Three dominant victories and a team title that wasn’t decided until the final event defined the closing day of Saturday’s divisional championships.
In the opener of the twin bill of competition, La Salle Academy swept the boys’ and girls’ titles at the Dwyer Division Championships. The boys topped runner-up Portsmouth, 248–70, while the girls rolled to a 223–75 victory over second-place Moses Brown.
The Headley Division Championships that followed saw Barrington claim the boys’ title with a convincing 231–73 victory over Cumberland. The script flipped on the girls’ side, where the Clippers edged the Eagles, 122.5–119.
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La Salle secured its decisive victory in the boys’ meet despite the absence of distance standout Marshall Vernon and top hurdler/sprinter/jumper Jalen Moseley.
Antonio Bearden stepped seamlessly into Moseley’s role, piling up 28 points for the Rams with wins in the long jump (21 feet, 0.15 inches), 55-meter hurdles (8.19 seconds), and high jump. Jackson Alves added another victory for La Salle by capturing the 55m dash in 6.75.
Eamon O’Brien led a dominant 1-2-3-4 sweep in the 600m, winning in 1:24.10. Garrett Giroux-Pezzullo followed with a blistering 35.53 to take the 300m, an event in which the Rams claimed the top three spots.
Woonsocket’s Shamrock Thoun continued his excellence in the throws. He captured the weight throw by nearly 20 feet with a mark of 78-9.25. He then delivered an even more impressive performance in the shot put, winning with a PR of 46-0.25 that vaulted him to No. 10 in the rankings.
On the girls’ side, La Salle was fueled by a standout day from Alyssa Parenteau. The junior swept the 1,500m and 1,000m, moving to No. 1 in the rankings in the 1,500m with an indoor best of 4:44.90. Teammate Olivia Wahlberg followed in second at 4:54.50. Parenteau capped her day by taking the 1,000m by 11 seconds in 3:01.47.
The Rams also scored 24 points in the 3,000m with a 1-2-3 finish from Stella Pelagio (10:48.76), Sabrina Ghamrawi (10:50.09), and Gemma Kent (11:10.59). Senior Evelynn Paul added a win in the 55-meter dash, clocking 7.61.
Skylar Maxwell captured the 300m in 41.86 and ran legs on the winning 4x200m (1:47.52) and 4x400m (4:12.72) relays. Rose Couto claimed the 600m in 1:39.61 and also contributed to both relay victories.
Toll Gate’s Vanessa Jones continued her winning ways in the weight throw, taking gold with a toss of 55-2.5.
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Barrington’s Patrick Trainor, the recent New Balance Athlete of the Week, stood atop the podium three times on Saturday. Trainor swept the sprint events, clocking 6.49 in the 55m and 36.29 in the 300m, and also soared to victory in the long jump with a leap of 21-6.
The Eagles claimed two of the three relays, combining for a 1:33.92 victory in the 3x200m and a state-leading 8:06.08 in the 4x800m.
Joe Adams swept the throws for Barrington with marks of 49-4.25 in the shot and 67-8 in the weight, while Brooks Mello was victorious in the 1,000m (2:34.62).
Cumberland’s Matt Fontaine improved upon his state No. 2 ranking in the 55m hurdles, clocking 7.63.
On the girls’ side, the Lady Clippers captured wins in the 4x400m (4:25.52) and the 4x800m (10:38.45). Anna Bianchi led a sweep of the top three spots in the 3,000m, winning in 10:56.05, while Charli McCue claimed the 600m in 1:44.40. McCue also finished third in the 1,500m (4:57.09).
As usual, Mount Hope’s Thea Jackson was a multiple winner. She struck gold in the 55m hurdles (9.11), the 55m dash (7.27), and the high jump (5-6).
Chariho freshman Meridan Alge captured victories in both distance events, breaking the tape in the 1,500m (4:54.13) and the 1,000m (3:05.30).
State leader Taylor McGinness reached 56 feet for the third time this season in the weight throw, winning her specialty with a toss of 56-3.5. She also claimed first place in the shot with a mark of 35-2.
