How do you win your school’s first-ever division championship?
Depth, depth and, yes, depth.
The Portsmouth High boys proved just how important it is to have nearly event covered when you’re competing against a talented field. The Patriots scored in all but one event at Monday’s Southern Division Championships to roll to a 148-116 victory over second-place North Kingstown. Coventry was third with 57 points.
“I think our team has such tremendous depth across all the events and everybody just showed tonight, ready to perform, ready to compete and put everything that there was on the line, ” said head coach Rebecca Raymond. “We had a tough loss against NK last week. These guys were ready to show up again.”
Portsmouth won two events for the day. Sophomore Sean Gray took the 1,500-meter run in 4 minutes, 27.23 seconds). Gray, who was also third in the 1,000m (2:46.48), earned his victory with a patient race and by holding off Chariho’s Tom Golas down the final stretch. Golas was timed in 4:27.57 for second. The Patriots also scored 25 big points in the 55m hurdles with a 1-2-3-4 sweep, led by senior Landon Rodrigues, who broke the tape in 8.05. Rodrigues was also fourth in the long jump (19-6).
“That was huge,” said assistant coach Evan Denard, about the hurdlers. “Those boys have been working hard all year. I work closely with those four. Two of them were kind of slightly off and were disappointed, but did what they needed to for the team.”
Portsmouth had a pair of second-place finishes from Aiden Chen in the high jump (6 feet, 2 inches), Will Kitzmiller in the long jump (19-11.25), and Chris Vachon in the 3,000m (9:51.25).
Westerly’s Robbie Wade won the 600m with a two-second best of 1:24.88, a time that ranks fourth in the state. At No. 3 is teammate Noah Roberts with a best of 1:24.8. Roberts collected eight points for the Bulldogs by finishing second in the 1,000m with a time of 2:45.52.
Cole Francis of Narragansett was dominant in the 1,000. The Mariner junior led from gun-to-wire and crossed the line in 2:36.21. Francis was scheduled to also run the 3,000m, but scratched from the event to direct all his attention on the five-lapper as well as the upcoming State Meet on Feb. 10.
“Today was a good day; not focused on too much, not trying to double,” he said. “Just going out in one race, focusing on it to see what I could do. Just stacking all the races, all the workouts on the ultimate day, states.”
Middletown’s Cam Miller was a double-winner. The Islanders senior cleared 6-5 to take the high jump and went 20-8 to earn gold in the long jump. MiIler admitted his form wasn’t the best in the high jump, but it still got the job done and matches his PR, which ranks him No. 2 in the state behind Central’s Demetrius Outland’s 6-6 effort earlier this season.
“I think I’ll be able to get higher,” he said. “I got to work on my form a little more in practice; just keep working to get better.”
Saint Raphael Academy made it a sweep in the divisional championships the last few days. Just two days after the girls won the Dwyer Division title, the boys claimed their second straight Northern Division crown.
Workmanlike days from JJ Rocha and Daniel Akan-Disu spurred the Saints to a narrow 115-107 decision over Cumberland. Lincoln was a distant third with 60 points.
Together, SRA’s talented tandem combined for nearly have of their points on Monday. Rocha took the 3K (9:31.0), finished third in the 1,500m (4:14.59) and was fourth in the 1,000m (2:47.66). Akan-Disu was sixth in the 300m (38.85) and was first in the long jump (21-8.5), high jump (6-0) and as a leg on the triumphant 4x200m squad ( 1:36.69).
“I am always willing to do what his necessary to help my team win,” said Rocha, who was celebrating his 18th birthday at Monday’s meet. “This is the priority. One race at a time. I want my team to win. This is my last year. I want my team to enjoy everything.”
Ponaganset went 1-2 in the 1,000m with Jeremy Roe racing to a state No. 2 of 1:24.70. Teammate Jack McEntee was second at 1:29.87. Roe is one of four runners that have broken 1:25 this season. Hendricken’s Jacob Coates overtook the Chieftain standout for the top spot after winning the Suburban Division title in 1:24.56 on Tuesday.
Woonsocket’s Adam Beaudry improved on his state-leader by more than a foot in the weight throw with a toss of 66-1. Lincoln’s Tyler Durang was second with a PR and state No. 2 of 65-9.25. Durang came back and won the shot with a distance of 48-11.5.
Beaudry achieved his best on his first throw of the series.
“It’s relieves the pressure a lot,” he said. “You always want to put a nice one out there at the start so you’re not fighting through all your throws.”
Mount St. Charles senior Ethan Fadden won the 1,500m and the 1,000m. Fadden came on strong in the late stages of the 1,500m en route to a best of 4:12.50, two seconds ahead of Ponaganset’s Owen Klein (4:14.56). He did most of the pace-setting in the 1K where he was timed in 2:40.46. Cumberland’s Connor Magill took runner-up honors at 2:44.01.
