The State Meet has arrived.
At this level, every event is a must-see. After all, they feature the very best Rhode Island has to offer. Throughout the week, Ocean State Running will preview all 19 events scheduled for Saturday’s championship meet. It’s an arduous task, but we’ll do our best to identify the athletes we believe are poised to shine the brightest on the state’s biggest stage.
We begin with the boys’ throwing and jumping events, which feature the javelin, discus, shot, hammer, long jump, triple jump, pole vault and high jump.
(Above photo by Sterling Vernon @rhodeandtrack)
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HIGH JUMP
The favorite here is defending champion Caleb Satisfield of Barrington. The talented senior, who cleared seven feet last season, has only competed three times this season. His most recent competition came this past weekend at the Bishop Hendricken Invitational where he overtook the state lead with a season best of 6 feet, 8 inches.
He’ll likely face some stiff competition from No. 2 seed Zachary Morgan of West Warwick. The Wizards’ junior, who was sixth at last year’s meet, leaped an all-time best of 6-7.25 to capture the Classical Classic on May 2. He was also the Southern Division winner with a height of 6-6.
North Kingstown’s Cole Stotwell and Portsmouth’s Shane Rogers are the next two seeds, each clearing 6-4.
POLE VAULT
This one could get competitive up front.
The top two seeds are South Kingstown’s Cole Stotewell and Barrington’s Kelly Hill, who have both cleared 13-0 at their respective class championships, Stotewell in Class A and Hill in Class B. The next three seeds in the field have all cleared 12 feet: Ponaganset’s Adam McEntee (12-9), La Salle’s Judah Mullings (12-6) and Smithfield’s Michael Farland (12-0).
TRIPLE JUMP
This appears to be a take-your-pick kind of event with several that could win this weekend. A little more than a foot separates the top six seeds..
Prout School’s Diego Rocchio is the No. 1 seed with a leap of 43-9.75 from his victory at the Southern Division Championships. Sitting at the No. 2 seed is Rogers’ Derek Lloyd with a best of 43-2.25 from the Eastern Division Championships. Lloyd beat Rocchio at the Class C meet by two inches with a distance of 41-5.
The field also features Juanita Sanchez’s Jon Richardson (42-9), Smithfield’s Nathan Dorsey (42-8.5), Rogers’ Jajuan Taylor (42-7.75) and Toll Gate’s Kevin Baker (42-6), among others.
Who will win on Saturday? Really, it’s anybody’s guess. Rocchio and Lloyd are our leaders, but the others aren’t too far behind to make a difference in the outcome.
LONG JUMP
Okay, who’s battling for second?
The clear-cut favorite is La Salle’s Jalen Moseley, who broke the state record twice this season with leaps of 24-3.5 and 24-6.5 at the Sgt. Brian St. Germain Invitational and the Class A meet. This is a guy that always has an ‘A’ game, particularly when it’s championship time. Moseley has indicated that he’s hoping to break the 25-foot mark. Could it happen this weekend?
The fight for second could produce a little drama. The next four seeds are separated by eight inches with Woonsocket’s Isaiah Faublas (22-6), La Salle’s Brendan Cardoso (22-5.25), Hendricken’s Jacoby Joyce (22-1.75), and Barrington’s Caleb Satisfield (21-10).
HAMMER
Talk about the perfect setup heading into the State Meet. This past weekend’s Bishop Hendricken Invitational couldn’t have been a better prelude for this weekend’s competition. In a classic duel behind the cage, Hendricken’s Dimitri Johnson and East Greenwich’s Ryan Evans were separated by just three inches. Competing on his home turf, Johnson prevailed with a personal best of 230-3, while Evans answered with an equally impressive career-best throw of 230-0. Both throwers improved to No. 2 and No. 3 nationally after their recent performances. Don’t miss this one.
Also, don’t forget about the athletes lurking behind them. Woonsocket’s Shamrock Thoun, the two-time indoor weight throw champion, has shown tremendous improvement in the hammer this spring, achieving a personal best of 222-6 while finishing runner-up to Johnson at the Class A Championships.
There’s also Barrington’s Joe Adams, who enters as the No. 4 seed after unleashing a throw of 220-1 at the Sgt. Brian St. Germain Invitational.
Both are longshots against the state’s top two throwers. But as we always say, all it takes is one big throw.
DISCUS
This event has the potential to produce some drama, too.
One recent meet has suddenly positioned Smithfield’s Kaeden Manni as one of our leading contenders for the title this weekend. At the Under Armour Track & Field Nationals this past weekend in Florida, Manni opened plenty of eyes. The Sentinel sophomore earned All-American honors by placing sixth overall with a mammoth toss of 173-0.25. The performance improved his PR by 16 feet and moved him to No. 6 on the all-time list.
Can Manni catch lightning in a bottle once again on Saturday? If he does, he could be celebrating his first state title by day’s end.
Standing in his way are two proven contenders. Barrington’s Joe Adams, last year’s state runner-up, enters with a season best of 166-0 from his Class B victory, while East Greenwich’s Ryan Evans is close behind at 164-2.
If Manni can approach his national-meet performance, however, he may be the athlete everyone is chasing.
JAVELIN
The favorite here is defending champion Kai Sorlein. The South Kingstown senior and multi-event standout enters as the state leader with a personal best of 188-9 from the Class B Championships two weeks ago.
The talented senior has surpassed 180 feet in each of his major victories this season at the Classical Classic (186-6) and the Southern Division Championships (183-4).
His biggest threat is Lincoln’s Evan Vincenzi, who captured the recent Hendricken Invitational with an all-time best of 174-2. Vincenzi’s effort was a best by seven feet during a season where the Lions junior has shown remarkable improvement, beginning with his season-opener of 131-9 back on April 6.
Moses Brown’s Silas Hoefferle (169-10) and Hendricken’s Matt Marcello (163-1) are the next two seeds in this competition.
The target is on Sorlein’s singlet this weekend, but don’t overlook Vincenzi. Given his rapid improvement over the last month, the Lincoln junior could make things interesting.
SHOT
It’s going to get competitive in the circle.
This event features last year’s top returning finisher in Hendricken’s Alexzander Prado, who enters as the No. 1 seed with a season best of 54-1. The indoor champion, Smithfield’s Kaeden Manni, enters as the No. 2 seed with a best of 52-3.5. There are also two other 50-footers with Barrington’s Joe Adams (51-9) and Pilgrim’s Benjamin Callahan (50-4) as the next two seeds.
Prado, a fourth-place finisher at last year’s meet, gets the favorite label, but only slightly. The Hawk junior, who achieved his current best at the Class A Championships, has been consistent all season, beginning with his victory at the Classical Classic a month ago at 53-0. He also won at two other statewide competitions prior to the class championships with wins at the Sgt. Brian St. Germain Invitational (52-4) and the Central Division Championships (53-7.5).
Manni has been in the 50-zone in four of his last five meets. He earned his season best at the St. Germain Invite where he was second to Prado. Adams is legit, too. He was second at the State Meet this past winter and has an all-time best of 55-0.5 from the indoor season. That’s the type of performance that could win a meet like this weekend.
Callahan joined the 50-foot club by placing second to Prado at the Central Division Championships. Another breakthrough performance could put him in the mix for a podium spot. He’s a longshot, but you never know.
