2011 Class ‘C’ Boys State Track & Field Championship Preview

 

 

BATH, Maine — Every once in a while, an individual star breaks out from the deep woods of Maine and shows glipses of brilliance. Take for instance Matt McClintock, a junior cross country and track and field athlete at Madison Memorial High School in Madison, Maine.

 

McClintock began to run in fifth grade and started track in seventh grade, and now, he sits atop the state as one of the most honored runners Maine has to offer. “Over the years,” says McClintock. “I’ve developed a strong love for running and have become interested in the whole science of the sport.”

 

Much of McClintock’s fame can be attributed to his talent on the trails of cross country. The Bulldogs leader rushed onto the scene during the fall of his freshman year when he placed second in both the MVC Conference and Class C State cross country meets, losing both races to future Williams College runner Wade Davis of Hall-Dale. His first track season wasn’t nearly as good, in comparison to his cross country success, but McClintock still managed to take runner-up at conferences in both the 1600-meter and 3200-meter, and finish fourth overall in the 3200-meter at the state meet.

 

The following year, Davis left for college, leaving McClintock alone and ready to build is way to the top. McClintock finished his sophomore year of cross country as both the MVC Conference and Class C state champion, and kept his superb momentum into the outdoor season, sealing his first two conference titles in the 1600-meter and 3200-meter races, while placing 3rd and 2nd in the same races at the state meet, respecitvely.

 

This year’s cross country season marked McClintock’s admittance into Maine’s elite. Even after a rare loss to Boothbay junior rival Chase Brown at the MVC Conference meet, McClintock was not only the crowned the champion of the Maine Festival of Champions, Western Maine Class ‘C’ and Class ‘C’ cross country meets, but he was also named the 2010 Maine Gatorade Cross Country Runner of the Year.

 

Again, the junior standout has continued his high, achieving success into the outdoor season, defending both his titles in the 1600-meter and 3200-meter at last weekend’s MVC Championship meet. According to McClintock, he “was overall happy [to] defend his titles.”

 

“I feel that the heat contributed in an overall slow race from all of the athletes and I’m looking forward to cooler temperatures for Saturday[‘s meet].”

 

When asked how he’ll prepare for this Saturday, McClintock replied, saying that, “this week has mostly just been fine tuning for [the state meet].”

 

McClintock’s hopes are to, “put together a strong day and bring the 1600 and 3200 gold back to Madison.”

 

McClintock has been less foturnate than most runners in the state with Madsion High School lacking an indoor track and field team. During the winter, he has played basketball for three years. According to the junior track star, he plans taking basketball off next year in an attempt to form an indoor team so he can, “get to training earlier for [the] outdoor [season].”

 

McClintock plans on attending college in the future and there are several schools that he is looking that.

 

“My main dream after college would be to run professionally, but more than likely I plan to return to Maine and teach, as well as coach our next generation of runners.”

 

McClintock is ranked No. 1 in the 1600-meter and No. 2 in the 3200-meter going into this Saturday’s meet.

 

 

 

Here is both an individual and team preview of the Boys Class ‘C’ State Meet results:

 

 

Boy’s 4x800-meter relay —

 

10 - NYA                8:36.54

          1) Alex Coffin                2) Asad Dahia

          3) Grant McPherson     4) Cam Regan

8 - Sacopee           8:41.13

          1) Noah Gleason-H.     2) Mark Hayes

          3) Nate Watson            4) Kenny Bouchey

6 - Monmouth        8:45.95

         1) Kevin Desmond        2) Marques Houston

         3) Matt McInnis             4) Patrick Mcinnis

4 - Freeport           8:48.52

         1) Ian McGhie               2) Charlie Baker

         3) Miles Boucher          4) Taylor Saucier

3 - Maranacook     8:49.14

         1) Taylor Watson          2) Connor Lacasse

         3) Walker Thompson    4) Luke Wenzel

2 - Telstar             8:55.33

         1) Elek Pew                  2) Austin Ryerson

         3) Bronson Dean          4) Matthew Keane

1 - John Bapst      8:57.67

         1) Alex Beals                2) Connor Wagner

         3) Rylan Norris             4) Kevin McConnell

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Expect nothing less than a battle from this race.  Monmouth and Maranacook will lead the pack after two laps because of their strong lead legs in senior Kevin Desmond and junior Taylor Watson, respectively, but yet another classic NYA vs. Sacopee Valley finish will conclude the day’s first race — both teams have finished in the top two for the past two years. NYA is the event’s defending state champion after breaking the Class ‘C’ State record last year at Dover-Foxcroft in 8:21.84.

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Boy’s 110-meter hurdles —

 

10 - Taylor Watson (Maranacook)     15.41

8 - Mohamed Dahia (NYA)                16.04

6 - Thomas Bizier (Livermore Falls)  16.16

4 - Benjamin Plohr (George S.)         16.26

3 - Ethan Hutchins (Livermore Falls) 16.35

2 - Kenny Bouchey (Sacopee)           16.74

1 - Antencio Martin (Traip)                 16.94

 

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Defending state champion Maranacook junior Taylor Watson is the heavy favorite. Don’t count out NYA senior Mohamed Dahia who finished runner-up last year. Watson may end up winning by a few strides, but places two through seven are definitely up for grabs.

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Boy’s 100-meter dash —

 

10 - Tyler Fitzgerald (Hall-Dale)  11.31

8 - Miguel Caballero (Orono)      11.40

6 - John Mcleod (Wiscasset)      11.46

4 - Ben Bailey (Monmouth)         11.61

3 - Phil Holmes (Orono)              11.62

2 - Bryan Blackman (Dirigo)        11.64

1 - Mitchell Watson (Sacopee)    11.64

 

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This is, and always will be, the hardest high school race to predict. No. 1 seeded Hall-Dale sophomore Tyler Fitzgerald is young, but has shown enormous potential — shaving off 0.81 seconds off his time from last year’s state meet. Wiscasset sophomore John Mcleod has taken off an entire second. With the top runners being spilt up into several different heats, a win could come from anywhere. Expect the winner to most likely be one of these three: Fitzgerald, Mcleod or Orono junior Miguel Caballero.

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Boy’s 1600-meter race walk —

 

10 - Evan Vincent (Maranacook)    6:41.12

8 - Patrick Lachance (St. Dominic) 8:17.52

6 - Adam Healey (Sacopee)           8:20.24

4 - Kade Smith (Boothbay)             8:27.04

3 - Dylan Thombs (Monmouth)      8:30.00

2 - Ben Kates (Lisbon)                   8:34.36

1 - Sammy Gachagua (MCI)          8:41.04

 

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Boothbay race walk legend Matt Forgues is gone which opens the center podium for Maranacook senior Evan Vincent who had to settle for runner-up last year despite winning second place by nearly a minute. Vincent will not let anyone steal this year’s title from him, I can almost guarantee it. Second place is there for whoever works the hardest.

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Boy’s 1600-meter run —

 

10 - Matt McClintock (Madison) 4:26.83

8 - Chase Brown (Boothbay)     4:33.98

6 - Josef Holt (Telstar)              4:35.91

4 - Alex Coffin (NYA)                 4:35.94

3 - Abshir Horor (Waynflete)     4:38.00

2 - Cam Regan (NYA)               4:40.59

1 - Kameron Souza (Winthrop) 4:42.80

 

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The 1600-meter race is wide open after the exit of NYA legend Henry Sterling, but Madison junior Matt McClintock should fit inside the No. 1 spot pretty nicely. McClintock and Boothbay junior Chase Brown have battled since freshman year, but recent success from McClintock has slowly separated the two rivals. Waynflete junior Abshir Horor could be the one to pull an upset, if there’s any — the Flyers leader is the top returning scoring from last year’s state meet where he ran a 4:28.13. =======================================

 

Boy’s 4x100-meter relay —

 

10 - Orono                  45.18

          1) Justin Brooks         2) Miguel Caballero

          3) Joe Claar               4) Phil Holmes

8 - Wiscasset              46.36

          1) Brian Campbell      2) Joe Chapman

          3) Ross Hanley          4) John Mcleod

6 - Sacopee                46.40

          1) Trey Watson          2) Eli Thompson

          3) Tyler Benvie          4) Mitchell Watson

4 - Lisbon                   46.63

          1) Morgan Reeves     2) Keenan Grover

          3) Jordan Torres        4) Zach Splude

3 - Calvary Chapel     47.04

          1) Derek Russell         2) Jeremy Miller

          3) Colby Downs          4) Peter Gorczok

2 - Winthrop               47.08

          1) Colby Laflamme     2) Danny Moody

          3) Reily Fitzgerald      4) Joey Brennan

1 - Washington          47.19

          1) Ayomide Aimakhu  2) Tavoy Johnson

          3) Zachary Ragot       4) Sante Sanchez

 

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The way defending runner-up Orono has been running lately, this one should be a piece of cake — especially since the next seeded team is 1.18 seconds away. Wiscasset, Sacopee Valley and Lisbon all stand chances of stealing the victory with well-executed handoffs and stronger legs.

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Boy’s 400-meter dash —

 

10 - Mitchell Watson (Sacopee)         51.65

8 - Miguel Caballero (Orono)             51.84

6 - Cody Weaver (Central)                 51.99

4 - Brian Campbell (Wiscasset)          53.35

3 - Chase Small (Foxcroft)                 53.37

2 - Walker Thompson (Maranacook) 53.45

1 - Harrison Stivers (Freeport)           53.60

 

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Sacopee Valley junior standout Mitchell Watson has shown impressive control and composure throughout this season. Both Orono junior Miguel Caballero and Central junior Cody Weaver could give Watson a run for his money, but don’t expect one of the Hawks top contributers to let this one go.

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Boy’s 300-meter hurdles —

 

10 - Taylor Watson (Maranacook)     40.78

8 - Kenny Bouchey (Sacopee)           41.69

6 - Ethan Hutchins (Livermore Falls) 42.12

4 - Travis Smith (Traip)                      42.14

3 - Mohamed Dahia (NYA)                 42.94

2 - Kyle Sheehan (Lisbon)                  42.96

1 - John Sandiego (Sumner)              43.72

 

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Again, Maranacook junior star Taylor Watson is the heavy favorite. He is the event’s defending state champion and won by over a second last year. Sacopee Valley junior Kenny Bouchey holds all the right cards for an upset, as long as his execution exceeds standards. Don’t forget about No. 5 seed NYA senior Mohamed Dahia who has finished in the top 4 at states for the past two years.

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Boy’s 800-meter run —

 

10 - Kevin Desmond (Monmouth) 1:59.81

8 - Alex Coffin (NYA)                     2:02.41

6 - Taylor Saucier (Freeport)        2:03.41

4 - Kameron Souza (Winthrop)     2:04.20

3 - Benjamin Plohr (George S.)     2:04.78

2 - Brigman Rees (Traip)              2:05.54

1 - Abshir Horor (Waynflete)         2:06.00

 

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Monmouth senior Kevin Desmond is our No. 1 seed at 1:59.81. If Desmond can repeat this May 13 performance, he will easliy take the title. If not, NYA junior Alex Coffin or Freeport junior Taylor Saucier will join Desmond for a close finish at the line. Don’t count out defending champion George Stevens junior Ben Plohr, Traip senior Brigman Rees or Waynflete junior Abshir Horor who have all proven faster race times in the past.

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Boy’s 200-meter dash —

 

10 - Brian Campbell (Wiscasset) 23.30

8 - Mitchell Watson (Sacopee)    23.44

6 - Miguel Caballero (Orono)      23.54

4 - Phil Holmes (Orono)              23.61

3 - Ryan Collet (Freeport)           23.94

2 - Bryan Blackman (Dirigo)        24.04

1 - Tyler Fitzgerald (Hall-Dale)    24.06

 

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Orono junior Miguel Caballero is our only returning scorer from last year’s state meet. Caballero sits at the No. 3 seed going into Saturday’s meet behind Wiscasset senior Brian Campbell and Sacopee Valley junior Mitchell Watson. Overall, the times are much slower than last year’s state meet which means the 200-meter is just asking for a breakthrough performance. I think it’s safe to say that one of the top 4 seeds will be our winner.

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Boy’s 3200-meter run —

 

10 - Chase Brown (Boothbay)     9:39.23

8 - Matt McClintock (Madison)     9:53.79

6 - Evan Vincent (Maranacook) 10:12.01

4 - Josef Holt (Telstar)               10:22.87

3 - Nate Schwehm (Boothbay)   10:24.78

2 - Evan Kendall (NYA)              10:32.54

1 - Josh Ringer (Hall-Dale)        10:40.50

 

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Again, the rivalry between Boothbay junior Chase Brown and Madison junior Matt McClintock will highlight a distance event at the state meet level.  Last year, McClintock beat out Brown by 15 seconds to take 2nd, but after Brown’s May 20 performance of 9:39.23 at Cony, McClintock enters as the No. 2 seed underdog. This should be a battle for the ages.

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Boy’s 4x400-meter relay —

 

10 - Sacopee          3:36.52

          1) Trey Watson            2) Eli Thompson

          3) Nate Watson            4) Kenny Bouchey

8 - Monmouth         3:39.24

          1) Ben Bailey                2) Kevin Desmond

          3) Marques Houston     4) Henry Talbot

6 - NYA                   3:39.29

          1) Cam Regan              2) Mohamed Dahia

          3) Grant McPherson     4) Alex Coffin

4 - Orono                3:41.07

          1) Miguel Caballero      2) Joe Claar

          3) Phil Holmes              4) Jamie Normand

3 - Maranacook      3:41.61

          1) Luke Wenzel            2) Connor Lacasse

          3) Taylor Watson         4) Walker Thompson

2 - Traip                 3:42.94

         1) Atencio Martin          2) Travis Smith

         3) Brigman Rees          4) Ned Masury

1 - Foxcroft            3:44.84

        1) Chase Small             2) Garrett Hilton

        3) Zach Smith               4) Donnie Boyer

 

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Traip is the event’s defending state champion, but after losing two key legs, it’s unfortunaly nowhere near the same team. The same goes for last year’s runner-up Bucksport who lost standout Vinny Tymoczko. Sacopee Valley enters as the No. 1 seed at 3:36.52, just a half-second off their 3rd place time from last year’s state meet. Don’t be suprised to see the entire meet’s outcome rest on this sole event. Last year’s finishes between Sacopee Valley and Maranacook decided the team state champion.

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Boy’s high jump —

 

10 - Donnie Boyer (Foxcroft)          6–2

8 - Jacob Freeman (Livermore F.) 6–0

6 - Sam Shepherd (Hall-Dale)        6–0

4 - Nick James (Boothbay)             6–0

3 - Nate Foster (Sacopee)             5–10

2 - Atencio Martin (Traip)               5–10

1 - Ned Masury (Traip)                  5–10

 

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Foxcroft sophomore Donnie Boyer will most likely take the gold if he can repeat his May 13 performance of 6–2 in Brewer. Boyer finished fourth last year at states as a freshman. He will face strong challenges in Hall-Dale sophomore Sam Shepherd and Livermore Falls standout Jacob Freeman who both cleared 6–0 at last weekend’s conference championships. Boyer only cleared 5–8 last weekend.

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Boy’s long jump —

 

10 - Chris Pelletier (Maranacook)  20–7 3/4

8 - Morgan Reeves (Lisbon)          20–3

6 - Grady Markie (Mattanawcook) 19–8 3/4

4 - Shane Emery (Penquis)           19–8

3 - Jahleel Williams (Ft. Fairfield)  19–7

2 - Craig Reazor (MCI)                 19–7

1 - Christian Duncan (Central)      19–5

 

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Maranacook senior Chris Pelletier took first at last weekend’s KVAC Championship meet with this No. 1 seeded jump of 20–7 3/4. Pelletier’s jump is almost five inches further than that of No. 2 seed Lisbon junior Morgan Reeves, but Reeves enters as the top returning scorer from last year’s state meet where he took 3rd, jumping 19–11 1/4. To even think twice about becoming the winner of this event on Saturday, jumpers have got to get over the twenty-foot mark.

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Boy’s triple jump —

 

10 - Chris Pelletier (Maranacook) 43–9

8 - Morgan Reeves (Lisbon)         42–0

6 - Jahleel Williams (Ft. Fairfield)  41–6 1/2

4 - Atencio Martin (Traip)              41–5 1/2

3 - Mohamed Dahia (NYA)            40–9 3/4

2 - Spencer Traylor (Penquis)       40–7 1/4

1 - Marques Houston (Momouth)  39–5 1/2

 

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Again, Maranacook senior Chris Pelletier enters as the No. 1 seed with another mark from last weekend’s KVAC Championship meet. He is amazingly a foot and 9 inches over the next competitor which, again, is Lisbon junior Morgan Reeves, the event’s top returning scorer from last year’s meet — he took 2nd with leap of 41–6. If Pelletier can duplicate his performance from last weekend, he will win this event with ease.

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Boy’s javelin throw —

 

10 - Nick Peterson (Orono)            157–6

8 - Eric Columbe (Monmouth)       150–10

6 - Harry Lanphear (Maranacook) 149–4

4 - Craig Reazor (MCI)                  148–10

3 - Ryan Grover (Sumner)             146–4

2 - Alwayne Uter (Livermore Falls) 144–4

1 - Adam Healey (Sacopee)           142–2

 

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Orono senior Nick Peterson enters as the No. 1 seed with a throw of 157–6 and the defending state champion. Peterson threw 160–6 on his very last throw last year to take center podium at the state meet. Monmouth senior Eric Columbe threw his No. 2 seeded of 150–10 mark at last weekend’s MVC Championship meet. Expect Peterson to repeat and the field from fourth to seventh place to be anyone’s spot.

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Boy’s discus throw —

 

10 - Travis Hutchins (Winthrop)     140–7

8 - Nick Deniger (Boothbay)          133–10

6 - Andrew Lewis (Ft. Fairfield)      131–4

4 - Mike Anderson (Sacopee)        125–10

3 - Harry Lanphear (Maranacook) 125–6

2 - John LeMarca (Traip)               119–9

1 - Chris Desmond (John Bapst)    119–2

 

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Winthrop senior powerhouse Travis Hutchins returns as the event’s defending state champion. In last year’s state meet, Hutchins out threw his next competitor by only one foot, but entering Saturday’s meet, he has out thrown the No. 2 seed this season by nearly seven feet. Like javelin, this event will most likely see the defending state champion repeat his title, but the remaining places are virtually impredictable — whoever brings their best stuff on Saturday might find themselves right behind Hutchins in second place.

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Boy’s shot put —

 

10 - Chris Desmond (John Bapst)  46–6

8 - Nick Deniger (Boothbay)           46–4 1/2

6 - Cam Rayder (NYA)                   43–3

4 - Harry Lanphear (Maranacook) 42–11

3 - Nick Peterson (Orono)              42–10

2 - Jared Hughes (John Bapst)      42–3 1/2

1 - Zach Nadeau (Winthrop)          42–2

 

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John Bapst senior Chris Desmond has shown great improvment from last year’s state meet, improving his 3rd place throw of 42–9 1/2 to this season’s best mark of 46–6 — a difference of 4 feet, 3 and a half inches. No. 4 seed Maranacook senior Harry Lanphear returns as the event’s defending state champion, but unfortunately has seen a drop in throwing distance from last year’s winning mark of 43–2 1/4. Don’t be suprised to see Boothbay junior Nick Deniger steal the victory from Desmond.

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Boy’s pole vault —

 

10 - Morgan Reeves (Lisbon)            12–0

8 - Carl Lawrence (Sacopee)             11–6

6 - David Frederick (Orono)               11–4

4 - Kyle Foley (Madison)                    11–0

3 - Cole Miller (Sacopee)                   10–6

2 - Craig Reazor (MCI)                       10–6

1 - Caleb Castonguay (Maranacook) 10–6

 

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This should be an interesting event. Lisbon junior Morgan Reeves cleared 12–0 at last weekend’s MVC Championship and has improved immensely from his sophomore year at the state meet where he vaulted only 9–6. Sacopee Valley senior Carl Lawrence is the event’s top returning scorer from last year’s state meet. Lawrence got off to a slow start this season, but 12–0 and beyond isn’t too far fetched for the Hawks standout. Keep your eye on Orono sophomore David Frederick who has also shown excellent development from last year.

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Projected Team Scores —

 

1. Maranacook       75          2. Sacopee      74

3. Orono                 62          4. NYA                   52

5. Monmouth          40          6. Boothbay           37

7. Lisbon                 34          8. Wiscasset          28

9. Livermore Falls   25       10. Madison              22

11. Hall-Dale           18       12. Winthrop             18

13. Traip                 16       14. Freeport              14

15. Foxcroft            14       16. Telstar                 12

17. Ft. Fairfield         9       18. MCI                        9

19. St. Dominic         8       20. George Stevens     7

21. Central               7       22. Mattanawcook        6

23. Penquis              6       24. Waynflete               4

25. Dirigo                 4        26. Sumner                  4

27. John Bapst         3        28. Calvary Chapel      3

29. Washington        1

 

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Defending state champion Sacopee Valley stands side-by-side Maranacook. There’s really no way to predict this outcome, because it’s too close to call, but there’s one thing I can say: The winner will be the team that does their job and works the hardest — two ideas that very few Class ‘C’ teams can even attempt to execute. Whichever team takes advantage of the small opportunities throughout the meet will be crowned the state champion.

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