The St. Peter’s Prep mile relay team was in Philadelphia last Friday night, all set to attempt to win a second straight championship at the prestigious Penn Relays Carnival at Franklin Field on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.
However, while the Marauders were resting in their hotel rooms, disaster struck.
Freshman Tyrell Gibbs ate a cookie that unfortunately had walnuts in it. Gibbs is allergic to walnuts. It was not a good combination.
“The kid had welts all over his face,” St. Peter’s Prep veteran head coach Mike Burgess said. “It was very scary.”
“I knew right away what was going on, because it happened before,” Gibbs said. “I was very afraid, because it was potentially dangerous.”
Gibbs was rushed to a Philadelphia hospital to try to treat the allergic reaction. At that point, Burgess had no idea what was going to happen.
“We only brought the four guys for the [mile] relay down to Penn,” Burgess said. “The kid’s father told me that he was going to be fine, but he was in the hospital getting an IV. Thank God everything was near the hotel.”
Added Burgess, “But I had to be concerned about the kid’s health, so we were making plans to shuttle another kid down there to run for us. We had very little room for error because of the time.”
Burgess called assistant coach Gerry McCann, the former Jersey City mayor, to keep him on alert that he might have to bring another runner down to Philadelphia in time for the 10:30 a.m. start.
The other members of the Marauders’ relay team didn’t know what to expect.
“I don’t think any of us knew how serious it was until Tyrell went to the hospital,” senior Corey Davis said. “I think we were more worried about him than anything. But we still wanted to compete. We didn’t know what was going to happen.”
Gibbs didn’t want to feel like he was abandoning his relay teammates.
“I really was worried about whether I was going to be able to run,” Gibbs said. “It would have been a really bad feeling if I let my teammates down. I think we all thought we had a good chance to win if everything was right.”
After all, the Marauders’ relay team, consisting of Davis, Najee Glass, Savon Huggins and since-graduated James Murduca, set a school record in 2009 by winning at the Penn Relays in a time of 3:21. With three-fourths of that relay team returning and Gibbs the final piece, the Marauders all felt that they had a chance to bring home a second straight plaque from the Penn Relays – after not having secured a win at Penn since 1995.
“We definitely were coming together as a team and wanted to bring home another one for Corey, because this was his last time,” said junior Huggins, who is also a standout football player and one of the most coveted running backs in the entire country. “We practiced real hard and thought we had a really good shot.”
When the Marauders awoke on Saturday morning, they received good news.
“Tyrell’s father said that he was going to run,” Burgess said. “The father was so adamant about it. He was up all night in the hospital, but he really wanted to run. The doctors said that it was fine and I told Tyrell’s father the kid could run, but only if he felt up to it. My main concern was still the kid’s health.”
“I just wanted to help out and help us win again,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs toed the line to start the race and went out to run a 50.2 split in his 400-meter run.
“The kid spent the night in the hospital and comes out to perform like that,” Burgess said. “It was remarkable. It was an amazing thing.”
Davis and Huggins both did their parts, then handed the baton to Glass, who is one of the best middle-distance runners in the state. Glass sprinted home in 47.3 to finish the race in a new school record 3:18. The Marauders won by more than 100 meters to capture the school’s second straight Penn Relays title.
The Prep relay team finished second among all New Jersey teams and 19th in the nation among 609 other relay squads.
For their efforts, the Marauder relay team has been selected as The Hudson Reporter Co-Athletes of the Week for the past week.
“We never finished that high in the country before,” Burgess said. “It’s very impressive and it’s great to win again. We’re trying to make this a tradition.”
Glass, who was bothered by a hip injury during the indoor season and caused him to falter at the NJSIAA Meet of Champions in the 400-meter run that he was expected to win in February, was gearing up for the Penn Relays.
“Ever since that day, I was thinking of the Penn Relays,” Glass said. “I tried to get a 46 [second] split and I ran 47.3, so it wasn’t that bad. I don’t think there was a lot of pressure on us to win again. The team did it. They held the lead and carried me through. But ever since the Meet of Champions, I’ve been motivated a lot. I wanted this. I’m honored to be part of the first Prep team to win twice there.”
“We got a little streak going now,” said Davis, who will head off to play football at James Madison University in July. “It’s extremely special for me, because it’s the last one. I hope they’re able to continue it in the coming years. I’m definitely relieved we got it again. It was such a good race.”
Huggins knows that football is definitely his bread and butter. He’s being recruited by practically every single big school in the county.
“Football is obviously my main sport,” Huggins said. “But I love track and I especially love running the four-by-four [relay], because it’s really a team. We push each other a lot. It’s not just running. The training is important.”
Added Huggins, “This has definitely been an experience and a ride. We really didn’t know what was going to happen, but we won. It’s really a blessing.”
Gibbs was asked if he learned a lesson through the ordeal.
“Yeah,” he said. “I won’t eat cookies.” – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.