It’s going to get interesting—really interesting.
In two weeks, when Rhode Island powerhouses La Salle Academy and Bishop Hendricken collide for the boys’ team title at the State Meet, there’s a very real chance it could come down to the final event of the day. Add in 2024 champion Barrington, which boasts an equally-talented squad capable of matching that depth event for event, and the drama could produce some electrifying moments at the Feb. 14 championship.
Validation for that belief was on full display during Saturday’s RIIL Class Championships, a 10-hour marathon of competition inside the PCTA Field House.
In the opening Class A meet, defending champion La Salle needed the final event—the 4×400-meter relay—to secure its second straight title. Despite the absence of star distance runner Marshall Vernon, who was competing at the BU John Thomas Terrier Classic later that night, the Rams pulled out a narrow 149–148 victory over Bishop Hendricken. North Kingstown finished third with 64 points.
The script was the polar opposite in Class B, where Barrington rolled to its fifth straight title with a 229–75 victory over Chariho Regional. East Greenwich finished third with 60 points.
In Class C, St. Raphael Academy captured its fifth consecutive championship. The Saints scored 114 points to earn the plaque, finishing 44 points ahead of runner-up Smithfield, while South Kingstown claimed third with 68 points.
CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIPS
La Salle had a big day from junior Jalen Moseley, who racked up 38 points individually. Moseley captured the 55-meter hurdles (7.71 seconds), the high jump (6 feet, 4 inches), and the long jump (23-10.5), while also placing second in the 55m dash (6.54). He finished just one-hundredth of a second behind winner Jack Pawlik of East Providence (6.53).
In the long jump, Moseley established a new meet record, smashing the previous mark of 23-0.25 set by Bishop Hendricken’s Lee Moses in 2014.
The gifted junior was one of several stars for the Rams. La Salle swept all three relay events, while defending 300-meter champion Garrett Giroux-Pezzullo made it back-to-back titles in his specialty with a meet-record time of 34.94. The Boston University-bound senior also contributed to the winning 4×200m relay (1:32.53) and anchored the victorious 4×400m relay (3:31.15).
La Salle also picked up a victory from Eamon O’Brien in the 600m. The senior clocked a meet-record and state-leading 1:23.16, nearly three seconds ahead of runner-up Maxwell Carrambone of Cranston East (1:26.03). O’Brien also anchored the meet-opening 4×800m relay, where the Rams were timed in 8:24.77. Judah Mullings also won for La Salle, clearing a statre best 12-6 in the pole vault.
Not surprisingly, Hendricken score nearly half of its points in the middle= and long-distance events. Fred Russell (8:52.61) and Shepherd Butler (8:55.15) went 1-2 in the 3K, an event the Hawks finished with 24 points. Hendricken was also dominant in the 1,500m, placing runners 1-2-3-4-7, led by David Hayes (4:05.82) and Russell (4:06.67). Hayes also finished second in the 1,000m (2:39.50), which was won by Cranston East’s Cohen Brinker in 2:36.97.
The Hawks piled up 40 points in the throwing events. Alexzander Prado (49-0) and Kayson Kong (48-8) finished 1-2 in the shot put, while Dmitri Johnson (70-9.75), Brady Smith (67-3.35), and Owen Reilly (65-4.75) placed 2-3-4 in the weight throw.
Woonsocket’s Shamrock Thoun lived up to his top billing in the weight with a heave of 80-1.75. Thoun continued his consistency from behind the cage with his ninth 80-footer this season when factoring his all his attempts during the preliminaries and finals.
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CLASS B CHAMPIONSHIPS
Barrington captured 12 of the meet’s 15 events, with several athletes earning multiple individual victories as the Eagles rolled to another dominant performance.
Colby Napolitano and Joe Adams were both double winners for Barrington. Napolitano claimed the 1,500m (4:12.26) and the 1,000m (2:41.13), while Adams swept the throws, winning the weight throw (75-6.75) and the shot put (51-1.75).
Patrick Trainor struck gold three times for the Eagles. The Barrington senior swept the sprints, blazing to a state-best 6.45 in the 55m dash and 36.25 in the 300m. He also captured the long jump with a leap of 21-1.
Andrew Niemeyer broke the tape in the 5m hurdles (8.28), Kelly Hill cleared 11-6 to win the pole vault and Henry Stockwell raced to a school-record 1:23.39 in the 600 meters—a time that ranks second in the state. Barrington also claimed victories in the 4×200m relay (1:34.76) and the 4×400m relay (3:38.97).
Like Bishop Hendricken in Class A, Barrington scored its highest point total in the middle- and long-distance events (71 points). The Eagles added 47 points in the jumps and 38 in the sprints.
Chariho claimed to No. 2 in the state rankings in the 4x800m relay. The quartet of Gus Freelove, Isaac Graham, Leo Haxton and Ethan McCann combined for a triumphant 8:17.73.
Also winning were Chariho’s Ben Steere in the 3,000m (9:34.76) and West Warwick’s Zachary Morgan in the high jump (6-2).
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CLASS C CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Saints did most of their damage on the track, scoring 38 points in the middle- and long-distance events, 34 in the sprints and 28 in the relays.
Joseph McFarland earned a pair of victories, clocking 4:16.xxx in the 1,500m and 2:47.79 in the 1,000m. McFarland also ran a leg on the first-place 4x800m squad (8:42.65). The Saints also came out on top in the 4x200m (1:37.81).
St. Ray’s scored in every event but the shot and weight.
Ocean State Running will add to this story. Girls’ article coming soon.
