Scarborough Storms Back to Boys Class A Title

"A healthy (Jarett) Flaker had the potential to take the top spots in the 100, 200, 400, and 300 hurdles. Just a sophomore, Flaker will be back."

-MaineTrackXC, June 3, 2018

The Scarborough boys team that finished fourth in the State meet in 2018 reclaimed the title that the Red Storm had last held in 2017 by finishing the day with 110 points to runner-up Thornton Academy's 98 points. The impact a healthy Jarett Flaker had on the outcome cannot be understated as the junior, who could not compete in 2018 championship meet due to injury, won individual titles in three events and anchored the winning 4 x 400 team to round out the meet.

Thornton Academy, which finished the 2018 championship meet with 67 points to split the 2018 title with Falmouth, scored an additional 31 points this year but ended 2019 as runner-up.

While the 2018 Championship was determined by the day's final race, the 4 x 400, with three teams still vying for the title, today the meet was close on paper only. With 18 events scored prior to the 4 x 400 Scarborough held a two point lead at 100-98 over the Trojans, but Scarborough's 4 x 400 team was seeded second while the Trojans were seeded sixth. Baring an on-track injury or disqualification, Scarborough was primed to retake the title.

Jarett Flaker anchored a relay team that included Jayden Flaker, Warren O'Shea, and Noah Drapeau. Finishing in 3:30.74 the group added ten points to the Scarborough lead as Thornton did not place.

For Jarett Flaker, the race was one of four trips to the top of the podium as he also won the 100(10.92), 200(22.49), and 400(49.02).

The Red Storm also got strong performances from Anthony Clavette, freshman Jayden Flaker, Noah Drapeau, and Ben Hatch. Clavette took first in the high jump clearing 6-6. Runner-up to Brunswick's Sam Cenescar in 2018, Clavette turned the tables on Cenescar this season by adding 1.75 inches to his prior best mark. Clavette also took second in the 110 hurdles, and collected one point for his seventh place spot in the triple jump. Jayden Flaker scored in four events with third place finishes in both hurdles, and legs of both the 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 teams.

Drapeau had a hand opening the day as part of the Storm's winning 4 x 800 team, and closing the day as part of the 4 x 400 team. He also ran seventh in the open 800 nabbing a new personal mark along the way.

Hatch, who placed in three events on 2018 was limited to just the long jump today but made the best of it taking the Storm's fifth individual title with a winning jump of 21-07.25.

Joining Drapeau on Scarborough's speedy meet opening 4 x 800 team were Harrison Osborne, Tristram Coffin, and Zachary Berry. They covered the 3200 meters in 8:08.84. For Drapeau, Coffin and Osbourne it was a repeat performance as the three had been on the 2018 title team which won in 8:23.27. Coffin also collected points with a fourth place finish in the 3200.

Other scorers for Scarborough were Thomas Galeckas (7th in 100, leg of 4 x 100), Ian Gott (4th PV), Nathan Mars (5th Shot), and Erik Losacco (7th, 3200)

Thornton Academy was again led by Travis Snyder and Jason Montano. Snyder collected firsts in the Pole Vault, 110 meter hurdles (15.15), and 300 meter hurdles (40.70). He also collected points with a fifth place finish in the long jump. Montano retained his titles in the discus (164-0) and shot put (59-07.75)

Snyder's excellent performance---16-09.25---in the pole vault provides a primer on state records. Meet records are maintained for championship meets, including conference meets and the State meets. Becasue of the nomenclature State Championship Meet records are often confused with state records, but a state record can be set at any meet. Snyder set a new standard for both the State Championship when he cleared 16-1, and the state mark when he added the quarter inch to go 16-9.25. Both prior marks had been held since 2008 by Brunswick's David Slovenski.

Lucas Judice set a new personal mark of 7:27.66 while winning the 1600 meter race-walk for the Trojans.

The Trojans went one-two in 300 meter hurdles with Max Spaulding following Snyder across the line. Spaulding also collected a third place in the 200 and a seventh in the 110 meter hurdles. Montano was not alone in throws as Grant Dow took second in javelin.

With 22 Class A teams scoring, the leaders were followed by Lewiston with 65 points, Bangor with 52, and Green Bridge Rivals Mt. Ararat and Brunswick rounded out the top five scoring 46 a piece.

Lewiston's lone first place finish was Kamundala Crispin who topped the field in the triple jump at 44-05. Crispin had plenty of blue shirted company on the podium with Jeremiah Williams taking second and first year Nigel Katende grabbing the fifth spot in 300 MH. Crispin also took third in the long jump, and a leg of the 4 x 400. Williams added the fourth spot at the high jump and contributed points in both the 4 x 100, and 4 x 800. Katende, Noor Shidad, and Mo Beaulieu also scored in mulitple events for Lewiston.

Bangor's sole win was in the 4 x 100 featuring a team of Andrew Munroe, Landyn Francis, Lasse Keim and Cole Jordan. Francis also finished second in 100 and fifth in the 200. Munroe was second in the 200, and fifth in the 110 hurdles.

First year Daniel McCarthy had a part of 4 x 400 team that finished seventh and took seventh, by moving up after a disqualification,  in what might have been race of day, the 1600.

Mt. Ararat's Lisandro Berry-Gaviria, the state title holder in both the 1600 and 3200, was seeded third in today's race with Falmouth sophomore Ben Greene and senior John Auer seeded one and two. The trio, along with fourth seed Aiden Willey of Bonny Eagle were content to let others lead for the first quarter. But in the second quarter Greene took it out holding the inside position and a lead coming into the second turn when the field umpire first raised the red flag indicating a violation. He kept it aloft the remainder of the race.

Berry-Gaviria moved into a slight lead but by the the straight away of the second quarter Greene had moved to the outside shoulder-to-shoulder with Berry-Gaviria. The paired raced that way for the remaining 800 meters. The pace and the positioning read more like the gun lap than half the race. Greene stayed with Berry-Gaviria until the bitter end with the Berry-Gaviria retaining his title by squeezing out just a little more over the final twenty meters. Berry-Gaviria's finishing time was a new personal best of 4:22.22.

Although Greene pushed Berry-Gaviria to take four-seconds off his season's best time, Greene was disqualified for infield violations that had occurred, and been flagged, early in the race. Falmouth argued that staff had asked for the inside lane to be treated with cones prior to the meet. Even so, the decision stood with Aiden Willey of Bonney Eagle moving into the second position.

The 3200 was a quieter race. Brunswick's Will Shaughnessy held the lead for much of the first 10 laps before Berry-Gaviria built a lead heading into the gun lap. Deering's Alec Troxell then made it a race for second, overtaking Shaughnessy and building a decent hold on the second spot. Shaughnessy bounced back for the stretch run to recapture the second spot. Berry-Gaviria's winning time was 9:35.17.

Berry-Gaviria had opened the meet with a leg of Mt. Ararat's third place 4 x 800 effort, and he'd close it with a sixth place medal as a part of the Eagles 4 x 400 team.

Teammate Max Spelke brought the Eagles a third title with a javelin throw of 170-04 (PR). Spelke also took fourth in the 300 meter hurdles to go with legs of both the 4 x 800 and 4 x 400.

Like the girls 800, the boys 800 was a flat out foot race from the starter's gun. Westbrook's Mahamed Sharif exploded off the start line but still came through the first 400 with perhaps just a five meter lead on Hampden's Wyatt Lord. The duo appeared safe for the top two spots, with the remaining six or seven contenders another 10 meters behind. Lord would take the lead briefly and came through  the third corner with an inside position and slight advantage, but Sharif fought back down the stretch to cross first. The top five: Sharif, Lord, Brunswick's Tyler Patterson, Landon Heidrich of Thornton Academy, and Windham's Anthony Sawyer all went sub-2.