CHRIS MANNING/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
Jersey Shore’s Peter Bellomo throws the javelin during Saturday’s state championships.
SHIPPENSBURG — As soon as Jersey Shore senior Peter Bellomo let go of his throw in the Class AAA javelin competition, he knew it was money. There wasn’t much doubt in the Lock Haven commits’ mind that it was up there distance wise.
He was surprised when he saw what the final mark was, though. Sure, Bellomo knew he was more than capable of hitting throws in the 200s. But a mark of 214 feet, 3 inches?
“I knew I had it in me. I mean, I was surprised I hit that much of a PR by six or seven feet, but I knew coming in I had something big in me,” Bellomo said.
And he sure did.
Bellomo’s throw of 214-3 secured him a gold medal in the state competition in the javelin. Bellomo set a PR, broke the school record he set just two weeks ago, and gave him the gold. Not a bad all around day for the Bulldog.
![](https://ogden_images.s3.amazonaws.com/www.sungazette.com/images/2023/05/27220404/WSPORT-BOLLOMO2-783x840.jpg)
CHRIS MANNING/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
Jersey Shore’s Peter Bellomo throws the javelin in Class AAA.
“It feels great. I knew it was in me. I felt good coming into it, just let it go and it was a good day,” Bellomo said, smiling ear to ear with hi gold medal draped around his neck. “That was the goal coming in (to win goal) when I started javelin last year, and I knew I had it in me and it happened.”
Bellomo entered the javelin competition knowing he had to go against one of the best in the country in Wyoming Area’s Drew Mruk. The Wyoming Area standout is ranked No. 1 in the country in the javelin and Bellomo is ranked fourth, pitting two of the best in the nation against one another with a gold medal on the line.
Mruk ended with a throw of 208-3 as he and Bellomo were the only two throwers to surpass the 200-foot mark. Upper Perkiomen’s Thomas Flud Jr. was a third-place finisher after throwing 199-2 and Chartiers’ Derek Armfield threw 190-5.
“Oh my goodness, it pushed me so much. Drew right now is first in the country, so that competition literally can’t be any better,” Bellomo said with a laugh. “So I knew coming in I had to throw something big and I did.”
Bellomo mentioned after the District 4 championships that Mruk was the thrower to beat, and he did it at Shippensburg on the biggest stage in Pennsylvania.
![](https://ogden_images.s3.amazonaws.com/www.sungazette.com/images/2023/05/27220413/ShoreJav-1100x733.jpg)
PHOTO PROVIDED
Jersey Shore’s Peter Bellomo poses with his gold medal on top of the podium on Saturday.
“It feels great (to beat him). I knew he was a tough competitor. I knew I’d have to come out with something big and I hit it big,” Bellomo said.
Bellomo hit a mark of 190-0 on his third attempt to secure a spot in the finals. Mruk hit 208-3 on his second throw of the day, giving Bellomo a mark he knew he had to eclipse. And on Bellomo’s first throw, he hit 214-3.
Mruk didn’t beat the 200-foot mark again. His fourth attempt was 197-5, his fifth was 189-11 and his final throw came in at 172-4.
“I knew I hit that point clean and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was going far,” Bellomo said.
Bellomo, Mruk, Flud Jr. and Armfield are all seniors and all went out with everything on the line in their final state championships.
Bellomo was the lone area competitor in Class AAA to reach the podium on Saturday at Shippensburg. Williamsport’s Yazhir Slaughter finished 16th in the Class AAA long jump competition after he had a best jump of 21-1 3/4.
In the 3,200 race, Milton’s Ryan Bickert finished 21st with a time of 9:26.96.
Bellomo competed last year at Shippensburg when there was rain throughout the day and winds, making it not ideal throwing conditions for the javelin. Last year, Bellomo reached the podium and took fifth with a mark of 183-0. This year he climbed to the top and reached the summit in Pennsylvania by being the state’s top javelin thrower.
For a senior, there’s not much of a better way to go out for your career.
TEAM SCORES (top 20): 1. Chambersburg 48; 2. State College 34; 3. Susquehanna Township 22; 4. Abington 20; t-5. Pottstown 18; t-5. South Western 18; 6. Hempfield 18; t-8. Emmaus 15; t-8. Hatboro Horsham 15; t-10. Butler 14; t-10. Ringgold 14; 11. Roman Catholic 14; 12. Upper Darby 14; 14. Palmyra 13; t-15. North Pocono 12; t-15. Hazleton 12; 16. Parkland 12; 17. Stroudsburg 12; 19. Shikellamy 11.50; 20. Spring Ford 11.
3,200: 1. Brian DiCola, Hatboro-Horsham, 8:47.39; 2. Ryan Pajak, Ringgold, 8:4820; 3. Drew Griffith, Butler, 8:52.20; 4. Matthew O’Brien, Susquehannock, 8:55.76; 5. Patrick Lawson, Haverford, 9:00.01; 6. Colin Whitaker, Lampeter Strasburg, 9:00.66; 7. Drew Brill, La Salle College, 9:07.94; 8. Jack Bertram, North Allegheny, 9:09.64.
100 hurdles: 1. Tyrese Washington, Pottstown, 14.01; 2. Bernard Bell, South Western, 14.29; 3. Demetrius Bell, Roman Catholic, 14.43; 4. Trevon Foster, Pottsgrove, 14.49; 5. Jermere Jones, Chambersburg, 14.52; 6. Andrew Beers, Parkland, 14.62; 7. Tyler Burgess, Palmyra, 14.63; 8. Jack Sanchez Cuesta, Louis E. Dieruff, 14.83.
100: 1. Lex Cyrus, Susquehanna Township, 10.67; 2. Kason Besecker, Chambersburg, 10.71; 3. Lavar Jackson, Upper Darby, 10.71; 4. Jesse Myers, State College, 10.78; 5. Shaun McCoullum, George Washington, 10.82; 6. Gabe Lewis, Cedar Crest, 10.84; 7. Chase Morgan, Shikellamy, 10.84.
3,200 relay: 1. Penncrest (Shane Hall, Ben Holst-Rightley, Brendan Hefferan, Rory McAfee), 7:45.15; 2. South Fayette (Roman Galioto, Alaa-Eddine Guetari, Tim Danzinger, Jake Borgesi), 7:46.65; 3. State College (Nick Sloff, Henry Adams, Michael Moeny, Owen Vaira), 7:48.47; 4. La Salle College (Drew Brill, Luke Seweryn, Cameron Mehallo, Ryan McGinley), 7:50.60; 5. Shikellamy (Ryan Williams, Nick Koontz, Henry McElroy, Tim Gale), 7:52.64; 6. Coatesville (Tommy Wayne, Phillip Dimatteo, Marcus Evans, Josh D. Miller), 7:52.76; 7. Hershey (Joseph Murphy, TImmy Green, jacob Abraham, Vinay Raman), 7:52.99; 8. Centra Bucks West (Richard Newell, Andres Herrara, Nathan Terry, Nate Fehrman), 7:53.60.
400 relay: 1. Chambersburg (Kason Besecker, JJ Kelly, Blake Mallast, Antonio Harrison II), 41.65; 2. Emmaus (Donavan McCargo, Blaise Verrastro, Dylan Darville, Kyle Moore), 41.71; 3. Susquehanna Township (Ryan McClain, Akeem Mustapha, Samuel Oliseh, Lex Cyrus), 42.02; 4. Spring Ford (Andre Jackson-Littlejohn, Mason Scott, Travell Wellons, Christopher Brittingham), 42.34; 5. Parkland (Nakhi Bullock, Dylan Simon, Xander McWhite, Andrew Beers), 42.39; 6. Cedar Crest (Leo Tirado, Kyle Rauchut, Nick Garman, Gabe Lewis), 42.01; 7. Roman Catholic (Demetrius Bell, Jak Kearney, Marcus Allen, Julian Ward), 42.14; 8. Coatesville (Donte London, Robert Turner, Damon Watson, Isaiah Brightman), 42.36.
400: 1. Luke Coleman, Abington, 47.26; 2. Jesse Myers, State College, 47.81; 3. Colin Kravitz, North Pocono, 47.85; 4. Nick Keller, Ephrata, 48.27; 5. AJ Glavicic, Strath Haven, 48.35; 6. Walton Garnett, Chester, 48.65; 7. Asad Reese, Imhotep Institute Charter, 49.73.
300 hurdles: 1. Bernard Bell, South Western, 37.28; 2. Luis Colmenares-Bittar, Downingtown East, 37.98; 3. Perry Addey, West York, 38.29; 4. Andrew Beers, Parkland, 38.61; 5. Otani Ekpe, Quakertown, 38.77; 6. Tyler Burgess, Palmyra, 38.95; 7. Demetrius Bell, Roman Catholic, 39.97; 8. Gamaliel Mogire, NOrth Hills, 40.24.
800: 1. Joseph Butler, Cumberland Valley, 1:55.99; 2. Jacksn Gutekunst, Dallastown, 1:56.28; 3. Nick Koontz, Shikellamy, 1:56.52; 4. Jonathan Barzonsky, Indiana, 1:56.66; 5. Aidan Hodge, Hempfield, 1:56.72; 6. Roman Galioto, South Fayette, 1:56.90; 7. Noah Keller, Ephrata, 1:56.97; 8. Colin Donahoe, Abington Heights, 1:57.49.
200: 1. Jesse Myers, State College, 21.23; 2. Lavar Jackson, Upper Darby, 21.33; 3. Shaun mcCoullum, George Washington, 21.58; 4. Colin Kravitz, North Pocono, 21.67; 5. Daunte Bell, Norristown, 21.73; 6. Chase Morgan, Shikellamy, 21.89; 7. Zyan Greene, Bensalem, 23.60.
1,600 relay: 1. Abington (Luke Coleman, Keith Axten, Jamir McClinton, Tyler Abraham), 3:16.19; 2. Spring Ford (Mason Scott, Justin Johnson, Jack Stanick, Christopher Brittingham), 3:18.20; 3. Central Bucks West (Tekalagn Leaf, Nate Fehrman, Nathan Terry, Noah Gartenberg), 3:18.34; 4. Cheltenham (Jordan Sowell, Ke’Nai Massiah, Traeon Bradsher, Nathan Hoffman), 3:19.81; 5. Roman Catholic (Marcus Allen, Julian Ward, Demetrius Bell, Jak Kearney), 3:20.52; 6. Ephrata (Jeremiah Knowles, Noah Keller, Miles Campbell, nick Keller), 3:21.42; 7. La Salle College (Camero Mehallo, Ryan Perre, Connor Goldfarb, Aidan Christy), 3:25.69; 8. Shamokin (Ryder Zulkowski, Chase Pensyl, Benny Delbaugh, Colton Lynch), 3:27.80.
Long jump: 1. Kyle Moore, Emmaus, 24-5 1/4; 2. Terryece Phillips, Pottstown, 23-3; 3. J.J. Kelly, Chambersburg, 23-1 1/2; 4. Colton Dean, Canon-McMillan, 22-5; 5. Akeem Mustapha, Susquehanna Township, 22-0 1/4; 6. CJ Boyer, Oxford, 21-11 1/2; 7. Luca Bertolasio, Hickory, 21-9; 8. Jacob NIelson, Valley View, 21-7 1/2.
Javelin: 1. Peter Bellomo, Jersey Shore, 214-3; 2. Drew Mruk, Wyoming Area, 208-3; 3. Thomas Flud Jr., Upper Perkiomen, 199-2; 4. Derek Armfield, Chartiers Valley, 190-5; 5. Samuell Guzman, Hazleton, 186-3; 6. Elias Chase, Avon Grove, 184-9; 7. Louis Liberatore, Canon-McMillan, 177-7; 8. Nicholas Franceschelli, North Pocono, 177-1.
High jump: 1. JJ Kelly, Chambersburg, 6-8; 2. Tyrone Chambers, North Schulykill, 6-6; 3. Drew Domurat, Coatesville, 6-5; 4. Colin Graham, Upper Moreland, 6-5; 5. Robert Allen, Southern Lehigh, 6-5; 6. Chase Pensyl, Shamokin, 6-5; 7. Xavier McGreal, Kennett, 6-4; 8. Isaiah Moore, Northeast, 6-4.
Discus: 1. Peyton Murray, Hempfield, 185-9; 2. Matthew Arnold, York County School of Tech, 177-0; 3. Matthew Sarnowski, Penn Trafford, 175-4; 4. Griffin Huffman, Cumberland Valley, 163-5; 5. Aaron Weigle, Bermudian Springs, 160-9; 6. Aiden Raub, Stroudsburg, 159-0; 7. Nathan Haas, State College, 158-11; 8. Jack Crider, Kisiki, 158-8.