In two weeks at the State Meet, it could be different.
Or it could be the same.
But just like it has been since 1978, Bishop Hendricken won Saturday’s Class A Championship.
Depth, once again, was the answer as the Hawks kept their remarkable run alive, rolling to their 48th consecutive team title with a 166-141 victory over chief rival La Salle Academy.
On the girls’ side, state title contenders North Kingstown and La Salle battled throughout the day, with the outcome not decided until the final few events.
The Skippers built enough of an early cushion to hold off the Rams late, capturing their fifth Class A title – and first since 2021 – with a narrow 184-178.5 victory
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With more strategic maneuvering – and the addition of teams like Barrington, a runaway winner in Class B – the June 6 State Meet could look much different for the boys.
At Coventry’s athletic complex, Hendricken and La Salle showcased their strength on a cool and competitive afternoon.
And so did several others.
Among the top performances from the 13 schools that participated in this weekend’s meet, two state records were set – both by La Salle.
In just the second event on the track, the Rams broke a 10-year-old state record in the 4×100-meter relay. The quartet of Abrahim Ghamrawi, Garrett Giroux-Pezzullo, Antonio Bearden, and Jackson Alves combined for a winning time of 41.59 seconds, eclipsing the previous mark of 41.86 set by Central in 2016.
La Salle’s Jalen Moseley also added his name to the record books, breaking his own two-week-old state mark in the long jump with a winning leap of 24 feet, 6.5 inches.
Two key disqualifications in the final results proved pivotal, turning an already tight meet among the Hawks and Rams into an even closer finish on paper.
Moseley, who was held out of the 300-meter hurdles and 4×400 relay – two other events in which he holds or shares state records – initially appeared to win the 110-meter hurdles in 14.24 seconds before being disqualified for a lane violation. Cumberland’s Matt Fontaine was elevated to first in 14.69. Fontaine was also victorious in the 300m IH, taking down the meet record with a PR and state No. 3 of 39.79.
The Rams were also disqualified in the 4x400m, where their top-seeded squad initially finished second behind East Providence. Running the anchor for the Townies, Justin Jardine edged La Salle’s Garrett Giroux-Pezzullo at the line, avenging his earlier runner-up finish to the Rams standout in the 400m. The East Providence quartet of Julian Monteiro, Julius Cortes, Jack Pawlik, and Jardine was clocked in a meet-record 3:22.92, with La Salle at 3:23.06. Hendricken, originally third in 3:29.52, was elevated to second after it was determined that La Salle had an ineligible runner.
Giroux Pezzullo and Jardine duked it out earlier in the solo 400m where the La Salle senior captured his third straight title in 48.42 to Jardin’s 48.87 effort. Cranston West’s Ryan Stoloff (third, 49.94) and La Salle’s Brad Leforest (fourth, 49.99) were also under 50 seconds.
Hendricken’s David Hayes continued his red-hot season by earning gold in the 1,500m and 800. Hayes forged to the front from the start of the 1,500m and cruised to a seven-second victory with a meet record of 3:56.41. Not too long after, Hayes was back on the track for the 800m. In sixth place after the first 400m, the Hawks senior came on strong in the late stages, passing defending champion Eamon O’Brien of La Salle Academy in the final stretch to win with a time of 1:55.77. O’Brien settled for second at 1:57.24.
Hayes, who last week finished third in the mile at the BSR Elite Meet in a state-leading 4:10.64, ran a PR by nearly four seconds in the 800m.
The Townies’ Pawlik swept the 100m and 200m dashes, both times utilizing his strong closing speed to edge his rivals. In the 100m, Pawlik blazed to a time of 10.90, just 0.04 seconds ahead of Classical’s Ephriam Taeh. Just 0.001 seconds was his margin of victory over the Rams’ Giroux-Pezzullo in the 200m, where both were timed in 21.89.
Hendricken’s Alexander Prado improved his state lead in the shot with an all-time best of 54-1.
North Kingstown’s Cole Stotwell was a double winner, capturing the pole vault with a PR and state lead of 13-0, and matching his best in the high jump with a triumphant 6-4.
A tactical 3K that turned into a match of kicks in the final lap went to Hendricken’s Colby Flynn, who defeated common rival Marshall Vernon of La Salle with a winning time of 8:41.49 to Vernon’s 8:44.42. The Hawks’ Shepherd Butler (third, 8:45.62) and Rams’ Matt Lewis (fourth, 8:49.29) also dipped under 8:50.
Woonsocket’s Shamrock Thoun moved to No. 3 in the state rankings for the hammer with a PR of 222-6.
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The girls’ meet featured four new state leaders.
North Kingstown’s Abby O’Neil essentially sealed the deal for the Skippers with a dominating victory in the 800m. O’Neil never left the outcome in doubt, finishing nearly four seconds ahead of the competition with a season best of 2:14.41. La Salle’s Alyssa Parenteau led a flurry of teammates across the line with a time of 2:18.04. The Rams took the next three spots with the trio of Layne Stevens (third, 2:19.51), Olivia Wahlberg (fourth, 2:19.63) and Carolina Terlato (fifth, 2:21.01).
Earlier in the meet, Parenteau was able to hold off a late charge by Cumberland’s CC Ludwig down the final straightaway in the 1,500m to win with a PR and state No. 1 of 4:41.28. Ludwig chopped more than eight seconds off her previous best with a time of 4:42.48. Placing third and just outside her PR was Cumberland’s Charli McCue at 4:45.65.
North Kingstown’s Reagan Farrell swept the hurdle events. Farrell improved on her state leader in the 300m IH with a time of 45.34. She moved to No. 7 in the state rankings in the 100m HH with a season best of 15.79. The NK sophomore also won the long jump at 16-8.5. She took the title based on her second-best effort as teammate Mbai Lilv also went 16-8.5.
In the javelin, Pilgrim’s Lia Wasilewski claimed the crown with a heave of 133-8 to improve on her state lead by two feet. Her previous best was 131-7 from the Sgt. Brian St. Germain Invitational on May 9.
Central’s Jezayah Gomes proved to be the fastest of the day. The Knights’ speedy sophomore broke the tape in the 100m (12.87) and the 200m (26.40). She also ran a leg on Central’s winning 4x100m squad that was timed in 50.40. Compiling that foursome were Gomes, Aubre Batista, Franchesca Barimah, and Massivel Nunoz.
State leader and indoor champion Tayla Schneider of North Kingstown won the shot with a toss of 40-0.50.
Classical’s Nelmarix Santos Morica grabbed two golds. Earning the title on her initial throw in the prelims, the senior took the hammer in 170-05. She was just ahead of 2-3 finishers – Toll Gate’s Vanessa Jones (169-7) and Schneider (168-8). Santos Morica edged Jones in the discus with a throw of 124-3. Jones was second at 123-0.
