The State Meet is officially less than two weeks away.
We know it’s not realistic. We know it’s not detrimental to our athletes.
But we do wish it was a lot sooner, we almost wish it was tomorrow. The anticipation of watching our state’s best converge one last time this winter is driving us nuts!. A show of hands – how many else feel the same way?
The prelude to the states, Saturday’s RIIL Class Championships at the PCTA field house, gave us every reason to believe that this one could be one our best, one of those meets that ranks right up there with the other classics we’ve witnessed throughout the years.
A quick summary of the teams that went home with the hardware. In Class A, La Salle dethroned two-time defending champion Bishop Hendricken, 173.83 – 143 for the boys’ title, while North Kingstown earned the plaque for girls scoring 150.50 points, 20.5 ahead of runner-up La Salle. Barrington swept the crowns in Class B. For the boys, the Eagles gave every reason to believe they are among the contenders for their second straight state title, amassing 259 points, a score that was well ahead of second-place Classical. In the girls’ competition, all the talk was about West Warwick and Classical battling for the crown. The Eagles simply ignored all that and surprised their rivals to win the school’s first title since 2021 with a 122-115 decision over Classical. Pre-meet favorites St. Raphael Academy and Moses Brown were the boys’ and girls’ titlists in Class C. The Saints defeated runner-up Prout, 127-70. The Quakers were a 118-65.5 victor over Smithfield.
Before moving on to our recaps of the day’s action, here’s a few highlights that deserve a little extra mention.
Toll Gate’s Vanessa Jones became our new nation-leader in the weight throw. How did she do it? With a personal best by nearly two feet in the Class A meet! Jones launched the implement a distance of 57 feet. 0.25 inches to take the crown. Her impressive effort moved her ahead of New York’s Meagan Ewers of Medger Evers College Prep, who held the previous No. 1 of 56-0.75.
In typical fashion, West Warwick phenom Lisa Raye won four events, earning gold in the 55-meter dash, 55m hurdles, 300m and long jump. In the hurdles, Raye broke the only state record she didn’t have under 300m (indoor or outdoor), smashing a 23-year-old mark with a time of 8.10 seconds. Raye’s time eclipsed the 2002 record of 8.21, held by former Chariho great Mary Serdokowski.
Now on to our recaps…
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Class A
La Salle depth prevailed in its victory over Hendricken for the boys’ title. The Rams benefitted from eight victories for the day, which included a sweep of all the relays. Sophomore Jalen Moseley was a triple winner, taking the two shortest races on the track, attaining gold in the 55-meter dash (6.66) and the 55m hurdles (7.84) and also leaping 22-2.25 for the long jump title. Junior Garrett Giroux-Pezzullo held off teammate Thaden Leomensah in the 300m. Both dipped under 36 seconds with times of 35.46 and 35.72, respectively. Along with teammates Amari Monteiro and Jackson Alves, the speedy tandem also ran legs on the triumphant 4x200m relay squad (1:31.24).
To keep himself fresh for what will be a busy day on the track at the State Meet on Feb. 15, the Rams’ Marshall Vernon only ran one race. But it was a good one, a very good one. Vernon became our state’s sixth runner to break 2:30 for the 1,000m with a winning time of 2:29.77. Not to be remiss was the performance of the runner-up finisher, Colby Flynn. The Hendricken sophomore came strides away from the Hawks’ school record with an outstanding time of 2:31.21, a time that ranks No. 1 nationwide among tenth-graders. Earlier in the day, Flynn breezed to the 1,500m title where he clocked 4:11.34. By the way, the Hawks’ school mark for the 1K is 2:31.02 by Jonathan Kieliszak from his victory at the 2000 New England Championship.
La Salle’s Eamon O’Brien improved on his state’s No. 2 in the 600m with a triumphant 1:24.14.
It seems like it’s only a matter of time before the 80-foot mark is broken in the weight throw. Saturday’s competition proved that it could be be more than one thrower that does it. State and nation-leader Shamrock Thoun unleashed his fourth 79-footer of the season with a winning toss of 79-9.5. Not too far behind was North Kingstown’s Jack Harmon with a PR of 79-1.5
On the girls’ side, North Kingstown scored in ALL of the events to win the school’s second-ever team title. The Skippers shared the crown with La Salle in 2016-17. For the day, NK manufactured two victories with Natalie Breadheft leading a 1-2-3-7 finish in the high jump with a leap of 4 feet, 10 inches and freshman Reagan Farrell taking the long jump at 17-0.5.
The meet featured several double winners. Hope’s Zariyah Brown took care of the sprinting events, capturing the 55m dash (7.57) and the 300m (43.60). Cumberland’s Kiley DeFusco was a victor in the 1,500m (4:42.38) and the 1K (3:02.17). Raking up 28 points, Pilgrim’s Keaney Bayha won the 3K (9:59.38) and the 600m (1:40.32). She was also second in the 1,500 (4:50.62).
Like its counterpart, La Salle swept the relays with times of 4:19.48 in the 4x400m, 10:19.16 for the 4x800m and 1:49.13 for the 4x200m.
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Class B
We’re not 100 precent sure if this has ever happened before, but we kind of think it hasn’t. In its complete dominance of the boys’ meet, Barrington won every single event. Yep, all 14 of them! That, alone, would have earned the Eagles a 25-point victory over the Purple.
Multiple winners for Barrington included Bobby Wind (55m HH, 300m, 4x200m, 4x400m), Joe Adams (weight throw, shot), Myles Napolitano (3K, 1,500m), Daniel Chun (high jump, 4×800), Henry Stockwell (600m, 4x400m, 4x800m), and Patrick Trainor (55m dash, long jump, 4x200m).
In the high jump, duo-sport athlete Caleb Satisfield, who also competes for the school’s basketball team, demonstrated his leaping abilities in the high jump, soaring to a state-leading 6-6.
For the girls. Barrington had a victory from its 4x800m squad (10:43.08) and Helena Hyde in the high jump (5-4). The Eagles also benefitted by going 2-3-4-5-6 in the 3K, scoring 27 big points.
Together, the Wizards’ Lisa and Xenia Raye scored 56 points individually. Besides her state mark in the 55m hurdles, Lisa went 19-2 in the long jump, 6.82 in the 55m, and 39.66 for the 300m Xenia was a runner-up in the 55m (7.11) and 300m (40.44). She also ran legs on the school’s second-place 4x200m squad (1:50.6) and fourth-place 4x400m team (1:50.06).
Portsmouth’s Allie Kaull was a double victor, capturing the 1,500m (4:59.16) and the 1,000m (3:09.69). Classical’s Gifty Bediako also won twice, sweeping titles in the weight (53-03.75) and the shot (43-4.5)
Of note in the long jump was the performances of Mount Hope teammates Thea Jackson and Lola Silva, the 2-3 finishers. Both broke the school record with Jackson leaping 18-9.25 and Silva going a distance of 18-8.25.
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Class C
St. Ray’s made it four straight and five in the last six years with its boys’ team title. The Saints scored in 11 events with victories in from their 4x200m squad (1:35.63) and Brendan Cardosa in the 55m dash (6.65).
Narragansett’s Cole Francis looked super impressive in the 1,500m with a meet record of 4:01.81. Francis’s lights-out performance was nearly 15 seconds ahead of his closest rival.
Just three inches separated the top two finishers in the weight throw with East Greenwich’s Ryan Evans coming out on top with a near best of 73-10.5. Exeter/West Greenwich’s Owen Spira was second at 73-7.5.
The Prout School’s Diego Rocchio took care of the jumps, capturing titles in the long jump (21-2) and high jump (6-0).
Once again, Kaden Rogers went 50-plus in the shot, winning that event with a heave of 55-10.5.
Moses Brown made it four straight team titles for girls with its crown. The Quakers swept the relays and had first-place efforts from Skyler Maxwell in the 600m (1:38.76). freshman Rose Couto in the 300m (43.53), Kendra Satine in the 55m (7.38), and Gwen Purnell in the 3K (11:16.51).
Exeter/West Greenwich’s Nini Olawuyi collected 28 points for the day. She won the long jump (17-11.75) and the 55m hurdles (9.09) and was second in the high jump (5-0).
With their 1-2 finish in the weight throw, Prout’s Julia Smith (52-1.5) and Smithfield’s Taylor McGinness (50-6.5) became our latest members of the 50-foot club this year, along with Woonsocket’s Isabella Piette (third, 50-7.25) and Cumberland’s Brynn Patterson ( fourth, 50-1.5) from Class A.
