When you think of possible contenders for the boys’ team title at Saturday’s state track & field championships, you can’t ignore La Salle Academy. It also doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the primary reason the Rams are in the conversation is because of their talented distance core.
Take a glance at the MileSplit RI rankings and La Salle has it covered in the middle- to long-distance events, occupying four of the top five positions in the 3K, five of the top eight in the 1,500m and three of the top five in the 800m.
A few weeks ago, the Rams demonstrated their strength in the 3,200m at the Glenn D. Loucks Games in New York (May 8-10). The prestigious competition had four runners dip under the meet mark of 8:56.02 with individual winner, Dan Curts of Ellsworth, Me., clocking a nation No. 1 of 8:51.24.
Perhaps lost in the shuffle, at least to those outside the borders of the Ocean State, was the performance of La Salle. Sophomore Jack Salisbury ran a personal best of 9:11.24 to finish seventh overall. He was followed closely by classmate Matt Bouthillette in tenth at 9:15.24 and freshman D.J. Principe in 11th at 9:15.87, the fastest U.S. time posted by a ninth-grader this season. Junior Jake Grundy was also in the race, taking 19th with a respectable 9:33.28 clocking.
In all, the Rams averaged a crisp 9:18.5 from their top four runners in N.Y.
“We have seen a lot of great kids come through Rhode Island,” said La Salle distance coach Bill Myers. “But it’s never quite been, I don't think, like what we saw (there).”
“We knew we were capable,” Bouthillette admitted. “We just had to go out and do it. Jack took the front and D.J. and I were together. D.J. came up and said I’ll take a couple of laps of it and we just worked together and just (hammered) the last 400.”
La Salle will be looking to win the outdoor crown just four months after capturing the indoor title with its’ 81-69 victory over second-place Classical. In that meet, the Rams scored 66 of their points in the middle- to long-distance events.Salisbury won both the 1,500m and the 1,000m, two events that La Salle scored a combined 40 points. Bouthillette pulled off a mild upset of Hendricken senior Colin Tierney in the 3,000m and the Rams also earned gold in the 4x800m relay.
La Salle has the potential to match that effort this weekend. Along with Salisbury, Bouthillette, Principe and Grundy, La Salle also has standout juniors Dan Paiva, Chris Notarianni and James Placco, who owns the best time this season in the 1,500m.
To put it into better prospective of the level of talent at La Salle, here’s how each runner ranks statewide in their respective events – Salisbury (8:45.30, 3K, No. 2; 1:56.6, 800m, No. 2; 4:05.30, 1,500m, No. 3), Principe (8;45.70, 3K, No. 3; 4:10.0, 1,500m, No. 8), Grundy (8:48.90, 3K, No. 4), Placco (4:06.10, 1,500m, No. 4; 1:57.90, 800m, No. 5), Paiva (4:06.1, 1,500m, No. 4; 9:01.50, 3K, No. 8; 1:57.90, 800m, No. 5), Bouthillette (4:07.60, 1,500m, No. 6; 8:56.10, 3K, No. 5) and Notarianni (2:00.60, 800m, No. 14).
In addition to its indoor title, La Salle also was the New England champion in cross country this past fall with its current crop of underclassmen, earning the plaque a week after finishing second to Hendricken at the state meet.
“They were really disappointed after the states,” Myers said. “But they rebounded nicely for the New England’s. They knew what they were capable of doing.”
Having runners with similar abilities has certainly been beneficial to the Rams’ success.
“We all work off each other,” Salisbury said. “We all build off each other. I know I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for these guys.”
“We all are working off a common goal of trying to run fast, putting our heads together and just focusing and working hard,” Bouthillette said. “If we beat each other, we beat each other. The most important thing is that we push each other.”
“We have great team chemistry,” Grundy said. “We like coming to practice. We like working out together. We like pushing each other. That just makes it easier, plus we have a lot of great talent. We are super competitive in our workouts and we like to push each other. We are going to try and knock the times down and down again.”
“Workouts are great,” Principe said. “We are getting the work in with the splits but at the same time we just have this way with keeping it fun and keeping it loose. But when it comes down to it, everyone buckles down and starts working.”
Coaching can often be a difficult task with a team that has so many strong runners like La Salle. But Myers, a onetime star at La Salle and Iona College where he also excelled in the long distance events, feels he has it under control.
“They work hard. They believe in it. They have a passion for it. They bring enthusiasm with them every day to practice. They just want to do well,” he said. “Sometimes I hold back the reins a little bit on them and explain the workout. They work out hard and they know not to kill it too much.”
Principe is the newest member of the Rams’ lethal bunch. A seasoned runner already as a nationally-ranked middle-schooler with a 9:10 best for the 3K, the gifted frosh made an impact from the start, placing third at the cross-country championships.
“He’s got huge talent. He’s grown like three inches since he got here at La Salle. He’s getting bigger and stronger. The sky is the limit for him,” Myers said. “Cross country, didn’t surprise me. Track, he is getting so much better. Track-wise, he has surprised me a little bit, especially his 9:15 (at the Loucks Games). He also ran 9:28 indoors for the two mile.”
While it certainly can rack up points in the distance events at the state meet, La Salle also has potential for an individual win from high-jumper Sean Greene, who is tied with Middletown’s Jacob Reilly with the best leap this season at 6 feet, 6 inches. The Rams also rank fourth in the 4x100m (44.10) and 4x400m (3:29.10) relays and could get additional points in the sprints from senior Hakeen Kushimi, who is No. 3 in the 200m (22.10) and No. 10 in the 100m (11.10).
Meyers’ goal for this weekend is predictable.
“Obviously, another state championship and a few individual championships and get ready for the New England’s,” he said.
Salisbury agrees, sharing the similar goal of his coach as well as his teammates.
“We are looking to go get the outdoor title because we feel like we can get it,” he said. “We know our team is kind of distance-oriented. We know we have to show up on the day of the states.”
With everyone coming back next year, the work won’t be finished this season.
“We know next year in cross country this will be the best team that all of us have been on,” Salisbury said. “We know what we are running now means nothing this year. We still have to come out and perform, work hard over the summer to do well in cross country.”
