Track & Field: Jackson's Bado, Point Boro's Burke star at Ocean County Championships

There are few surprises in this modern age of high school track & field, when results are widely available and the progress of the most talented athletes is chronicled from ninth grade onward.

Steven Bado is a major exception.

After playing soccer, basketball and volleyball for 11 seasons, the Jackson Memorial senior burst onto the track scene at the Bill Bruno Ocean County Championships. On Thursday, he won the boys 100-meter dash in a blistering time of 10.81 seconds. On Saturday, he triumphed in the 200 (22.22) and hammered a jaw-dropping anchor on the 4x100, rallying the Jaguars from 10 meters down to a 43.40 victory.

“People said I was the best-kept secret,” Bado said. “Now people are texting me, ‘Dude who are you? What do you eat?’ I just run from Point A to Point B and that’s that.”

Bado’s emergence is a testament to an old-school mindset. Even though his father, also named Steven Bado, is Jackson Memorial's soccer coach, young Steven never specialized. He grew up playing soccer and basketball, then added volleyball in middle school.

“The way I live is, you’re only in high school once,” Bado Jr. said. “Look at me, I played four sports for fun. As long as you find something you enjoy doing, I say you should do as many sports as you possibly can. You’re only a kid once."

A three-sport athlete is a throwback. A four-sport athlete? As rare as a white tiger. Bado tried track last winter, after Jackson Memorial’s basketball season was cut short by COVID.

“I talked to Coach Theo (track coach Steve Theobald) and said I wanted to stay in shape for volleyball season coming up — is there any way I could do winter track?” Bado explained. “Ever since I was a freshman, Coach Theo was like, ‘If something doesn’t work out, I would love to coach you. I think you can be a good track athlete.’”

So Bado joined the winter track team for the final four weeks of the 2021 indoor season. He was intrigued enough to make the full switch this spring.

“When I first started, I’m not going to lie, I didn’t know what the events were,” the 18-year-old said. “I really had no idea how to start, where to stop. My coaches told me two things: Run until someone stops you, or run until you get tired.”

Jackson Memorial already had a strong group of sprinters, which helped Bado’s development. He ran some eye-opening times in dual meets, 10.7 in the 100 and 21.7 in the 200, but since those were clocked by hand they flew under the public radar. At the Penn Relays in late April, he anchored the Jaguars’ 4x100 to a 42-second effort, best in the Shore Conference and good enough to advance to the finals of the prestigious meet. But because there are no split times for a 4x100, his individual effort remained largely anonymous.

“I knew I was fast and deep down I did think I could be a champion,” Bado said. “People said you’re a basketball player, a soccer player. And I thought, you know what, I can be a track athlete, too.”

No one will doubt that now. The 10.81 in the 100, which was just three-hundreds of a second shy of the meet record, is swift enough to get the attention of Division I college coaches. It will be fascinating to see what he can do at Saturday’s Shore Conference Championships, where he’ll go against Monmouth County champion Alec Stillitano in both races.

“When I feel someone close to me, I almost feel like I’m flying,” Bado said.

That’s because he is.

Triple gold for Point Boro’s Burke

How badly do you want to improve? Point Pleasant Borough junior Shea Burke asked herself that question, and she answered it by joining the Panthers’ cross country team. And not because she liked racing three miles through the woods.

Burke felt the endurance training would give her an edge as a sprinter and hurdler. That edge was on display at the Ocean County meet as she won the girls 100-meter hurdles (a Shore Conference-best 14.90) and 100 dash (12.79) and anchored the 4x100 to first place (50.03).

“I wasn’t really good at cross country at all, but it helped me bond with the distance girls and it helped build stamina,” she said.

That came in handy when she got just five minutes’ rest between the hurdles final and the 4x100 Saturday.

“I felt good,” she said. “I felt strong. This is what I train for.”

Burke never thought she’d be much of a hurdler until last spring, when she ended the season by breaking the 15-second barrier. This past winter she took the next step, placing fourth in the 55 hurdles at the NJSIAA’s Meet of Champions. Now her sight is set on a Shore Conference gold medal after placing second in the highs the past two seasons.

Colleges are starting to notice. A good student, Burke has received recruiting interest from Cornell, Bucknell, Lehigh and Lafayette.

“I’ve realized, this is something I really enjoy,” she said.

Southern, TR North win team titles

Southern’s boys defended their team title with 115 points, three more than runner-up Manchester.

Junior superstar Fabian Gonzalez led the way, winning the discus (183-4) and shot put (56-10). Junior Fabian Ramales delivered a win in the 3200 (9:27.51) and a third place in the 1600 (4:29.91). Senior thrower Jaiden Brown (second in shot at 53-7.5, third in discus) also scored big for the Rams.

Toms River North’s girls captured their first outdoor county title since 2008. The Mariners compiled 128.5 points, 14 more than runner-up Point Pleasant Borough.

Senior Olivia Takla set the pace with a gutsy quadruple, placing second in the 800 (2:17.00), 1600 (5:06) and 3200 (11:12) and running on the winning 4x400 (4:00.07). Sophomore Olivia Nickelsen also scored big, winning the 400 (56.97) and 200 (26.17) placing second in the 100 dash (12.83) and running on the victorious 4x400. Juniors Lia Malave and Ayotunde Folawewo also placed in three events apiece for the Mariners.

Top Boys Performers

1. Steven Bado, Jackson Memorial: The breakout senior won the 100 dash (10.81) and 200 (22.22) and anchored the first-place 4x100 (43.40).

2. D’Maari Brown, Manchester: The senior won the long jump (20-11.25) and triple jump (44-3.5) and placed fourth in the high jump (6-2).

3. Fabian Gonzalez, Southern: The junior’s winning discus heave of 183-4 fell just five inches short of a meet record that has stood since 1978. He also won the shot put at 56-10.

4. William Freeman, Manchester: The junior won the 400 in 49.74, placed third in the 800 (1:58.87) and ran on the first-place 4x400 (3:23.26) and fourth-place 4x800 (8:24).

5. Teddy Wilson, Toms River North: The junior won the 800 (1:57.18), placed second in the 400 (51.00) and ran on the first-place 4x800 (8:16).

6. Blaik Slavinski, Point Pleasant Borough: The junior won the 1600 (4:28.18) and placed second in the 800 (1:57.74).

7. Jacob Kiyler, Toms River North: The senior won the 400 hurdles (55.53), placed fifth in the open 400 (51.61) and ran on the second-place 4x400 (3:24.69).

8. Robert Paneque, Jackson Memorial: The senior won the javelin (178-1) and placed third in the shot put (45-9.5).

9. Fabian Ramales, Southern: The junior won the 3200 (9:27.51) and placed third in the 1600 (4:29.91).

10. Tyler Raimondi, Toms River South: The senior won the pole vault, clearing 13-0 despite sub-optimal conditions.

Top Girls Performers

1. Shea Burke, Point Pleasant Borough: The junior won the 100 hurdles (14.90) and 100 dash (12.79) and anchored the first-place 4x100 (50.03).

2. Lily Oliver, Toms River South: The junior won the 1600 (5:05.58) and 800 (2:14.57) and ran on the third-place 4x800 (10:02).

3. Kelly Enterline, Southern: The senior struck gold in the shot put with a heave of 39-0.75, winning my more than three feet, and also won the discus (118-10).

4. Olivia Nickelsen, Toms River North: The sophomore won the 400 (56.97) and 200 (26.17), placed second in the 100 dash (12.83) and ran on the first-place 4x400 (4:00).

5. Olivia Takla, Toms River North: The senior placed second in the 800 (2:17.00), 1600 (5:06) and 3200 (11:12) and ran on the winning 4x400 (4:00).

6. Bella Palmiotta, Manchester: The sophomore won the triple jump (36-7) and placed fourth in the high jump (4-10).

7. A'Lycia Moore, Manchester: The senior won the long jump (17-2.25) and placed fifth in the 200 (27.01).

8. Lia Malave, Toms River North: The junior placed second in the triple jump (36-0.25), and third in the long jump (16-4.25), 100 dash (12.92) and 200 (26.81).

9. Ava Srinivasan, Central: The senior won the 400 hurdles (1:06.49) and placed fourth in the triple jump (35-2).

10. Sheridan Martinez, Manchester: The senior won the javelin with a distance of 124-6, prevailing by four feet.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Track & Field: Ocean County NJ championships top 10 performers