At last year’s state championship, Bishop Hendricken needed crucial points in the closing events - including a big win from Lee Moses in the long jump - to slip by Classical High for the team crown.
This Saturday’s state meet should prove just as exciting, perhaps even more.
The overall consensus is that North Kingstown is the team to beat inside the PCTA field house this weekend, but it won’t be easy. Based on the seed sheets, the Skippers are an 86-78 winner over Hendricken with La Salle Academy taking third with 67 points. Throw in the usual surprises that always seem to happen on the biggest of stages and there’s potential for a down-to-the-wire affair with mere points separating the three schools.
It simply doesn’t get any better than this. This is where coaches really earn that fat check at the end of the season.
Here’s a breakdown of who will be the top athletes in each event for Saturday’s meet:
55-meter dash, 55 high hurdles
Classical’s Ilan Rich is the top seed in the 55-meter dash with his best of 6.55 seconds, a substantial .11 ahead of Mount Pleasant’s Randolph Zleh. Rich, a senior, has been consistent all season and won the Metropolitan and Class B titles the last few weeks. Hendricken has potential to have three of its athletes make the finals and gain some valuable points. Junior teammates Lee Moses and Nick Stravato are tied for third in the state with best of 6.71. Junior Power Kanga has run 6.76. La Salle has a pair of underclassmen that could also be in the mix with sophomore Broderick Santilli (6.72) and freshman Sam Coleman (6.72) capable of podium finishes.
North Kingstown’s versatile senior Ben Stewart owns the fastest time in the 55 hurdles with a time of 8.02, a clocking he recorded to win the Southern Division Championship. This is a race that features a number of hurdlers capable of stealing the show. Ranked No. 2 is defending champion Abdu Lateff-Orulebaja of Classical, who has run 8.07. Mount Pleasant senior John Brapoh (8.08), Narragansett senior Vincent Santos (8.10) and Chariho senior Maxwell Leatham (8.10) are among a handful to keep an eye on this weekend.
300, 600
When teams are close in talent, strategic planning is a necessity, especially when it comes to deciding what events your top athletes will be competing in. North Kingstown coach Charlie Breagy was faced with that difficult decision with multi-talented senior Zachery Emrich, an athlete capable of scoring high in the 55 to the 1,000. Breagy decided the best individual events to put Emrich in this weekend are the 600 and the 300, two events he holds the top seeds. This might be the difference-maker in the meet. The state record-holder in the 600 has run a time (in 2013) that is four seconds faster than his closest competitor. If he can snare that crown without total exertion, he should have plenty of rest to come back and do it again in the 300.
In the shorter race, Emrich has a state best of 36.13, a time he recorded despite getting bumped with 100 meters remaining. Five other runners have dipped under 37 seconds and could make it difficult for the N.K. standout to pull out the double. But remember at last year’s outdoor meet he won an unlikely double by capturing the 400 and 800. East Providence senior Ryan Williams, last year’s outdoor titlist in the 100 and 200, holds the No. 2 seed with a 36.71 clocking. Other runners that could figure in the scoring are Moses Brown junior Nick Snow (36.81), Classical sophomore Nathan Narcisse (36.84) and North Kingstown’s Stewart (36.99), another Skipper capable of scoring high in multiple events on Saturday.
The 600 is Emrich’s race to win. He holds the state record of 1:20.58 and hasn’t been challenged yet in the limited times he has run his specialty. How fast he has to run to garner a ‘W’ and still have enough in the tank for big points in the 300 is the question? His toughest challenger appears to be Moses Brown senior Amos Cariati, who boast a best of 1:24.9 and has been consistently in that range all season. The Skippers’ Stewart (1:25.5) and junior teammate Joe Craven (1:25.70) rank No. 3 and No. 4 in the event, respectively. In other words, there is great potential for NK to pick up at least 20 points in this event.
1,000, 1,500, 3,000
La Salle is a team that is distance-heavy and the Rams should prove that it in the 1,500 and the 3,000. The overwhelming favorite in the 3K is Hendricken senior Colin Tierney. He was the fastest in-state with his 8:44.30, a time he ran to win the Class A meet. Tierney has run faster this winter, setting a school record of 8:35 to place second at the Yale Track Classic last month. The Hawk senior will more than likely take charge from the gun, a style he often utilizes on the oval. He should earn the Hawks a quick 10 points near the beginning of the meet with a win. Behind him, expect a sea of maroon and white singlets. La Salle occupies the next four seeds with junior Dan Paiva (8:47.80), sophomore Jack Salisbury (8:49.10), sophomore Matt Bouthilette (8:49.10) and freshman D.J. Principe (8:56.20). Expect this quartet to work together to assure maximum points in the event. Whether any of them challenges Tierney is anybody’s guess. Junior Michael Potter, who has run 8:57.80 this season and ranks sixth overall, could give Hendricken an emotional boost early in the meet by breaking through the Rams’ party with a top 3 finish.
In the 1,500, Tierney has the fastest seed time of 4:03.5. East Greenwich senior Garrett Scanlon is No. 2 with a best of 4:05.50. Like the 3K, La Salle is loaded in this event, too. Bouthilette (4:08.70), junior James Placco (4:08.90), Salisbury (4:09.30), junior Chris Notarianni (4:10.20) and Principe (4:10.60) are all entered. The favorite in this event may be Scanlon. He’ll has the freshest legs among the faster seeds and he’s not afraid to take charge, something he may have to do to give himself the best chance at a victory. He battled Tierney right to the end in the Suburban Division Championship a few weeks ago before eventually finishing second with his more than six-second PR.
Salisbury sits atop the rankings in the 1,000 with his 2:35.20 clocking. He was second in last year’s state meet as a ninth-grader. With already two races in the books, the talented runner will be challenged to the maximum in this event. The Skippers’ Joe Craven (2:36.60) and Ian Connors (2:37.10) and senior Graham Chapski (2:37.70) of East Greenwich may pose the biggest threats. Craven may be attempting a tough double as he’s scheduled to run the 600 about a half-hour earlier. Connors and Chapski will be well-rested giving them a slight advantage over the competition.
4x200, 4x400, 4x800
North Kingstown is looking to score a bulk of points in the relays. The Skippers are the top-ranked squads in the 4x400 (3:30.30) and the 4x800 (8:11.90) and No. 3 in the 4x200 (1:34.30). In both the 4x400 and the 4x800, N.K. has run close to four-seconds faster than the next seed and in the 4x200, the second event of the afternoon, the Skippers are a mere .40 from top-seed Central.
Shot put, 25-pound weight
Barrington junior Adam Kelly, the nation’s top weight-thrower, is the overwhelming favorite to win the 25-pound weight. This past weekend at the New Balance Collegiate invitational in New York, Kelly set a PR of 78-6.25. Sophomore teammate Bobby Colantonio had a nearly three-foot PB of 69-3 at the Class B Championships. Other throwers that should be among the top six are Moses Brown junior Owen Russell (68-10.5), Classical senior Tom Vadis (67-11) and Woonsocket senior Connor Fugere (64-5.25).
The shot put could turn into a heated battle between Hendricken senior Alex Cerbo and the Villa Novans’ Fugere. They are the only two shot-putters to toss the metal ball more than 50 feet with Cerbo the No. 1 seed at 53-7.75, a distance he attained to cop the Class A crown. Fugere had his best of 52-8.25 in winning the Northern Division crown a few weeks ago. Cumberland senior Richard Goudreau (47-4), Classical’s Vadis (46-7), the Eagles’ Kelly (46-1.75) and the Hendricken tandem of junior Connor Hurst (46-1.75) and senior Ben Nelson (45-6) could also score points in this event.
High jump, long jump
The high jump should be an exciting event. La Salle senior Sean Greene, the Class A and Metropolitan Division champion, appears to be peaking. In both those meets, he cleared a state-tying 6-6. He was third at the Dartmouth Relays with a height of 6-4. Middletown senior Jacob Reilly has also done 6-6 this season. He cleared that height to capture the Class B crown. Four other jumpers have done at least 6-2- Hendricken junior Ben Murphy, Chariho senior Kyle Kirby, North Kingstown senior Benjamin Lee and defending indoor and outdoor champion Erik Mateo.
The Hawks’ Moses should retain his title in the long jump. In his last two meets, he was far ahead of the field, taking the Suburban Division meet with a distance of 22-11.75 and then the Class A meet the following week with his all-time best of 23-0.25. The closest competitor to Lee based on the seed sheets is Westerly senior Michael Johns at 21-5. Hope teammates Akiel Legall (21-4) and Dave Balony (21-3.75) are next on the list. North Kingstown senior Rees Tillotson (21-2.5) and Classical’s Ajenis Candier (21-2) and the Purple’s Orulrbaja (21-0) have also done 21 feet or further this season and could finish among the top six.