Nottingham High track standout Jermaine Griffith says he has a love-hate relationship with the 400-meter race.
“The training and the moments before the race are the worst parts,” the senior said. “But as soon as the gun goes off, your adrenaline is pumping, and the last straight-away comes, there is no better feeling than the fight to the finish.”
Griffith puts up quite a fight in those races. Witness his spectacular junior season in not just the 400 but other sprints as well. He has been an integral part of a program that has gone undefeated in dual meets each of the last two seasons.
Last year, in the 100-meter dash, he finished second in the Mercer County meet, and won the Central Jersey Group III title. In the 200, he was second in the CJ III meet.
But it was in the 400—a dreaded sprint due to its length—that Griffith truly excelled. As a sophomore, he finished second in Central Jersey Group III and NJSIAA Group III while taking fifth in the Meet of Champions.
Last year, he won the Mercer County title, took second in the sectionals, bounced back to win the Group III gold medal and finished second in the Meet of Champions with a personal best time of 48 seconds. It marked the third time last season that Griffith broke his own school record.
Griffith says he doesn’t dwell much on the past, but admits last year was his best overall so far. The Nottingham coaches expect this year to be even better for the personable Griffith.
Head coach Jason Marasco is looking for his star to get his time into the 47s. “And if he does, that he’s going to win most of his races,” Marasco said.
Jon Adams, who works closely with the Northstar sprinters, feels there is no ceiling on what Griffith can do.
“My expectations for Jermaine are quite simply to work to his fullest potential to help motivate his teammates towards another championship season,” Adams said. “My second expectation is for him to be the top sprinter in the 100, 200 and 400 in the state of New Jersey.”
Griffith has come of age at a great time. The Northstars have won the Colonial Valley Conference’s Valley Division title all three years he has been on the team, and claimed their first Mercer County and Central Jersey Group III championships his sophomore season.
Some of the biggest contributors to those teams included sprinters Robert Wiggs, Ayoub Kamara and Griffith’s cousin, Dameon Haynes. They not only provided a lot of points, but helped develop their younger teammate into one of the state’s best.
“Those three individuals definitely have made me the athlete I am today,” Griffith said. “Coming in as a freshman, and having the opportunity to run and train on the varsity level with these guys, was extremely tough and stressful at times. But it showed me the work ethic that I had to have in order to succeed.”
That was especially true of his kin.
“My cousin Dameon has also been very instrumental in my success on and off the track,” Griffith said. “When he realized my potential he encouraged me to work hard and never give up. Even when I was down in the dumps he always had something inspiring to say to me.”
Haynes has also been influential with regard to Griffith’s academics.
“He encouraged me to start working hard in school because if my grades were trash, there was no school that would want to recruit me,” Griffith said. “Thanks to him, I’ll be running Division One track in college (at Rutgers University).”
Adams can’t wait to see what Griffith will do in this year’s major meets in May. The coach has seen vast improvement in Griffith over the past three years in the 400, but feels this is the campaign he can really break through if he runs a more complete race.
“Last year in the Meet of Champions, he thought he could chase down the field,” Adams said. “You cannot wait against these elite runners. He has the potential to go 46, 47 seconds if he attacks the first 200 meters. We are working on that.”
Griffith has bought into what Adams has been telling him.
“My strategy has always been to stay behind with the pack until the last 150 meters and then let it loose,” he said. “But after running in a few state and national meets, that strategy has expired. Now I’m working on getting out the blocks a lot faster, hopefully running the first 200 meters at or under 23 seconds.”
For the first time since his freshman year, Griffith actually competed on his own over the winter and won Central Jersey Group III in the 400 while reaching the Meet of Champions. But he wasn’t training with a full team since the township did away with winter track (although it is being reinstated next year). He said he does not feel much different this spring despite the additional work.
“I didn’t even run that much,” he said. “Training was limited because of the different restrictions and I didn’t run at many meets so I never got to really improve or progress. So, although I made it to the Meet of Champions, I still feel that I had a disadvantage compared to the other schools.”
In deciding where to continue his athletics career, Griffith chose Rutgers over the University of Connecticut. Before Griffith embarks on that career, he will try to make one last stand as the best in New Jersey while also leading younger athletes the way he was led.
“I see an even more mature young man from when he came in,” Adams said. “He has a quiet confidence. He is not a yeller and screamer – just a nice young man who pushes himself and motivates those around him. For the past few years he has run with some great runners. Now it is his turn to lead and be out from their shadows.”
,
