Class B Boys Individual and Team Preview
4x800
The 4x800 may be the hardest event to predict because we are never sure who exactly will be competing for each team. As far as seeds go Greely comes into the meet with the fastest time of 8:29.16. In contention with Greely will be schools such as York, Falmouth, and Winslow. All of these times have clocked under 8:50 and it will be crucial for teams to pick up some early points in this event.
110 Meter Hurdles
Junior Curtis Griffin of Mount View will go into the state meet with the fastest time of 15.99. He’s had a spectacular spring so far, and he looks like the early favorite going into the meet. Other athletes who will be in contention for a top three finish include Alex Rowe of Waterville, Eli Murphy of Poland, Zac Lee of Erksine, and Andrew Toothaker of Hampden. Falmouth took a big hit a couple weeks ago when indoor state champ Reid Pryzant went down with a broken ankle.
100 Meter Dash
The 100 meter dash will be one of the deeper events on Saturday as there are six runners who have all run under 11.50. Jack Peters of GNG has the top time of 11.14. He has had an amazing spring as evident to his incredible performance in the 200 at the WMC Championships last week. He will be the early favorite heading into Saturday. Don’t sleep on runners such as Collin Downs of Camden, Logan Good of Presque Isle, Isaiah Spofford of Waterville (The indoor 55m champion pictured left), and Will Wegener of Falmouth.
1600 Meter Race Walk
The big question of this event is will Caribou continue its recent success in the race walk? DJ Flynn of Caribou is seeded third with a time of 7:53, but if he wants a chance to win he’ll have to take down Falmouth’s Matt Goldstein who has the fastest time going into the meet (7:33.30). Also in contention to win will be Ian Rixon from Medomak he has the second fastest time in class B clocking in at 7:39.11.
1600 Meter Run
The 1600 may lack the fire power it has had in previous years (Think Moser, McCauley, Shaw, Miller, Bonsey, True), but it will still be one of the more compelling events of the meet. Freshmen Will Shafer of GNG comes into the meet with the fastest seed time of 4:32.33 which is something we have never seen before, but following him are seasoned veterans who know what it’s like to run on the big stage. Falmouth’s Tim Follo is seeded second with a time of 4:33.41. Follo is a big time runner so expect him to be right there at the end. You can never count out Silas Eastman of Fryeburg. This kid continues to make impressive strides since his freshmen year and expect him to be right there as well. Remember he ran 4:30 at the state meet last year so he has plenty experience. Other runners who will contend for a top five finish will be Jeff Hale of Waterville the indoor champion, Mitch Finitz of York, and Ben Nickerson of Yarmouth.
4x100
Falmouth and Waterville are the clear cut favorites in this one as they are separated by only .03 seconds. This is a key event for both teams as they will both be in the running for the title on Saturday. Expect teams such as Belfast, Hampden Academy, and Ellsworth to round out the top five.
400 Meter Dash
Falmouth senior Will Wegener (pictured right winning the indoor 200m) will go into the meet with the fastest time of 50.60. He placed second in the 400 last year to then senior Darik Frye of Hampden Academy running 50.54 so expect him to shine at the big stage come Saturday. But don’t expect Wegener to run away with the title. Look for runners such as Lani Eversage of Belfast, Jacob St Peter of Old Town, and Chrisshawn Fluker of Ellsworth to push Wegener to the edge.
300 Meter Hurdles
Old Town senior Jake Leithiser will be the overwhelming favorite to take the title on Saturday. His seed time of 39.14 is 1.5 seconds faster than second seeded Jack Peters of GNG. Other athletes who will be in contention for a top three finish will be Alex Rowe of Waterville, Andrew Toothaker of Hampden, and Tom Reid of York.
800 Meter Run
There is no clear cut favorite in the 800 which makes this event even more compelling. Caribou senior Christian Sleeper comes into the meet with the fastest time clocking in at 2:02.00. Sleeper placed third in the 800 last June behind Greely mid distance legend Mark McCauley and Hampden’s Darik Frye running 1:59.44. Expect Hampden’s Evan Piccirillo to be right at the top as well. He has had a fantastic spring this year. Don’t count out Falmouth senior John Lake. He won the 800 last week at the WMC Championships running a time of 2:03.91. Look out for runners such as James Cassidy of Winslow, Liam Campbell of Greely, and Liam Campbell of Greely. These runners could easily make a push for a top three finish which makes this event even more exciting.
200 Meter Run
The 200 might be the most entertaining event of the day as it features three runners who have clocked in under 23 seconds. Jack Peters from GNG has the fastest time going into the meet clocking in at 22.53. His time of 22.53 was enough to edge Falmouth’s Will Wegener at the WMC Championships last week. Waterville’s Isaiah Spofford is seeded third with a time of 22.65. There is no clear cut favorite in this race which could cause some incredibly fast times on Saturday. Watch out for runners such as Lani Eversage and Jacob Campbell of Belfast, and Jimmy Polewaczyk of Falmouth. Those three runners could easily contend for a top five finish.
3200 Meter Run
The depth in the event makes the 3200 maybe the most intriguing event on Saturday. We might not see times in the low 9:30’s like we saw last year with York’s Alex Moser and Erksine’s Sam Seekins, but expect the race to be relatively quick. Falmouth junior Tim Follo has the fastest seed time of 9:57.90. He has had a spectacular spring so expect him to be right at the top come Saturday. Fryeburg’s Silas Eastman has had a great year all around. He’s better suited for long distance (as evidence to his state little in xc last fall) so expect him to also be in the running for the title. Freshmen Will Shafer from GNG has had an incredible first year of outdoor track. He has run 10:05 this year so expect him to be with the top pack as well. Look out for runners such as Jeff Hale of Waterville, Dan Curts of Ellsworth, and Mitch Finitz of York. All three of these runners have clocked in under 10:20 so you can expect them to contend for a top five finish.
4x400
Falmouth looks like the odds on favorite in this event. Their seed time of 3:32.15 is over three seconds faster than second seed Belfast (3:35.83). This could be a crucial event for Falmouth. If the state title comes down to this event, then Falmouth should be pretty happy with their odds. Other schools to watch for in this relay are York, Greely, and Old Town.
High Jump
The battle between Old Town’s Jake Leithiser, Greely’s Tanner Storey, and York’s Tyler Martin make the high jump one of the most captivating field events of the day. These three are separated by one inch with the slight edge going to Leithiser (6-03.00). Other athletes to watch in this event are Ryan Tarte of Falmouth, Zach Peaslee of Belfast, and Josh Christy of Poland.
Long Jump
Old Town’s Jake Leithiser comes into the meet with the longest jump posting 21-00.50. Right behind him is Waterville’s Isaiah Spofford (20-08.50). This will be one of the more intriguing battles of the meet. Expect athletes such as Asa Arden from Yarmouth, Aaron Rogers from Falmouth, and Jesse Lehman from Greely to all contend for top five finishes.
Triple Jump
Jack Peters from GNG will be the overwhelming favorite coming into Saturday as he distance of 42-05.75 is a solid nine inches ahead of second seeded Alex Rowe of Waterville (41-08.75). Look out for athletes such as Max Brown of Waterville, Jonathan Hendrickson-Bellogue from Medomak, and Mitchell Ayotte of Presque Isle. All three of these athletes could potentially crack into the top three.
Javelin
Greely’s Michael Burgess has the slight edge over his teammate Jack Fellows for the first spot. If Greely can pick up 18 points in this event it will be hugely beneficial for the Rangers as they will contend for the state title. Don’t sleep on Falmouth’s Andrew Kowalsky. He has had a fantastic spring, and six points from him could be a huge boost for the Yachtsmen. Other athletes to watch out for are Jared Winchenbach of Old Town, Chris Knaub of Yarmouth, and John Durland of Mountain Valley.
Discus
Greely’s Michael Burgess will be the top seed in the discus going into Saturday. He has had a dominant spring so far and it should stay that way as his throw is nearly five feet further than second seed Dylan Webster of Belfast. Burgess’s teammate, Jack Fellows will also battle for the second spot. The Rangers could possibly score some huge points in this event which will help them contend for the top spot. Other athletes to watch in this event include Cam Woodford of Poland and Nick Margitza of Waterville.
Shot Put
The Bash Brothers from Greely will battle each other for the top spot. Michael Burgess has the slight edge over his teammate Jack Fellows (55-03.50 to 53-04.00). This is another event that will be crucial for the Rangers. Getting 18 points from these two studs is very likely and Greely’s push for a state title rely heavily on The Bash Brothers. Other throwers to watch out for are Cam Woodford of Poland, Dylan Webster of Belfast, and Andrew Kowalsky of Falmouth.
Pole Vault
Ryan Turner of Winslow and Devin Burgess of Winslow will be the two favorites going into Saturday. The have the same height at 12-00. Following them are six athletes who are listed at 11-00. Other athletes to watch in this event will be Mackenzie Bowen of Old Town, Garrett Perkins of Wells, and Chapin Lamont of Belfast.
Team Preview
Falmouth will be looking for its third title in a row on Saturday, but in order to achieve this remarkable feat they will have to take down Waterville and Greely. Waterville relies heavily on their sprinting events. Seniors Isiash Spofford & Alex Rowe will have to have a big time meets if Waterville wants to hold up some hard ware at the end of the day, but they don't have to do it alone as Senior Jeff Hale is seeded third in the 1600 and fourth in the 3200. He is one of the more underrated runners in the state and if he can pick up 12 points from Waterville it would boost their chances to win a state championship. Greely, on the other hand, relies heavily on The Bash Brothers, Michael Burgess and Jack Fellows. Those two can possibly give them 36 points between the two of them which would provide a huge boost for the Rangers. If Greely’s middle distance runners such as Nathan Maderia and Liam Campbell can give them 20 points between the two of them then Greely could be holding up some hardware at the end of the day. For Falmouth, their key will be their sprinters. Will Wegener has had a fantastic spring and he, alone, could possibly get Falmouth 28 points. Falmouth’s relay teams will be key as well. They are seeded first in the both the 4x400 and the 4x100 so expect them to have a big day. Junior Tim Follo will be the ex-factor for Falmouth as he could possibly give them 16-20 points in the 1600 and 3200. Other teams who will be in contention for a top five finish will be York, Belfast, Old Town, Hampden, and Maranacook.
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