By DEIRDRE FLEMING
LEWISTON — There was a lot going through the minds of the Greely boys and girls track and field teams as they pursued a double state-championship win Saturday at the Class B state meet at Merrill Indoor Gymnasium at Bates College in Lewiston
Powered by their formidable cadre of distance runners the Greely girls won their second consecutive indoor track and field state title with 63 points ahead of Brewer’s 54.8 points and Belfast’s 38, while the Greely boys topped John Bapst, 68-54, and finished ahead of Brewer with 50.5.
It was also a successful day for several central Maine runners. Kaylee Porter of Erskine won the 800-meter run, and Waterville’s Sarah Cox once again dominated the shot put field with a throw of 39-01.5 — more than four feet further than her competitors — to win the event. Betsy Hunt of Mount View finished second in the high jump, while Olivia Tiner of Winslow finished second in the two-mile run.
The Rangers’ junior-class, brother-sister team of Matt and Carolyn Todd, who are twins, wanted to take double victories in the mile — which they did.
“The twins’ win was the goal,”said a grinning Carolyn Todd, who also won the two mile.
And the boys team wanted a trip home in a bus that was completely full of state champions – both celebrated by the Greely Fire Department and followed by fire trucks, a town tradition.
Last year, the Greely girls won their first Class B indoor track title in nine years, while the boys finished second.
“The fire trucks followed us last year because the girls won, but it didn’t mean anything for us. This year we wanted them there for us, too,” said senior Michael Gear, who ran anchor on the Greely boys team’s 800-meter relay.
For both teams it was a back-and-forth contest between the top teams in a meet made more competitive by Brewer, which dropped down this year from Class A.
“I think our athletes had more of an individual mentality, rather than a team mentality after coming down from A,” said Brewer Coach Dan Juilli. “It’s hard to win in Class A with our school size. But Greely is a good team, they were tough to beat.”
In the end, for the Greely boys their distance runners in the two mile put them out ahead – thanks to freshman Sam Wilson who moved up from the eighth seed to finish third (10:36.04) behind junior Luke Marsanskis, who finished second (10:32.81), and just ahead of senior Caleb Thurston, who was fourth (10:37.39).
The three ran well behind defending champion Luke Laverdiere of Yarmouth who won in 9:35.31, but they pushed and repeatedly passed each other to push the pace ahead of the pack.
“I just wanted to beat Caleb, because he’s finished ahead of me all season,’ Wilson said with a laugh.
Thurston nodded.
“We work together in meets. Coach told us we could go 2-3-4,” Thurston said. “It’s been a while since Greely boys won an indoor state title. This was our chance.”
The Greely boys opened the meet winning the 3,200-meter relay (8:43.22) by 8 seconds. Then Matt Todd captured the mile (4:40.32) by 5 seconds with a big kick at the end, while junior Luke Marsanskis took fourth (4:50.50).
Junior Nicolas Brown added a second-place finish in the high jump (6-0), and senior Gavin Poperechny was fifth in the 55-meter hurdles (8.33).
The Rangers sealed their win with the victory in the 800-meter relay (1:38.28) moving up from the fifth seed to finish ahead of Brewer (1:38.94).
“I don’t think the boys 800-meter relay has ever been that good in all my years coaching,” said 25-year Head Coach John Folan. “That was the difference. They got it in their head, they were going to win today. That’s what they told me this week.”
In the boys meet, John Bapst senior Ben Cotton also won two events, capturing the 55 (6.75) and the long jump (21-5.25). And Hermon junior Zachary Beaton was another double winner with wins in the high jump (6-2) and the triple jump (42-9.25).
For the Greely girls their distance runners and some talented jumpers cemented the win.
Todd won the mile (5:25.30) while sophomore Marin Provencher took third (5:33.92). And in the two mile Todd ran away from the pack winning by 21 seconds (11:59.47), while junior Julia Curran took third (12:24.01).
Greely also got a lift from senior Elizabeth Brown who won the high jump (5-foot, 2-inches) and junior Maddy Irish who took fifth in the triple jump after improving by a foot (33-4.25). Greely also won the 3,200-meter relay (10:18.05).
In the girls meet Old Town senior Oliviah Damboise also won two events with her victory in the triple jump (36-4.75) and pole vault (9-6).
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