It will be a long day of track & field this weekend when teams statewide occupy the PCTA field house for the RIIL Class Championships. The results of Saturday’s meet, which features Class A, B & C, will crown a combined six team champions and 72 individuals/relay squads.
(Above photo by Sterling Vernon of @rhodeandtrack)
The expected nine-plus hours of competition will further give us a glimpse of the outstanding talent out there and what to expect at the State Meet in two more weeks. It will be intense.
Below is a preview of the boys’ Class C meet. With the deadline for submitting entries closing on Thursday night, we’re predicting what we expect might happen in some of the events. Once the entry list is released, changes could be made prior to Saturday’s meet, so check back often.
Without further adieu, here we go…
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Class C Championship – Boys
Day/Time: Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Teams: East Greenwich, Smithfield, Juanita Sanchez, South Kingstown, Westerly, Burrillville, Rogers, North Smithfield, Middletown, Exeter/West Greenwich, Prout School, Tiverton, St. Raphael Academy, Moses Brown, Narragansett
Top Events To Watch: The weight throw features the No. 3 and No. 4 athletes in the rankings with East Greenwich’s Ryan Evans and Exeter/West Greenwich’s Owen Spira competing inside the cage. Both have had similar seasons with Evans unleashing a best if 74 feet, 11 inches this winter and Spira right behind 74-6.5. The next closest seed is 13 feet behind. We’re expecting this one to be a grinder between Evans and Spira, one that could be determined on the final throw…The 1,000-meter run features the state’s No. 1 runner with Cole Francis set to answer the gun. Francis clocked a season best of 2:35.25 to win his race at the divisional championship. Less than two weeks ago, he raced to a PR of 1:55.77 for 800m at the GBTC Invitational. He appears ready to roll this weekend in an event we feel he might be concentrating on at the State Meet in mid February. Look for Francis to take control from the start in this one. East Greenwich’s David Hayes is the No. 2 seed with a best of 2:38.37 from earlier in the season. Occupying the three seed is St. Ray’s Joseph McFarland, who won last weekend’s RITCA Invitational with a PR of 2:40.10…The 600m is one of those races that could come down to the final straightaway, possibly the last few meters. Westerly’s Noah Roberts holds the No. 1 seed with a time of 1:24.50. Not too far behind is Moses Brown’s Xavier Ohl with a best of 1:25.33…One clip of the hurdle could determine the winner in the 55m HH where just four hundredths of a second separate the top three seeds. We could have a rematch of the Sullivan Division Championships where our 1-2 seeds in this race finished in those same spots at the Jan. 20 meet with their current best of 8.06 and 8:07. The No. 3 seed is South Kingstown’s Kai Sorlien with a time of 8.10…Without the seed sheets were unsure if Francis will be lining up in this event. If so, he’ll be the one to beat. Francis, who has an all-time best of 8:44.47, has run this race just once this season, clocking 9:00.20 in a league meet back on Dec. 22. No doubt that race was used to just secure a state qualifier. He’s capable of a lot faster. If he races, and is all-in from the start, we believe he’ll go sub 8:50 this weekend. East Greenwich’s Luke Allen has a best of 8:53.02 and teammate Brody Fahys has gone 9:04.93. Both of their efforts came at the Yale Track Classic.
Team Outlook: Three-time defending champion St. Raphael Academy appears to be the favorite in this race with East Greenwich a solid No. 2. Save for the throwing events, the Saints have the ability to score in every other event, most with high placements, including a possible 1-2 finish in the 55m dash with top seeds, Brendan Cardoso and Melvin Howard as well as predicted victories in the 4x200m and 4x800m relays where they hold the No. 1 seeds.
