Recap 2018 Division 2!

Divisional Meet Hub

Girls Results – Courtesy of Lancertiming

Boys Results – Courtesy of Lancertiming

Portsmouth Clippers Sweep Division 2 Titles!

Congratulations to Portsmouth High School, as they became the first school since the 2010 Lebanon Raiders to sweep both girls and boys Division 2 State Titles.  Matter of fact, 2010 capped a 4 year streak which Lebanon won both titles at the same meet (Leb girls shared the title with Hanover in 2007).  Could we be in for that kind of a streak from Portsmouth?  While both squads lose some major contributors, the teams have heir-apparents in almost every event.  Kudos to the Coaches Lyford as they have built each team as almost mirror images of one another.  Strength in numbers, scoring majority of points in field events and hurdles, while being very strong on the sprint events to generate competitive relays as well.  While the girls team was the defending champs, their meet yesterday came down to the final event.  The boys team looked like the wise veterans, as they had already claimed the title by the 4x400s.

Recapping the girls meet, as always,the day on the track began with the 4×800, and Souhegan repeated as champs running 9:39.43.  While this was a testament to Souhegan’s prowess, it was also a great representation of how strong D2 distance running is currently as the top six teams broke 10:00.  This may have been because most teams loaded up with their stars.  Coe-Brown placed 2nd in 9:43.09, Con-Val placed 3rd in 9:47.45, and Oyster River placed 4th in 9:48.94 breaking their school record.

The 100 saw a new champ in Hanover freshman Ella MacLean, who broke the tape in 12.99 to beat indoor sprint champ Devan McClain of Oyster River (12.97).   At about the time of the high hurdles was when Portsmouth began scoring points.  Acadia-Momm-White won in 15.69 and combined with her teammates Georgia Dickinson and Livia Kozick, the Lady Clippers posted 16 points from one event.  Just prior to this, their teammates scored 13 points in the Pole Vault as Sarah Morin cleared 9’10” to win while teammates Kate Weathersby and Piper Fahey placed 5th and 6th respectively.

Some team needed to counter this onslaught of points, 29 in only 2 events.  The 1600 came up at the right time as Milford’s Lauren Robinson and Rebecca Durham placed 2nd and 3rd respectively to score 14 points between them.  Kudos to West’s Julia Robitaille as she won the event in 4:58.76 after an abbreviated spring.

Oyster River claimed the 4×100 title in 50.24 in a close one over the young Hanover Marauders (50.92).  After a disappointment in the dash, Sanborn’s Kristina Allard claimed her first state title winning the 400 in 58.05 narrowly beating West’s Corinne Robitaille (58.57).  Milford scored four valuable points by virtue of Viankah Williams fourth place in 60.01.

Souhegan’s Elise Lambert won the 300 hurdles in 47.15 over Portsmouth’s pole vault champ Morin who ran 48.36; however Morin was supported by freshman teammate April Weeks’s fourth place finish in 49.56.  Portsmouth picking up another 12 points.  Off short rest, Corinne Robitaille would claim a state title of her own in the 800 in 2:19.04 outlegging Souhegan teammates Marissa Romano (2:19.45) and Jane Leighton (2:19.47).

The 200 was the race of the day as it pitted 2-time champ Milford’s Williams versus newly crowned 400 meter state champ Sanborn’s freshman phenom Allard.  Milford needed the points, and it seemed as if Williams knew that as she had the slim lead over Allard coming off the turn.  Allard came off the turn with great momentum, but Williams’ experience and strength prevailed as she held off the young upstart the entire second half of the race to claim her three-peat in the 200 and 10 valuable points for her team.  These two also faced off in the Long Jump, but it was Allard winning by the narrowest of margins, .25″ over Williams.  Williams’ finish was important with keeping the meet close as Portsmouth’s Momm-White placed 3rd and her teammate, Dani Vigueras tied for 5th as Portsmouth picked up 7.5 points to Milford’s 8 points.

We are sure when Milford coach Mike Wright planned his line-up, he was hoping his dynamic duo of Durham and Robinson would score 18 points in the 3200.  Don’t coaches love it when plans come together!  Robinson would win going away in 10:55.44, and Durham’s experience would pay off as she placed 2nd in 11:11.71.  Con-Val’s Clare Veverka placed third in 11:22.56.

Prior to the 4×4 showdown, which would decide the meet, Sanborn freshman Kaylen LaChapelle won the triple jump with a leap of 34’4.75″.  Portsmouth would score six valuable points as Kozick placed 3rd.  In the discus, while Coe-Brown’s Kathleen Collins would shatter the D2 record by tossing the heavy frisbee 137’10”, and Milford picked up another four points as Robyn Krafft would place 4th.  Leb’s Kath Merchant, who placed 3rd in the discus, would claim 2 more state titles winning the Javelin in 136’4″ and Shot Put in 38’11”.  Important to the team scores was Milford’s distance star Durham placing 5th in the javelin and her teammate Rachel Grizzonio would placed 6th to pick up 3 more points.

Of note, Pelham seniors went 1-2 in the High Jump as Mia Herrling successfully defended her 2017 title clearing 5’4″ to her teammate’s Callie Lindsey 5’2″.

So the meet truly came down to the 4×400 and to contribute to the drama, both Milford and Portsmouth were separated by only a half a point.  Whichever team beat the other, would be the state champs!  To prove how nicely matched these two teams were, they would be separated by less than a second by the end of the last event.  And in the end it was Portsmouth placing second in 4:09.89 to Milford’s third in 4:10.62.  Teams do not get any closer than that! Oyster River won the event in 4:09.23, but it was Portsmouth winning the D2 crown with 70.5 points to Milford’s 68.  Thanks to all for a great competitive meet!

The boys’ side was not as dramatic but through at least half the meet, the competition was between three schools, Portsmouth, Windham and Coe-Brown.  In the end, Portsmouth (89) would have it wrapped up prior to the last few events as they scored points in bunches over mostly field events and hurdles.  Eventual runner-ups Windham (68.5), relied on sprints and Spenser Sawyer.  This began in the 100 Dash as Matthew Garafano placed 2nd in 11.29 to Hanover’s super soph Kyle Doucette’s 11.18.  Portsmouth’s Izaiah Barba placed 4th for 4 points.

Third place Coe-Brown (58.5) would rely on senior Orion Clachar, but in the end, every time he would have a big score, it seemed Windham and/or Portsmouth would have multiple, the definition of strong teams.  Clachar hurdled and threw to claim 3 state D2 titles and score 30 individual in both hurdles (15.22 and 41.19) and the Javelin with a toss of 162’10”.   As Clachar scored his 20 points in both hurdles, Portsmouth scored a total of 24 points as Will Fahey placed 2nd in the highs in 15.62 and Andrew Weeks placed third in 43.24 in the 300 hurdles.

The 400 and 200 was the Stephen Duckett show as the Trinity senior won and broke the D2 record in both posting blazing times of 49.45 and 22.06 respectively.  Of note, Portsmouth’s Ryan Prinz placed 2nd in the 400 while Windham’s Garafano and James Williams placed 3rd and 4th respectively in the 200.  Along with Quinn Cerami’s 2 points in the 400, the Jaguars picked up a valuable 12 points in the longer sprints.  Windham sprinters would add to that total as they claimed the 4×100 in 43.60 and place 3rd in the 4×4.  Trinity, with Duckett anchoring, claimed the title in that one posting 3:32.70.

Of note, Kingswood defended their 2017 4×800 title repelling a challenge from a young CBNA team 8:16.03 to 8:21.13.

Sawyer would throw Windham on his back by winning both the 1600 and 800 meter runs in 4:21.04 and 1:57.90.  Teammate Robby St. Laurent would share in the lifting as he placed a valuable 4th in the 1600 as the Jaguars would post 24 points in the two events.

The 3200 would close out the individual running events as Cameron Starr, who placed 2nd in the 1600, would repeat as champ outleaning MV’s David Reynolds 9:40.16 to 9:40.69.  CBNA’s Evan Tanguay, who placed 3rd in the 1600, would match that score in the 3200 racing to a 9:49.02.

Again, it was the field events where the Clippers scored points in bunches.  A great example of this was in the High Jump as Cam Duncan and Andrew Kelly placed 2nd and 3rd scoring 14 points.    Duncan came back to score 6 points by virtue of his 3rd place in the long jump.  Kennett’s hometowner Chris Caputo claimed the state title in 20’3″.  Porsmouth’s Ian Stromski scored a valuable 6 points in the pole vault as Milford’s Will Shepard defended his title clearing 13’9″.

Harrison Flagg would carry Portsmouth in the throws as he won the Discus with a toss of 137’0″ and place 3rd in the javelin.  His teammates Michael Sanborn and Kevin Gum would place 5th and 6th.  All totaled and including Thor Griffith’s 5th place in the Shot, the Clippers scored 21 points in the throws.  Milford’s Michael Boucher won the shot title tossing the rock 46’11.25″.

To wrap up the field events, Plymouth’s Sam Ebner won 2 state titles in the Triple (42’0.75″) and High Jumps.

A hearty congratulations to the Kennett High School community as they organized a phenomenal state championship meet for the second consecutive year.  Kennett is a class act as evidenced by their taking a moment of silence honoring the memory of long time Lebanon coach Chris Stone, who passed away just a few days prior.  Coach Stone was beloved by his athletes and the NH Track and Field community.  He was the Lebanon assistant coach during their amassing of 21 track and field titles, 8 of which were referenced at the beginning of this post.  Most importantly, as was echoed by current Lebanon coach, Elizabeth Perkins, Chris always put the kids first.

Note: We will be uploading pics and interviews soon.  Keep checking the Divisional Meet Hub.  Thank you for your patience as we sent separate crews to each of the 3 Divisional Meets.