Jamaica’s boys expected to dominate Penns’ 4x100s

For the past two decades, Jamaica’s male high-school teams competing at the Penn Relays at Franklin Field, Philadelphia, have shut out their United States counterparts from the top spot in the Championships of America 4x100-metre relays, and this year’s 130th staging looks set to be no different.

The Jamaican teams have been so dominant in the event that a look at the past three championships has seen at least six Jamaican teams filling the nine lanes in finals. Only Archbishop John Carroll of Washington, DC has made any inroads, finishing third in 2023, fourth in 2024, and third again last year.

At this year’s staging, defending champions Calabar, with nine titles, will be hoping to break the deadlock between themselves, Camperdown High and Boys and Girls High of New York with title number 10. Record holders in the event with their zippy 39.00 seconds done in 2017, and the team with three of the fastest times in the event — including 39.51 in 2018 and 39.63 in 2015 — they will be under tremendous pressure to retain their title.

Despite retaining three members of last year’s winning quartet in Jamal Stephenson, Dijon Swaine and Khamanie Gordon, they are yet to show any sign of readiness to defend their title successfully. Stephenson’s inury-plagued season may have something to do with that. Instead, Excelsior, Jamaica College (JC) and Kingston College (KC) have taken charge, and the winner should come from one of these.

Winners in 2024 with a modest 40.44 clocking, the David Riley-coached Excelsior are definitely in pole position going into the event, as they are the event leaders with their 39.53 done in winning the Class One event at the Gibson McCook Relays. At the ISSA Boys and Girls’ Athletics Championships, without their top sprinter Riquelme Reid, the Class One 100m champion, they showed their depth by winning the event in 39.69, producing the two fastest times this season.

With Reid expected back for Penns to team up with the likes of Michael Graham and Malike Nugent, they look well set to improve on their fifth-place finish last year and go all the way.

Two other Jamaican teams, JC and KC, who are former winners, have gone sub-40 seconds this season and will be eyeing the top spot.

JC, who were second to Excelsior at the Gibson McCook Relays in 39.66 and winners at the Corporate Area Championships, will be on a high following their capture of the Mortimer Geddes Trophy. With the likes of Elijah Smiekle, Malique Dennis, Makaelan Woods and Omary Robinson, they could upstage favourites Excelsior and repeat their 2023 feat when they captured the title.

After winning their last title in 2016, KC, who have also gone sub-40 seconds with their third-place finish at the Gibson McCook Relays in 39.66 — the same time given to second-place JC — will be hoping for an upset here, with the likes of Nyron Wade and Kyle Bodden leading their charge.

Once again, the best challenge from the United States is expected to come from Archbishop John Carroll, but this time they will be facing Jamaican teams who are red hot and will have a mountain to climb if they are to break the Jamaica dominance in the event.