Patience was the word of the day for this past weekend’s Class Championships.
With the State Meet seven days later, most of our top runners, and even teams, held back just enough in their respective races to get the type of finish they wanted in order to save more in their return trip to Ponaganset’s covered-bridge trail on Saturday for the biggest day of the season.
In one of the final races of the day, Narragansett’s Cole Francis defended his Class B boys’ title with a time of 16 minutes, 9.57 seconds for the 5K distance. With a strong wind at the start for just over a half mile on the open fields, Francis ran up front, alongside Burrillville’s Arthur Ferris. The Mariner senior pulled away from Ferris and the rest of the field at the mile mark and won convincingly with a nearly 50-second cushion over runner-up Noah Robert of Westerly, who was timed in 16:58.19. Ferris held on for third at16:58.19.
Francis admitted a fast time wasn’t his top priority. After finding out he had an iron deficiency back in early October, it was all about using Saturday’s race as more of a gage on his progress.
“Going into today I was really focusing on having fun, just persevering through everything,” Francis said. “A few weeks ago, I figured out I had low iron, so I’ve been building up from that. Today was the first day I have felt really strong in a while. That’s a huge confidence booster heading into next week.”
Talking about next week, Francis should be in the conversation when talking about potential contenders for the state crown. The two leading threats to win it all this weekend, also made their last stop before the states a successful one with La Salle’s Marshall Vernon and Portsmouth’s Sean Gray cruising to the Class A and Class B crowns, respectively. Both looked relaxed and comfortable in their efforts.
Vernon solidified his first class title, averaging five-minute pace with a PR of 15:29.38. Finishing second was Hendricken sophomore Colby Flynn, who continued his strong (and consistent) season with a best of 15:45.99 on the Chieftains’ moderately-challenging terrain. Defending state titlist Sam Henderson of Cumberland was third at 15:58.42.
For at least the first half of his race, Vernon followed his race plan of holding back and running just enough to get the win.
“The plan actually was just to sit and kick,” he admitted. “I don’t know, something just happened in the middle of the race where I was like, ‘You know what, this doesn’t feel very hard right now.’ I was going around 65 to 70 percent through there. I wanted to get a little more effort put in so I picked it up around two miles. Colby and I were actually chatting in the woods. We weren’t trying to gun it. Both of us knew that this isn’t the race that matters. It’s next week. We weren’t trying to take this race out too hard. I am honestly shocked by the time. I didn’t really think we were going that quick.”
Gray put forth his fastest effort at Ponaganset, crossing the line in 15:45.7. Myles Napolitano of Barrington took runner-up honors in 16:01.3. Placing third was East Greenwich’s Luke Allen with a time of 16:14.76.
“I really went out there and tried to get race pace for the first part of it and slowed down a little bit right after the 1K,” Gray said. I was really just going out here and seeing how the course feels.”
The Portsmouth junior is looking forward to his showdown with Vernon.
“I am really excited,” he said. “It’s going to be fun.”
Pilgrim’s Keaney Bayha kept her unbeaten streak against her state rivals intact while also solidifying favorite status for this weekend’s states with a victory in the girls’ Class A race. Bayha was timed in a best at Ponaganset of 18:23.6. North Kingstown’s sophomore duo of Abbie Tighe (second, 18:51.28) and Lucy Stowe (third, 19:12.57) took the next two spots.
“I felt really good,” Bayha said. “I think the course is really nice today. It was a little windy at some points, but it’s cross country.”
Per usual. the Patriots’ senior has been a model of consistency this year. She had a slight hiccup a week ago at the Catholic Memorial Invitational at Franklin Park where she was third overall in 18:52.1, more than a minute behind individual winner Emily Flagg of Whitinsville Christian, who was timed in 17:48.4.
“i might have got lost twice during (that race),” she quipped. “I took about a 30-second wrong turn and then had to go back uphill. That definitely took stuff out of me. Then the (official) sent me the wrong way. It wasn’t great. I just tried to work the hills after that. I think it was a good practice of not freaking out if you go long. I caught myself and said, ‘Don’t freak out. Just go back in the race.’ That’s what I tried to do.”
Bayha is not taking the State Meet for granted. The Patriots’ standout believes she’s not the only runner that can win on Saturday. Noticeably missing from the class meet were Cumberland’s Kiley DeFusco and freshman Cecilia Ludwig, two runners that have potential to be in the front pack this weekend.
“I just want to run a really good time,” Bayha said. “I think everyone here in the state works very hard. You can’t overlook anyone. You just got to be the toughest one out there. That’s really how I try to run.”
Allie Kaull made it sweep by Portsmouth for the individual titles in Class B by taking the girls’ crown with an easy19:24.05 clocking. Kuall was about 200 meters ahead of Mount Hope’s Jessica Deal, who was timed in 20:05.37 for second. East Greenwich sophomore Olive Willis secured the bronze in 20:13.01, leading a 3-4-5-6 finish by the Avengers.
“I didn’t really know exactly what to expect,” Kaull said. “I felt really strong. I didn’t want to, obviously, go out too hard. I kind of just composed myself, stayed strong and got my lead and finished the race, honestly.”
The gifted senior, who was 18th overall at last year’s states, feels she’s in peak shape to excel against her RI rivals on Saturday.
“I am stronger than ever right now,” she said. “I felt so good at the beginning of the season. I am definitely maintaining that strength and I’m feeling really good.”
Every stride counted coming down stretch of the Class C race where five hundredths of a second was the difference between eventual winner Julia Dowling of North Smithfield and St. Ray’s MacKenzie Lickert. Dowling edged Lickert at the line with a time of 19:32.04 to her rival’s 19:32.09 effort. Bay View’s Jackie Mattos was third in 19:48.07.
“We definitely stuck together as a pack very well throughout the race,” said Dowling, who was up front with Lickert and Mattos for the first half of the race. “At the end, I worked pretty hard so I was definitely feeling it. When I saw 100 meters and her in front of me, I said I worked so hard I really think I deserve this. I honestly didn’t know who won because it was so close. I give her congrats for putting up such a phenomenal race.”
The NS runner admits that her close victory provides added confidence at the states, where she’s hoping the make the all-state team.
“It definitely shows that I can race,” she said. “I’m a little subconscious at (Ponaganset) because of all the hills. But me being able to push myself and give it a good race shows me that I am definitely capable of coming here and doing the same thing at the states.”
