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.
Lastly, we have the boys’ middle- and long-distance events, which feature the 800-meter run, 1,500m and 3K.
(Above photo by Sterling Vernon @rhodeandtrack)
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800m
We’re not anticipating much separation among the leaders in this one until the final 200 meters, perhaps even later. Don’t be surprised if several contenders remain in contention entering the homestretch.
Who do we expect to be among our leaders? We have several. Among them are defending champion Eamon O’Brien of La Salle Academy, Hendricken’s David Hayes, Barrington’s Henry Stockwell, St. Raphael’s Arthur Ferris and the Prout School’s Juelz Harris.
Against statewide competition, Hayes is No. 1 on the seed sheets with a best of 1:55.7 from his victory at the Class A Championships. Even more impressive than the time – a nearly four-second personal best – was the fact that he accomplished it after winning the 1,500m earlier in the meet with a PR of 3:56.41. Hayes will again be doubling in the two events this weekend to score valuable points for the Hawks in their title run. As he proved at the class meet in a race he defeated O’Brien by about 15 meters, the senior standout is capable of being very competitive after what’s sure-to-be a grinder in the 1,500m.
O’Brien owns the fastest time in the field this season after opening his spring campaign with a 1:54.47 at the Friar Invitational against collegiate competition. The La Salle senior finished second to Hayes at the Class A Championships in 1:57.24, but his season best remains more than a second faster than any other entrant. he coming off a third-place time of 51.1 for 400m at the Hendricken Invitational last weekend.
Stockwell, the reigning 600m indoor titlist, has a 1:57.52 best from his victory at the Sgt. Brian St. Germain Invitational. Ferris (1:58.20) and Harris (1:58.46) lead a group of 13 others that have broken two minutes for the two-lapper.
Look for an opening 400m between 55-56 seconds with either Stockwell or O’Brien dictating the pace. Just like 85-degree weather that’s predicted on Saturday. expect this race to start heating on the backstretch, and continue before the throngs of fans seated near the final stretch. We’re predicting a time in the 1:54 range will win this weekend.
1,500m
The top three seeds in this race are Bishop Hendricken’s David Hayes, La Salle’s Marshall Vernon and Hendricken’s Colby Flynn. Gone from the seed sheets prior to scratches are Portsmouth’s Sean Gray and Barrington’s Brooks Mello, who will now focus solely on the 3,000m.
What we originally thought could develop into a fast race from the gun with Gray and Mello on the line may now take on a more tactical feel. Then again, we could be completely wrong.
The one thing we’re fairly confident in saying is that Hayes, Vernon and Flynn are all capable of winning, and all three could very well find themselves battling for the title down the final stretch.
We’re listing Hayes as the favorite. The Hawks senior owns the fastest time in the field this season after his winning 3:56.41 effort at the Class A Championships.
In his matchups this spring against Vernon and Flynn, he has consistently come out on top. Hayes defeated both runners, along with the rest of the field, at the Classical Classic and again finished ahead of the pair at last month’s BSR Elite Scholastic Meet, where he clocked a PR of 4:10.49 for the mile.
Vernon enters with a season best of 3:58.93 from his third-place finish at the Classical Classic, while Flynn owns a 4:01.43 season best from his fourth-place showing in the same race.
Who will do the pace-setting in this one? Had Gray been in this race, we knew right away. But with Hendricken and La Salle expected to battle for the team title, it’s a more difficult question to answer. Look for the possibility of Flynn or Vernon setting the tone with Hayes nestled comfortably behind in third. Of the three, Hayes will be back in action the soonest with the 800m also on his schedule.
We’re still thinking this race will be won in under four minutes, but not the low 3:50 effort we had originally thought if Gray and Mello were in the field. Look for a key move to happen on the backstretch of the final lap, probably with 300m to go.
Regardless of who comes out on top, this race should be entertaining, particularly the final 100 meters.
Five more runners in the field have seed times of 4:07.15 or faster. Two of them also wear a Hawks singlet — senior teammates Fred Russell (4:03.77) and Brayden Seraichyk (4:04.20).
This is an event where Hendricken has the potential to score big. With four runners seeded among the top seven, 20 or more points is certainly within reach.
3,000m
Now we have the 3K, one of the final individual events of the meet.
Portsmouth’s Sean Gray is the two-time defending champions and our pick to make it three straight. There had to be a reason that he scratched from the 1,500m on Thursday. He wants to secure that this happens and we’re guessing that he’s focusing on that state record of 8:20.52, set by former St. Raphael star Devan Kipyego in 2022.
Here’s our bold prediction – It will happen. Gray will break the state record in his final tune-up before New Balance Nationals in two weeks.
But don’t be surprised if he has some company in the closing laps.
This is a strong field that also includes fresh-legged competitors Brooks Mello of Barrington and Gray’s teammate Patrick Orbon. In a very competitive 3K at the Class B meet two weeks ago, Gray finished 0.07 seconds ahead of Mello with a state-leading time of 8:30.49. Orbon was third with a more than 10-second PR of 8:33.74. There’s a realistic chance all three break 8:30.
Again, we’re listing Gray as our favorite. But it’s not all cut and dry. You can’t ignore Mello or Orbon. The class meet proved that.
Also don’t overlook La Salle’s Marshall Vernon and Hendricken’s Colby Flynn. Both will have nearly two hours to recover from the 1,500m, and both possess the credentials to make things interesting if the pace turns honest early.
