To build and sustain a successful high school track program, a coach can't just live in the moment. Coaches have to think at least three years ahead because it takes that long to bring most athletes to the point where their performances begin to match their abilities. It isn't enough with most athletes to hear the coach say, “Stick with it and in a few years you'll be good.” There needs to be tangible evident that helps to make them believe in their coach and themselves.
The freshman/sophomore meet is a perfect opportunity to introduce athletes to their place in the track and field. And that first trip to Reggie Lewis Center is the type of eye-opening experience that hooks athletes to a sport they might not have yet taken seriously.
So, a couple of weeks back the Hockomock yearlings made their annual pilgrimage to the Auerbach Freshman Sophomore Meet. Most Hock teams fit into the large school meet although Canton and Foxboro competed the following day with small schools. Here's what happened and what northrunning.com thinks about it.
I'll comment on each individual event and then discuss team ramifications at the end.
55M Dash
Vicky Tondre and Ifeoma Okeke already established themselves last spring, so this performance was just continued proof of their progressive rise to prominence. A vacuum has developed where most of the great sprinters have graduated or are also adept at other events (for example: Kendal Knous and Emily Broyles). There are only a few 55M specialists and a few of these underclassmen may sneak into placements because of this. Tondre is on the cusp of making it happen. But, the big news is freshman Kayla Comer who has been looking good at Franklin Field House and grabbed second at this meet at 7.52. She looks ready to challenge Samantha Smith, Anna Amica and Alexa Murray already. Keishorea Armstrong looked very strong for Canton and got 6 th.
Small School
Trials
2 Armstrong, Keishorea 09 Canton 7.80q
5 Tondre, Victoria 10 Canton 7.84q
9 Valaydon, Nalina 09 Foxborough 8.03q
3 Armstrong, Keishorea 09 Canton 7.78Q
7 Tondre, Victoria 10 Canton 7.87q
11 Valaydon, Nalina 09 Foxborough 8.08
4 Tondre, Victoria 10 Canton 7.76
6 Armstrong, Keishorea 09 Canton 7.79
Trials
2 Comer, Kayla 10 Mansfield 7.61q
4 Okeke, Ifeoma 10 Stoughton 7.84q
12 Coppola, Jennifer 10 Franklin 7.97q
20 Mooney, Rose 09 North Attleborou 8.10q
Semis
2 Comer, Kayla 10 Mansfield 7.53Q
8 Okeke, Ifeoma 10 Stoughton 7.81q
11 Coppola, Jennifer 10 Franklin 7.97
14 Mooney, Rose 09 North Attleborou 8.24
Finals
2 Comer, Kayla 10 Mansfield 7.52
6 Okeke, Ifeoma 10 Stoughton 7.74
Things are a little less bright on the boys side, even given the fact that male sprinters tend to physically mature slower than females. Dewey Yoo was the only athlete to make it past trials (John Weich missed by the distance of a waistband). Given that the Hock is absolutely loaded with 55M upperclassmen this year, these athletes will need to be patient. Wes Nichols has looked strong in dual meets and his 7.28 wasn't a good race for him.
Large School
Trials
2 Yoo, Dewey 10 Sharon 7.26q
25 Wiech, John 10 Franklin 7.27
30 Nicholls, Wes 10 North Attleborou 7.28
22 Yoo, Dewey 10 Sharon 7.25
After Christy Deininger and Kristen Walker graduate this year the Hock will have a big void in this event. You can usually bank on two or three hurdlers from the Hock making noise at states –and not just from knocking down hurdles. This event takes time, as you can see by the fact that Mellyn Costello was the only Hock frosh to make the meet. Alicia Macomber is making the transition from sprinter to hurdles and it has already paid dividends. Dana Foley was 10 th at Hocks last spring and is continuing her progression in the event. Paige Grimes gives Mansfield two good young hurdlers.
5 Foley, Dana 10 Mansfield 9.42q
6 Macomber, Alicia 10 Stoughton 9.65q
14 Kinhart, Patricia 10 Franklin 10.18q
16 Grimes, Paige 10 Mansfield 10.31q
17 Nichols, Michaela 10 Oliver Ames 10.31q
20 Hanan, Rose 10 North Attleborou 10.38q
5 Foley, Dana 10 Mansfield 9.42q 2
7 Macomber, Alicia 10 Stoughton 9.67q 3
8 Grimes, Paige 10 Mansfield 9.71q
18 Hanan, Rose 10 North Attleborou 10.33
21 Nichols, Michaela 10 Oliver Ames 10.46
24 Kinhart, Patricia 10 Franklin 10.67
5 Macomber, Alicia 10 Stoughton 9.32
6 Foley, Dana 10 Mansfield 9.36
8 Grimes, Paige 10 Mansfield 9.78
Small School
Trials
12 Costello, Mellyn 09 Canton 10.86q
17 Septelka, Jessica 10 Foxborough 11.14q
12 Costello, Mellyn 09 Canton 11.00
18 Septelka, Jessica 10 Foxborough 11.20
Mansfield boys are shoring up this event for the future as both Brian Ferreira (4 th ) and Greg Donohue (6 th ) placed in the meet. Evidence of Ferreira's improvement is the dramatic lowering of his 9.35 time from last years' Hock Championship.
Trials
1 Ferreira, Brian 10 Mansfield 8.56q
7 Blelloch, Nicholas 10 Oliver Ames 9.07q
8 Donahue, Greg 10 Mansfield 9.12q
3 Ferreira, Brian 10 Mansfield 8.55Q
7 Donahue, Greg 10 Mansfield 8.90q
18 Blelloch, Nicholas 10 Oliver Ames 9.49
4 Ferreira, Brian 10 Mansfield 8.56
6 Donahue, Greg 10 Mansfield 8.8
Kendal Knous showed no signs of having a sophomore slump as she blasted to a new meet record – old record held by nemesis Emily Broyles. Jen Esposito ran huge as well placing 3 rd with a time that will do damage at Hocks. For Esposito and Knous the future is now. Kayla McKinsey hasn't yet rounded into the form that got her 6 th at Hocks as a frosh (44.63).
1 Knous, Kendal 10 Franklin 42.08
3 Esposito, Jen 10 Mansfield 42.76
11 McKinsey, Kayla 10 Oliver Ames 44.99
13 Kroll, Samantha 10 North Attleborou 45.15
28 Chiusano, Briana 10 Mansfield 46.48
This is another event where Mansfield boys had two good showings. This year the team has relied heavily on distance success, but hurdles and sprinting may give them more balance in the future. A mid 37 often places at Hocks and Nick King and Griffin Robertson are both close.
6 King, Nick 10 Mansfield 37.77
7 Robertson, Griffin 10 Mansfield 37.90
12 Donahue, Connor 10 Franklin 39.03
Hailey Mullen, Jade Paul and Sydney Roberts haven't made the big time yet, but among peers they are starting to stand out. It isn't a very large leap-of-faith to imagine this trio prospering in the future.
Large School
6 Mullen, Hailey 10 King Philip 1:48.43
8 Paul, Jade 10 Stoughton 1:49.24
15 Roberts, Sydney 10 North Attleborou 1:51.69
31 Calabrese, Catie 10 Franklin 1:56.68
38 Read, Seana 09 North Attleborou 1:58.24
41 Takahata, Shannon 09 Franklin 1:58.75
24 Carleton, Emma 09 Foxborough 1:56.84
Dan Duquette has been hiding in the shadow of North's great mid-distance crew – so much that he rarely even gets consideration in the 4X4. But he used this stage to make his case for the future by blasting out a PR/winning time! I thought he'd do well but I didn't see this coming. I wonder if he did. Nate Somes also ran strong for Mansfield.
Large School
2 Duquette, Dan 10 North Attleborou 1:30.77
13 Somes, Nate 10 Mansfield 1:34.49
25 Kingsley, Ryan 09 North Attleborou 1:39.00
31 Chotkowski, Andrew 09 Mansfield 1:39.55
1000M Girls
It isn't just that Emily Grotz won and set a meet record – its' also the fashion in which she did it. Grotz was patient early as others went out too hard. Once she took control at mid-race she effortlessly pulled away and dusted the competition. So impressive was the race that you barely noticed Franklin's new rising star, Lauren Hagen. Her time and her placement anoint her the ‘real deal!” Shannon Hickey was just the tip of the iceberg of huge young sitting just below the surface of Hockomock waters.
1 Grotz, Emily 10 Oliver Ames 3:04.10*
3 Hagen, Lauren 09 Franklin 3:11.56
9 Hickey, Shannon 10 Oliver Ames 3:18.07
16 Haughey, Shannon 10 North Attleborou 3:23.83
17 Harbour, Alley 09 North Attleborou 3:24.06
21 Raia, Sophia 10 King Philip 3:25.70
23 Vetrano, Sarah 09 Franklin 3:26.30
27 Noel, Emma 09 Sharon 3:32.89
26 Carnino, Michaela 09 Foxborough 3:38.93
2:48.99 will place at Hocks in a weaker year so Kham Haleudeth is inching toward respectability as only a sophomore. I hope he shows well at Hocks so I'm forced to learn how to pronounce his name.
7 Haleudeth, Kham 10 Mansfield 2:48.99
21 O'Donoghue, Paul 10 Franklin 2:58.6
It's tough even thinking about Alexandria Geise as an underclassman. Last year as a frosh she had a career full of success. Her win at Reggie just shows she continues to mean business. Kristina Ketchum is also building on last years' outdoor success and is in contention for points at Hocks (4:49 was 6 th last year). North sophomores Alyssa Whitney (PR) and Michelle Tacchi are part of a resurging red and white distance crew.
1 Giese, Alexandria 10 Franklin 5:26.07
6 Ketchum, Kristina 10 Foxborough 5:44.66
20 Whitney, Alyssa 10 North Attleborou 5:55.68
24 Tacchi, Michelle 10 North Attleborou 5:59.36
Andrew Hood is coming off a good freshman year and was the brightest spot for Franklin at this meet. With two runners under 5, Franklin will have a solid distance future.
4 Hood, Andrew 10 Franklin 4:45.46
12 Parece, Stephen 10 Franklin 4:55.79
26 Berluti, Matt 10 Mansfield 5:06.66
27 Frazier, Zach 10 Mansfield 5:07.20
37 Scribner, Danny 10 Sharon 5:11.25
Deirdre Simms was 7 th at Hocks last year (5:50) so its no surprise that she continues to run strong. And like Franklin really needs another good distance runner, Emily Stickles is another Panther who has tasted the green coolaid and has been transformed.
9 Simms, Deirdre 10 Stoughton 12:42.05
10 Stickles, Emily 10 Franklin 12:49.17
19 Ducharme, Rachel 10 North Attleborou 13:30.06
20 Ducharme, Emily 10 North Attleborou 13:32.28
Chris Allen is in for a long and prosperous Hockomock career. Here he added the large school meet record to an ever-growing list of accomplishments. Brendan Sullivan's 2 nd place finish in the small school meet was also impressive. Sean Lazzeri dovetails nicely into a Franklin crew that will make hay as seniors.
1 Allen, Chris 10 King Philip 9:46.78* (LG)
2 Sullivan, Brendan 10 Foxborough 10:28.22 (SM)
20 Lazzeri, Sean 10 Franklin 11:13.84
24 Ostrow, Matthew 10 Sharon 11:25.57
25 McCarthy, Brendan 10 Mansfield 11:26.65
Tough to say much about events that are rarely contested indoors other than Vicky Tondre and Greg Donohue are their teams' future.
3 Tondre, Victoria 10 Canton 14-11.00
10 Donahue, Greg 10 Mansfield 17-07.50
Michaela Nichols was good at jumping last spring and that hasn't changed. She was 5 th at Hocks last winter and hopes to move up. Rose Hanan may be the answer North is looking for to replace the injured Jenn Perkins.
5 Nichols, Michaela 10 Oliver Ames J4-10.00
19 Hanan, Rose 10 North Attleborou J4-06.00
Laura Daley is already one of the Hocks top throwers. Her win here was expected. The rest of the top throwers in the league are juniors and seniors. Two are from Canton so frosh Angelina Salcedo will have good role models.
1 Daley, Laura 10 Oliver Ames 34-11.75
16 Fratello, Anna 09 Sharon 25-02.50
24 Seng, Norbrina 10 Stoughton 24-00.25
28 O'Keefe, Julie 10 Mansfield 23-04.50
6 Salcedo, Angelina 09 Canton 27-02.75
11 Carlson, Sam 10 Foxborough 24-10.00
17 Slyman, Mackenzie 10 Foxborough 23-02.50
Brian Ferriera is a good all-around athlete. This was one of his better high jump days. Wes Nichols has also cleared 5'8 but not today.
4 Ferreira, Brian 10 Mansfield 5-08.00
8 Nicholls, Wes 10 North Attleborou 5-04.0
4 X 400M
All three teams in the large school race sped to solid times. Oliver Ames was the most surprised with their win, coming out of an unseeded heat. Their team was justifiably all-smiles standing on the infield looking at the clock. Frosh Hayleigh Kurtz rose to the pressure of being with three experienced runners.
1 Oliver Ames 'A' 4:22.35 5
1) Grotz, Emily 10 2) Hickey, Shannon 10
3) Kurtz, Hayleigh 09 4) McKinsey, Kayla 10
6 Franklin 'A' 4:28.59 6
1) Knous, Kendal 10 2) Giese, Alexandria 10
3) Coppola, Jennifer 10 4) Kinhart, Patricia 10
8 North Attleborough 'A' 4:29.46 6
1) Sarkis, Nichole 10 2) LaClair, Zoe 10
3) Roberts, Sydney 10 4) Kroll, Samantha 10
Small Schools
15 Foxborough 'A' 4:55.54
Solid!
1 Mansfield 'A' 3:40.53
1) King, Nick 10 2) Somes, Nate 10
3) Lampron, Josh 10 4) Robertson, Griffin 10
9 Canton 'A' 1:51.07
3 Canton 'A' 1:57.87
Trying to make team assumptions can be dangerous. A lot changes over the years. Some teams are better than others at developing talent – and even better at keeping and adding to the talent pool. All three are necessary to have success down the road.
I don't see any looming threats to the balance of power.
It looks like Franklin boys and girls are continuing to add distance talent to their teams but field events and sprints aren't making much headway. Mansfield boys probably have the best young depth across the board right now while only OA on the girls' side shows a lot of team balance. They have strong throws, jumps and mid-distance, enough to bring them back toward the top. Mansfield girls have some stars but some holes to fill. Ditto for NA boys. If anyone of the lower tier teams is poised to make a run at improvement it appears to be Canton girls. They have a lot of athletes hovering just under the radar. North has a very solid group of sophomore girls who seem to have reached that critical mass of team spirit that keeps the snowball rolling.