Just like last season when North Kingstown won the boys’ team title based on its placement in the final event, this year’s state meet should prove to be equally exciting with Bishop Hendricken the favorite and the defending champion Skippers, Classical and a very-talented East Providence squad as legitimate contenders.
How will the meet turn out? Here’s a preview of the top athletes in their respective events:
100, 200, 400
Based on his top seed and how he has performed this season, East Providence junior Ryan Williams should be considered the favorite in the 100 and the 200. Williams has not lost a race in either of the events and won duo titles in the Rick Schomp Invitational, Eastern Division Championship, Classical Classic and Class A Championship. The recent winner of the 200 at the Hendricken Invitational owns a best of 10.6 in the 100 and 21.9 in the longer event.
In the 100, Williams will be racing against a field that includes seven sprinters that have run faster than 11.0. Newcomer Bevin Ingram, a freshman from North Providence, could be the E.P. runner’s biggest threat. He also has been timed in 10.6 this outdoor season. Classical junior Derek Jackson and Hendricken sophomore Power Kanga have each been clocked in 10.8. Jackson (22.2), Hendricken sophomore Lee Moses (22.2), Classical junior Ilan Rich (22.3) and Pilgrim senior Steve Croft (22.3) are all capable of challenging Williams to earn a top finish in the 200.
North Kingstown junior Zachery Emrich and Croft will more than likely battle for the 400 crown. Emrich, who has range from the 100 to the 800, is the only runner to break 50 seconds with a 49.3 clocking at the Southern Division Championship. Croft has cracked 51 seconds twice by winning the Rick Schomp Invitational (50.9) and the Hendricken Invitational (50.84). Croft has speed, evident by his 200 time and his best of 11-seconds flat for the 100. Six other runners have dipped under 52 seconds, including Chariho Regional senior Joe DiPalma (51.1) and Portsmouth junior Justus Von Heinegg (51.20).
800, 1,500, 3,000
Chariho senior Bryce Kelley will be aiming to close out his spectacular high school career by defending his titles in the 800 and 1,500. It will be quite the achievement if Kelley can do it this season. His best shot to earn gold will be in the 1,500 where he has the top seed of 3:59.9. In a pair of out-of-state meets, Kelley ran mile times of 4:16 at the Loucks Games in New York and 4:18 at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia. The Charger star won both the 800 and the 1,500 at the Class A Championship.
In the 1,500, Kelley faces a talented field that features Barrington senior Tom Barry (4:02.3), La Salle senior Michael Stephens (4:04.4), East Greenwich senior Ben Fazio (4:05.5) and La Salle sophomore Dan Paiva (4:05.6). All four runners have demonstrated strong kicks in the past and could make things interesting should the race turn tactical.
If he has an ample enough time to rest, Emrich could be considered the one to beat in the 800. He defeated Kelley at the Hendricken meet with a furious kick the final straightaway, crossing the line with state’s fastest time of 1:55.9. The N.K. standout set a state record by winning the 600 at the indoor state meet. He was also the New England titlist. He can handle a quick pace as evident by his 49-second speed in the 400. For Kelley or anyone else in the field to win the race, it may take a sub-1:55 effort with Emrich on the line. Barry and Paiva are the only other runners among the top 18 to break two minutes.
Defending champion Trevor Crawley will have the bull’s eye on his singlet in the 3,000. Crawley is always tough to beat and this weekend it should be no different. He has the best time in the field at 8:48.5. Crawley, who won the 3K during indoor, will more than likely take the pace out hard and have the pack thinned to a handful of runners with a few laps remaining. Bishop Hendricken senior Tyler Henseler (8:50.2), La Salle freshman Jack Salsbury (8:51.1), Hendricken junior Colin Tierney (8:55.7) and Paiva (8:51.7) are all capable of a fast-paced race.
Hurdles
There is no clear-cut favorite in the 110 hurdles. Mount Pleasant junior John Brapoh is the No. 1 seed with a 15.3 clocking, a time he recorded in capturing the Small Division at the Classical Classic. West Warwick junior Connor Williamson (15.6), Chariho junior Max Leatham (15.7) and Classical junior Abdul-lateff Orulebaja (15.7) are also capable of stealing the show. Leatham has proven he can win the big meets. He won the Class A Championship, Southern Division Championship and the Rick Schomp Invitational.
Returning state champion Ben Stewart of North Kingstown will be the runner to beat in the 300 hurdles. He has the best time among his competitors, running a season best of 40.7 to take the Southern Division Championship a few weeks ago. The versatile Orulebaja, the state’s top triple-jumper, has potential for gold based on his best of 41.6. South Kingstown senior James Thulier can also be thrown into the mix. He won the recent Hendricken Invitational with a personal best of 42.1.
Jumping events
It’s anyone’s guess who will win the high jump. A total of seven athletes are tied for the best height of 6-2. Among that group is Hendricken sophomore Ben Murphy, Mount St. Charles junior Anthony Pasquarelli, Central Falls junior Erik Mateo, Middletown junior Jacob Reilly, Cranston West senior Kenny Teng, Coventry senior Lawrence Warwick and Middletown junior Connor Smith. Mateo will be looking to repeat the magic from the winter when he captured the indoor state title. He was sixth in last year’s outdoor states, won by multiple-state champion and C.F. teammate Steven Vasquez.
East Providence has a legitimate chance at winning its first state crown since 1997 and could accumulate a good amount of its points in the long and triple jumps. The Townies’ Chris Moura, a senior, leaped to the state’s top distance of 21-5 this past Sunday when he won the Hendricken Invitational. He also ranks sixth in the triple jump at 41-4.5. Orulebaja (21-2.5) and Warwick (21-2.25) have also leaped further than 22 feet. Moses, who won the event during the indoor season to lead the Hawks to the state crown, is ranked No. 4 overall with a 20-10 best.
Orulebaja and Warwick are 1-2 in the triple jump at 42-10 and 42-7.5, respectively. East Providence sophomore Trystan Casey copped the crown at the Hawk meet with the third-ranked distance of 42-2.
The pole vault could come down to a replay of the Hendricken Invitational where Cranston West senior Mkrtich Arslanyan and North Kingstown senior Conor Hayward each cleared 14 feet to take the top two slots.
Weight events
Individually, Barrington senior Charlie Ionata has potential to score 30 or more points for the Eagles. He’s ranked among the top three in all four field events (hammer, discus, shot put and javelin). Of course, Ionata has his best chance to earn gold in the hammer, where he has a best of 233-8, 16-feet further than his closest competitor, South Kingstown senior Mahlik Handley (217-08). Barrington sophomore Adam Kelley is third on the list at 216-01. Six times this spring, Ionata has thrown 225 feet or better. He ranks No. 2 nationally.
In the shot put, two-time indoor state titlist Aaron Comery of Coventry has the top seed with a distance of 54-0.5. Comery has won all the major meets this year and will be seeking his first title on the outdoor surface. Westerly Joe Colao (53-8.25) and Ionata (53-1.5) could pose a challenge to the talented Knotty Oaker. Woonsocket junior Connor Fugere (50-9) should also figure in the mix.
Defending state champion Zachary Hurd of Exeter/West Greenwich looks to be in peak form for a repeat. He won last year’s outdoor states with a heave of 190-0, a mark the Scarlet Knight senior bettered at the Class C Championship with a winning distance of 194-03. Narragansett junior Ethan Wright and Ionata have both thrown more than 180 feet. Wright has a best of 186-04, which he tossed to place second at the class meet to Hurd. Ionata unleashed a solid 181-01 to take the Class B meet.
Colao has consistently gotten better in the discus, an event he owns the best throw in the state with his first-place toss of 167-10 at the Hendricken Invitational. Colao was third at last year’s state meet and fourth in the Emerging Elite competition at the New Balance National Outdoor Championship. He has the three top throws among his peers this spring, also winning the Class B meet (165-11) and the Classical Classic (161-2). Ionata (157-03) and Bishop Hendricken senior Nick DeCiantis (155-09) rank two and three in the event.
Relays
North Kingstown should win the 4x800. The Skipper quartet has the fastest time in the state by 10 seconds with its winning 8:00.5 at the Class A Championship.
Hendricken, Mount Pleasant and East Providence have all run faster than 44 seconds in the 4x100 with the Hawks atop the rankings with a 43.2 clocking.
Here’s where the meet can get interesting. If it should come down to the last event (4x400) on the track like it did last year, three of the stronger teams that should be contending also occupy the first three slots in the relay.
North Kingstown has run 3:29.9. Hendricken (3:32.2) and East Providence (3:34.5) are not too far behind.