Excelsior tipped to top rivals in 4x100m at Penns

FOR the past two decades, Jamaica's high-school boys' teams have shut out their American counterparts from the top spot in the Championship of America 4x100 metres at the Penn Relays and, at next week's 130th staging, the trend looks set to continue.

The Jamaican teams have been so dominant in the event that a look at the past three relay carnivals has seen at least six Jamaican teams contesting the finals, with only Archbishop John Carroll of Washington DC making themselves competitive, finishing third in 2023 and last year, and fourth in 2024.

At this year's staging, defending champions Calabar High, 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, though they will not be the favourites.

Despite retaining three members of last year's winning quartet - Jamal Stephenson (plagued by injuries this season), Dijon Swaine and Khamanie Gordon - Calabar are yet to show any sign of readiness to defend their title successfully as the likes of Excelsior High, Jamaica College (JC) and Kingston College (KC) have overtaken them this year and the winners should come from one of those three teams.

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 the 39.53 they registered in winning the Class One event at the Gibson McCook Relays. At the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys and Girls' Athletics Championships (Champs), they showed their depth by winning the event in 39.69 without their top sprinter Riquelme Reid, the Class One 100m champion. With Reid expected back for the Penn Relays 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.

JC and KC, who are former winners, have gone sub-40 seconds this season and will also 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 at Champs. With the likes of Elijah Smikle, Malique Dennis, Makaelan Woods and Omary Robinson, they could upstage favourites Excelsior and capture the title.

After winning their last title in 2016, KC, who were third at the Gibson McCook Relays in 39.66 -- the same time given to second-place JC -- will be hoping for an upset with the likes of Nyrone 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 go break the Jamaica dominance in the event.