To help ensure smooth transfers, the 4×100 meter relay team places tape on the track as markers.

This tells members of the Rancocas Valley High women’s track team when they should take off when the previous runner reaches that location. Senior Jya Marshall knew exactly when to go as senior Anabella Chin recorded this tape.

For stage three, when Marshall reached the golden point, senior Olivia Smith was off to the races. However, when it came time for Smith to hand over to junior Kasey White, ‘X’ didn’t mark the spot.

“Our trade was a little uncertain,” White said. “We usually run with a band, but my band blew up. So I was running away from what I thought was there. It was a guess, but we made it.

The Red Devils finished the race in 49.86 seconds. It was just a hundredth of a second better than the second place team and gave Rancocas Valley the 4×100 title at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions on Saturday at Franklin Township High.

“I wasn’t guessing; my tape stayed down even though we had wind,” Smith said with a smile. “I didn’t notice his tape was up, but I noticed our transfer was a bit different. It’s amazing to still be able to win when something like this goes wrong. We just worked on it and have did our best. It was nerve-wracking at the time.”

North Hunterdon (junior Shelby Yager, second Danielle DiEsso, lead Lily Rogers and second Sabrina May) was second in 49.87. Hundredth-of-a-second victory sounds exciting; however, the Red Devils and Lions ran in different innings.

“Yeah, that was kinda weird,” Smith said. “I didn’t really expect that. We didn’t know afterwards that we had won and a team from a different round was right behind us. this is the first time that it happens to me. »

Northern Highlands (junior Belle Bennett, rookie Alexa Birch, junior Braden Slayne and senior Hannah Feeley) came third in 50.02.

The win capped a solid season for the Red Devils who looked to be winning it all, starting with a stint at West Deptford in April until meeting the champions.

“I think we just have a really good relationship between the four of us,” White said. “We raced with pretty much the same team all season. We practice with each other. We trust each other so much. I think that’s what it shows on the line.