another piece of history as a MOC qualifier.
“I don’t even think I would have any words for that one,” Raynor said. “Already I was not expecting the place that we came in for states and moving on to something like that, that would just be a blessing in itself.”
