Let the bragging rights begin!
Who will be the top schools vying for the team title at their respective class championships on Saturday? What are some of the events that have grabbed our attention? Throughout the week, we’ll let you know our thoughts as we preview all three boys’ and girls’ class championships.
Below we preview the Class B boys’ and girls’ meets.
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Class C Championships – Boys
Date/Time: Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Teams: Barrington, Central Falls, Chariho, Davies Tech, East Greenwich, Johnston, Lincoln, Mount Hope, North Providence, Ponaganset, Portsmouth, Shea, Tolman, West Warwick
Events To Watch: It will be interesting to see what transpires in the high jump. The top seed is West Warwick’s Zachary Morgan, who ranks No. 2 in the state right now with an indoor best of 6-4. Portsmouth’s Braden Coyle is the No. 2 seed with a PR of 6-0. Here’s where it gets interesting. Tied at 5-10 for the third seed with Portsmouth’s Nick Wilusz is defending indoor and outdoor champion Caleb Satisfield of Barrington. The Eagles senior made history last spring by becoming the state’s fourth high jumper to clear seven feet. Satisfield, a standout player on the school’s basketball team, has competed just once this season, earning his current mark at a dual meet back on Jan. 19. While he has jumped just once since the spring season, we know the athleticism Satisfield possesses and what he’s capable of when he’s at his best. We also can’t forget about Morgan, who cleared an all-time best of 6-7 to win his divisional meet last spring…The weight throw features two 70-plus throwers behind the cage — state and nation leader Ryan Evans of East Greenwich and Barrington’s Joe Adams. Evans unleashed his lifetime best of 81-10.68 at the Beantown Winter Classic on Dec. 20. Since that performance, he has been consistently in the mid-to-high 70-foot range. Adams has twice exceeded 70 feet this season, including a season-best of 70-2.75 from the World Trophy Invitational back on Jan. 10. This could be one of those competitions that comes down to the final throw…It’s no secret that Barrington is a heavy favorite to win Saturday’s competition and should have the verdict settled long before the final event. Along with several individual events, Barrington should dominate the relays, too. They’re among the state’s best in all three relays. The 4x200m (1:33.32) ranks No. 3, the 4x400m (3:37.01) sits at No. 2 and the 4x800m (8:08.08) stands atop the rankings at No. 1. We don’t expect they’ll be challenged in any of these relays this weekend; the Eagles’ only challenge will be the clock. Is Barrington capable of challenging top-ranked La Salle in the 4x200m? On the flat oval of PCTA, the Rams have a best of 1:31.91, slightly more than a second faster than the Eagles. We’re curious how fast they’ll run on Saturday in a sure-to-be duel with La Salle and No. 2 ranked East Providence (1:33.19). We know times statewide will continue to drop in the 4x400m and 4x800m over the next two championship meets. History has proven that they often do. The 4x800m has piqued our interest the most. At last year’s New England Championships, the Eagles went sub-8, placing sixth overall with a time of 7:58.67. After their recent 8:08 at the division championships this past weekend, will we see another Eagles squad break the eight-minute barrier? It probably won’t happen this week for the simple reason that Barrington won’t need to run that fast to earn the victory. The next closest seed is Portsmouth at 8:55.69. But you never if they’ll still go for it this weekend. It could happen. Right now, a time under eight minutes will put you in the top 10 nationally…The 600m at the State Meet is shaping up to be a potential marquee matchup between Barrington’s Henry Stockwell and La Salle’s Eamon O’Brien. Stockwell won this race last year and was third at the State Meet. O’Brien was the Class A victor and a runner-up at the states. Stockwell improved his state-leading mark at last week’s divisionals, clocking a near best of 1:23.79. O’Brien, the 800m state titlist during the spring, ran an indoor best of 1:24.10 at his division meet. Look for the Eagles’ senior to make a statement in the three-lapper this weekend with a time in the 1:21–1:22 range.
Team Outlook: At last year’s Class B meet, Barrington racked up 259 points to easily capture its fifth straight title. Look for similar results and dominance for the Eagles, a shoo-in for the school’s 21st team crown. Once again, their depth and talent are through the roof. Chariho and East Greenwich are a couple of team were expecting to also be battling for some top spots.
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Class B Championships – Girls
Date/Time: Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Teams: Barrington, Central Falls, Chariho, Davies Tech, East Greenwich, Johnston, Lincoln, Mount Hope, North Providence, Ponaganset, Portsmouth, Shea, Tolman, West Warwick
Events To Watch: Keep an eye on the 55-meter dash, 55m hurdles, long jump and high jump this weekend, as Mount Hope’s Thea Jackson is set to compete in all four events. Jackson enters each event as the top seed, and has a strong chance to contend for victories across the board. Just like she did last week at the divisional championships. she certainly won’t have it easy’, but neither will her competition. Jackson is always up for the task, especially in meets like the class championships. In the long jump, Jackson enters with a season-best leap of 18-feet even. Her biggest challenge figures to come from Portsmouth’s Loosaper Tate, who owns a personal record of 17-11.5. The Huskies senior also leads the high jump by a comfortable margin after clearing a PR of 5-6 last weekend, four inches better than the rest of the competition. In the 55m dash, Jackson brings a top time of 7.20 and will be pushed by Ponaganset’s Lillian Racine (7.40) and West Warwick’s Jailynn Huffman (7.45). Huffman is also expected to be Jackson’s main challenger in the 55m hurdles, where the Huskies’ star holds a narrow edge with a best time of 8.83—just .14 seconds faster than her rival…You can’t ignore the pole vault. This event features Ponaganset’s Amber Shaw, who has been nothing short of sensational in her specialty. Shaw has PR’d three times in her specialty this season, highlighted by a state-record-tying 12-0 to win the Yale Track Classic. No doubt she wants that record by her own. Could it be this weekend?…Could underclassmen rule the 1,500m and the 1,000m. In both events, the 1-2 seeds are Chariho freshman Meriden Alge and fellow ninth-grader, Carly Gill of Barrington. Alge, a double -winner in the two events at last week’s divisional championships, has seeds of 3:05.43 and 4:54.13, respectively. Gill boast bests of 3:07.20 and 4:55.49.
Team Outlook: Glancing through the entries, this one has potential to be a close one with a few teams in the mix. We’re giving Barrington the edge over schools like Mount Hope and Portsmouth.
