The final invitational meets of the season will be held on Thursday when our statewide teams will be heading off into two different directions of the state.
A handful of squads, predominately the southern part of the state, will be heading to Glen Park in Portsmouth for the East Bay Challenge, while several more will be at Burrillville Middle School, home of the 18th annual Skee Carter Memorial Invitational (formerly the Bronco Invitational).
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The East Bay Challenge will have just two varsity races with six teams competing in the boys’ and girls’ competition. Among the boys are Mount Hope, Portsmouth, Rogers, The Prout School, The Wheeler School and Tiverton. The girls features Mount Hope, Ponaganset, Portsmouth, Rogers, Bay View and the Prout.
The host Patriots have two of some of our state’s top runners with Sean Gray and Allie Kaull expected to compete on their home course. The undefeated Gray will be racing for the first time since his big victory at the Maine Festival of Champions on Oct. 5 where he broke the course record and 5K best of 14 minutes, 55.6 seconds. Kaull was 11th overall at the FOC with a time of 18:53.1, her third sub-19 of the season. She is unbeaten against her RI rivals.
The Portsmouth boys, who are ranked among the top six teams this season, will be at full strength for Thursday’s meet. The Patriots have seven of the top 10 entries at East Bay with Gray the overwhelming favorite, and sophomore Patrick Orbon, senior Chris Vachon, and senior Jack Marston ranked 2-3-4 with times ranging from 16:42 to 17:13. this season. Wheeler School junior Reid Wemple (17:00.86) and senior teammate Evan Atwood (17:31.59) are two runners that have a chance to break up the party, but count on a dominating performance from the Patriots as a team.
On paper, the Patriots should also come out on top in the girls’ race. Kaull is the top seed and should keep her perfect streak against her state rivals intact with another win. Mount Hope junior Jessica Deal, a two-time first-team all-stater, will be looking for a big race in her first non-dual meet of the season. She has a best of 20:11.50 this fall from her second-place finish to St. Raphael’s Mackenzie Lickert in a league meet at Slater Park on Sept. 28. Wheeler School sophomore Ashton Carson and the Portsmouth duo of Hanalei Streuli and Eleni Drosinos are three other runners that have dipped under 21 minutes this season.
SCHEDULE
4:45 p.m. – Girls’ Race
5:15 p.m. – Boys’ Race
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Slightly more than 400 runners are expected to answer the gun at the Skee Carter Memorial Invitational with 17 boys’ squads and 19 girls’ teams making the trip.
Look for the race up front to be a close one in the boys’ competition with Burrillville’s Arthur Ferris and the East Greenwich trio of Luke Allen, David Hayes, and Brody Fahys expected to be vying for those top positions. Ferris ran a PR of 16:15 at the FOC. Allen, Hayes and Fahys have times ranging from 16;18 to 16:28 for the Avengers, a legit top-six team this year.
Individually and on the team side, the competition could get intense in the girls’ race. Barrington sophomore Evelyn Lefort, North Smithfield’s Julia Dowling and Burrillville’s Jillian Russell have all broken 20 minutes this season. Lefort clocked a best of 19:26.40 at this past weekend’s Bob Glennon Twilight Invitational. Dowling went 19:32.0 with a victory in a dual meet at Burrillville last month and Russell had a best of 19:52.99 in Maine. East Greenwich, Barrington and South Kingstown all have solid squads that will be fighting for the top 3.
SCHEDULE
4:00 p.m. – Varsity Boys’ Race
4:30 – Varsity Girls’ Race
5:00 – JV Girls’ & Boys’ Race
