While we’d often like to, we can be everywhere covering this great sport.
That, of course, prevented us here at Ocean State Running from covering all four division championships. Primarily by logistic as well as our own personal schedule this past weekend, we had a chance to witness all the great happenings at the Northern and Southern division meets.
How about the other two – the Central and Eastern division championships? Yes, you guessed it, success followed there, too.
Beginning with the Central Division Championships at Cranston West. Bishop Hendricken and La Salle Academy, two teams that will no doubt be among our contenders for the boys’ team title at the State Meet on June 7, took the top two spots. The Hawks compiled 218 points for the win, while the Rams scored 162 points for runner-up honors. Top squads La Salle and Classical went 1-2 for the girls by a slightly closer margin with a 191-142.50 decision in the Rams’ favor.
In perhaps a preview of what we’ll see at the states, we had three runners break 50 seconds in the 400-meter dash for the boys. La Salle teammates Garrett Giroux-Pezzullo and Thaden Leomensah went 1-2 with times of 49.83 and 49.85, respectively. Right behind was Classical Classic winner Andrew McCarthy of Hendricken in third at 49.89.
Demonstrating their strength in the distance events, the Hawks scored 62 of their points in the 3K and the 1,500m. David Hayes led a 1-2-3-5 finish in the 1,500m with a time of 4:05.08. In the longer race, Colby Flynn took top honors in a race his team went 1-2-3-4-5-8. He was timed in 8:55.36.
Pilgrim’s Brandon Wolfdenden accumulated 30 points for the day by sweeping the throwing events with victories in the shot (55 feet, 11 inches), hammer (204-7) and discus (155-6).
Hendricken’s Carson Dean picked up where he left off. A week after breaking the school record in the pole vault with a height of 15 feet, the Hawk senior and state-leader went three inches higher at Sunday’s meet. Finishing second was state rival and La Salle senior Alexander Campbell at 13-6.
The Hawks’ Jakob Reyes took the state lead in the high jump by soaring to a PR of 6-8.
La Salle’s Jalen Mosely was a triple winner, taking first in the long jump (21-3), 110m hurdles (14.93) and the 200m (22.39).
For the girls, Reece Vitale made it thrice as nice by taking home a trio of gold medals. She took care of business in the hurdles, clocking 48.57 for the 300m IH and 16.14 for the 110m HH. She was also the best in the triple jump with a leap of 36-4,5.
Moses Brown’s Skylar Maxwell, Pilgrim’s Keaney Bayha and Toll Gate’s Vanessa Jones were all double victors. Maxwell broke the tape in the 400m (57.08) and the 200m (25.39). Bayha finished ahead of the field in the 1,500m (4:41.60) and the 800m (2:18.02) and Jones was first in the hammer (169-11) and the discus (124-11). The Titan junior was also a runner-up in the shot (35-0), an event won by state-leader Gifty Bediako of Classical at 41-1.5.
Keep an eye on young freshman Dylan Wolf of La Salle at the states. She was the winner in the javelin with a toss of 119-4, an effort that currently ranks No. 2 in the Ocean State.
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Moving on to the Eastern Division Championships at Barrington.
The host Eagles swept the team titles, both in convincing fashion. On the boys’ side, Barrington racked up 345 points. That total was more than triple the amount of points scored by runner-up Rogers, who left Victory Field with 113 points.
Joe Adams and Bobby Wind each won a pair of events for the Eagles,. As expected, Wind breezed to titles in the hurdles with times of 14.15 for the 110m HH and 40.54 for the 300m IH. Adams was triumphant in the discus (164-8) and the hammer (201-5).
Indoor shot titlist Kaden Thomas took the shot with an outdoor best of 58-1. His performance puts him just three inches behind the Patriots’ Wolfenden, the state-leader. Looks like their battle from the states this past winter will be relived in a couple more weeks.
In the sprints, East Providence tenth-grader Jack Pawlik continues to impress us at OSR. Pawlik improved on his state best by blazing to an all-time best of 10.81 in the 100m. He came back later in the meet to grab the gold in the 200m, too, with a time of 22.48.
Portsmouth’s Sean Gray, the defending 3K state champion, won his specialty by nine seconds over Barrington’s Myles Napolitano with a time of 8:47.58.
East Providence’s Nazarae Phillip found the top the podium three times in the girls’ meet. The Townies’ senior cleared 5-3 to take the high jump. Phillip also proved to be the fastest on this day as she captured the 100m (12.62) and the 200m (26.62), too.
The state is loaded with talented 400m runners this season. So far, seven girls have broken a minute. One of those members of the sub-60 club is Barrington’s Kate Pearse. The Eagles’ tenth-grader moved to No. 5 in the rankings with her winning time of 57.75. She was also second in the 200m at 26.62.
Portsmouth distance ace Allie Kaull clocked a solo 10:20.25 for a sizable win in the 3,000m.
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On Saturday, the championship portion of the season continues with the class meets. Class A will be held at Coventry, Class B is at Portsmouth and Class C will contest at Exeter/West Greenwich. All three meets are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Of course, we’ll provide coverage of these meets. Yours truly will be at one, possibly two, this weekend. If you’d like to help out, please let us know. Interviews, photos, write-ups, let us know how you can contribute. Just send an email to smazzone5@gmail.com.
