PENNSAUKEN — Eric Pontrello tried not to grin. Nobody grins in the pole vault. It's a breach of coolness etiquette.
Pontrello couldn't help himself.
Can't blame him.
The Cherokee High School freshman had just become the third freshman in state history and first in 29 years to clear 13-6 and taken the lead in the Olympic Conference pole vault competition.
“I couldn't believe it,” Pontrello said. “I didn't expect to do this, not as a freshman.”
Yesterday, he had a miss at 12-6, matched his personal best of 13-0 on his first attempt, then made 13-6 on his first try. Meanwhile, Washington Township's Mike Salera — the only other jumper to clear 13 feet — wasn't able to get over the bar at 13-6 until his third try. Neither cleared 14-0.
“I basically had to PR just to win,” Pontrello said. “I've been working hard and I have a lot of confidence, but I didn't know I was going to come here and jump 13-6 and win. Not at all. There's a lot of seniors here who are really good vaulters.”
Pontrello's 13-6 clearance matched the highest clearance at the Olympic Conference meet since 2002, when Scott Harris of Shawnee won at 14 feet. The last Cherokee vaulter to win a conference title was Marc Dalessio at 12 feet in 1997.
The only vaulter in school history to go higher is Justin Finkelstein, who won county, sectional and state titles in 1995 and PR'd at 14-6.
Pontrello is only the third New Jersey freshman to clear 13-6. Bill Lange of Bridgewater West set the national freshman record of 15-7 in 1977. The same year, his teammate, Eric Richard, cleared 14-6.
“This is amazing,” Pontrello said. “I knew I was going to get 13-6, I just didn't know it would happen this soon. Once I get on a bigger pole, I know 14 feet is going to come.”
. . .