School: Council Rock South
Soccer, Winter Track, Spring Track
Favorite athlete: Brian Dawkins
Favorite team: Philadelphia Eagles
Favorite memory competing in sports: “Becoming a high school All-American at Nike Indoor Nationals or score the game-tying and winning goal on Senior Night for my soccer team.
Funniest think that has happened while competing in sports: “I can’t think of anything, but during my junior year, me and my two teammates – Marc Brookland and Adam Haun – had some of the best times together at invitationals just joking and having fun and competing.”
Music on iPod: “I like to listen to music that gets me energetic, so mostly hip-hop and rap.”
Future plans: “Either get an internship with a sports team and work my way up the ladder or be a health and physical education teacher.”
Words to live by: “Good enough is the enemy of excellence.”
One goal before turning 30: “To be a successful married husband with a good family.”
One thing people don’t know about me: “My name isn’t actually John, it’s Francis.”
By Nate Oxman
It’s just a dual meet?
Don’t tell that to John Cantwell.
Although the then under-the-weather Council Rock South senior jumper/sprinter spent some time before the start of his team’s dual meet with Neshaminy on Tuesday throwing up, Cantwell said he never even considered skipping the meet.
As much as it pained the ultra-competitive Cantwell before the meet, he conceded just a touch and agreed to at least sit out his sprints: the 200 meters and the 4 x 100-meter relay.
But then Cantwell saw that Neshaminy had some strong sprinters scheduled for the 4 x 100 and that irresistible urge to compete simply squashed his nagging illness.
“Literally, 30 seconds before the 4 x 100, I ran over to my coach and said, ‘I’ll do it,’” he said. “We were behind when I got the baton, but we won and ran a season best of 44.01, which is a district qualifying time.”
Cantwell not only anchored that winning relay, but also took the top spot individually in both the long jump and triple jump – his signature events – and finished second in the high jump.
Such a gutsy performance so early in the season shows just how far this soccer nut turned track star has come in the last two years.
Blessed with pure speed and quickness, Cantwell, a Holland resident, also benefits from a natural athletic ability that undoubtedly stems at least somewhat from his mother, Jane Ann, who starred as a swimmer at both Neshaminy, where she is a member of the school’s athletic hall of fame, and Temple University, where she was a two-time All-American and is also a member of the hall of fame.
Cantwell began playing soccer at a very young age before eventually becoming a three-year varsity, do-it-all type player for the Golden Hawks. Although he joined the track program as a sophomore, his main focus was clearly still on the soccer field, with the hope of possibly continuing his career at the collegiate level.
But then, a little taste of success at the end of last year’s outdoor track season started Cantwell on an entirely unforeseen path.
Competing against close friends and school-record holders in then seniors Marc Brookland and Adam Haun, both of whom turned their jumping talents into college scholarships – at Muhlenberg College and Rider University, respectively – Cantwell capped his junior season with a strong showing at the PIAA Championships where he finished 15th in the long jump and 17th in the triple jump.
“I think that last year John really started to show that he could compete,” said CR South Coach Len Spearing. “He really came along and then he worked extremely hard over the summer to improve even more. I really think that has led to his success. He’s more confident, more mature.”
Cantwell decided to dedicate last summer to jumping and joined the renowned Ambler Olympic Club, where thanks to Coach Cardwell Wootten and his staff, he set the groundwork for a sensational indoor season this past winter.
“This was my first year and I took advantage of it,” said Cantwell of the summer training. “I really got to focus on some of the little things. I knew my extension wasn’t the best part of my long jump, so I worked on that and in the triple jump, I worked a lot on phasing and timing.”
“The first day, when I showed up it basically felt like it was my first time on the track,” continued Cantwell. “I didn’t know a lot of the drills because they really focus on doing everything correctly. They care about how it’s supposed to be, more than performing well.”
At the Pa. Track & Field Coaches Association (PTFCA) of Greater Philadelphia Meet of Champions back on Feb. 14 at Lehigh University, Cantwell placed fifth in the long jump. His jump of 22-00.25 eclipsed the CR South school record set last year by Brookland.
“It never really crossed my mind,” said Cantwell of breaking the record. “I was too involved in the competition. When I hit that jump I was in second so I was just worried about getting first place.
“But after the competition was over, setting that school record was a big relief because I had the mentors from last year – my really good friends Marc Brookland and Adam Haun – they were both jumpers. Marc was a triple jumper and placed fifth in the state at outdoors last year so just being able to say you broke their records is definitely an accomplishment. It was definitely an exhilarating experience.”
But there was much more to come from Cantwell.
The very next week at the PTFCA State Indoor Track & Field Championships at Penn State University, Cantwell, then ranked No. 12 in the state in the long jump, shattered his new record with a jump of 22-06.50 to finish in fourth place behind standouts Sean Gentry of North Penn (23-02.25), Carlton Lavong of Methacton (22-10.00), and Joe Price of Malvern Prep (22-07.75) to earn all-state honors.
“To be honest, I didn’t think so,” said Cantwell of whether he thought he could finish as high as he did. “But I took advantage of the fact that the first flight, which was the top eight in the state, they weren’t jumping that well. I was not impressed so I took full advantage of it.
“That’s what a competition is. Other people don’t jump as well and maybe you have your best day. I just came to perform that day, and it was a good day to come to perform.”
Cantwell’s success sent him to the prestigious Nike Indoor Nationals in Boston, where he became a National Scholastic Sports Foundation All-American after placing fifth courtesy of a jump of 22-04.50.
So where does all this leave Cantwell in the early stages of his final track season at South?
“Doing well at indoors and breaking school records, stuff like that - it definitely set a goal for outdoors,” said Cantwell. “And usually you jump higher outdoors than indoors, so that’s why my goals are so much higher.”
Cantwell’s goals are to reach the marks of 24 feet in the long jump and 46 feet in the triple jump—with Brookland’s school record of 46-02.25 also in sight. He also hopes to take down Lavong and Gentry when the postseason arrives.
“It’s all attainable,” said Cantwell. “And my coaches all agree that it’s attainable. I just need to keep on working, as I have been doing.”
If Cantwell keeps progressing like he has been, his still budding potential seems limitless.
“I started jumping my junior year and I was only jumping like 20 feet,” said Cantwell. “So Coach [Randy] Maugle helped me out for awhile, but he’s not an indoor coach so I was basically doing my own workouts and training myself for jumps. And I progressed almost two and a half feet so I think definitely with Coach Maugle’s coaching I’m sure I could do it. He has no doubts either. Coach Maugle and Coach Spearing definitely have been a very huge help for me.”
Cantwell has also made marked strides off the track as well.
“We always saw the talent,” said Spearing. “John is blessed with a lot of talent, but now I sense that he believes in himself. He’s secure with his place on the team as a mentor and a leader. Last year, with the seniors we had on the team, I think John felt like he had something to prove. And I think that after the time he put in during the summer and the success that he had this winter, he’s shown that he can really compete.”
That leadership ability was on full display on Tuesday when Cantwell shook off sickness and refused to sit out.
“It’s a good feeling,” said Cantwell. “I definitely like the feeling of being a leader on the team. I like to have fun and joke around. Even when we’re working out, I’ll joke around during intervals, but when it comes time to get serious, anyone will tell you that I get my work done.”
While Cantwell continues to put the work in over the next several weeks to set himself up for what could be his finest season yet, he will also finalize his college choice.
Currently the suitors seeking his talents include Miami University in Ohio, East Stroudsburg, Duquesne, and Rhode Island. Cantwell, who plans to possibly study physical education or sports marketing depending on the school he selects, said his decision will come down to which institution can provide the best education/scholarship package.
But throughout the process, there’s no doubt Cantwell will keep his goals squarely in sight.
“These past two years I’ve been working off of my natural ability and self-determination,” said Cantwell. “I have aspirations to be the best in the state and I’ll be upset if I don’t achieve that. I don’t settle for anything less than the top. I like to set my goals high and if I achieve them then great, I’m just going to keep setting them higher. If not, I’m just going to keep working harder.”
