The four extra days between Saturdays state meet and the finish of meet provided plenty of time for the pressure of winning to set in. With the meet on the line Sanford's Nick Wall executed his jumps with perfection seemingly ignoring the pressure. Wall would finish in a tie for 2nd to give his team more than enough points to win their first ever state track title. Wall cleared 12-6 a new personal best, and provided 7 important points.
Sanford enetered the meet with a 69-65 edge over Cheverus, the Stags had one vaulter in the meet as did Sanford. Cheverus's freshman Jacob Schott failed to clear the opening height, but the trophies weren't handed out just yet as Bonny Eagle who was in 3rd had 55.5 points & two vaulters remaining. Wall put any doubt on whether he could handle the pressue to sleep with his opening height clearance of 11-0. He would remain clean until he attempted 13-0. Scarborough's Kevin Manning was the only athlete to clear 13-0 and he did it on his first attempt with no misses in the competition as he captured his first indvidual state title. the juniors came into the meet with a personal best of 12-0.
The Scots of Bonny Eagle would place Jordan Trafford in 6th place, but that wasn't enough to move past Cheverus into 2nd. So in the end in was Sanford who had brought several teams members to cheer on their teammate winning state title with 76 points, with Cheverus finishing as the runner-up (65), Bonny Eagle was 3rd (57)
Interview with Sanford's Nick Wall
What a way to end a state meet, in a competition that began at 3pm with the boys vault, the girls finished up just after 8:30. If you weren't at the meet you missed what makes track & field the greatest sport in the world. With the state title on the line the girls from Edward Little & Scarborough performed remarkable well under the pressure packed 3 hour event. Edward Little entered the meet ahead by one point 75-74, the Red Eddies had the #2 ranked vaulter in Jaclyn Masters & the #7 vaulter in Lexi Clavet, Scarborough countered with #3 Catherine Bailey & #6 Andrea Tolman. With 34 girls entered in the event it took a while for the action to heat up but when it did the number of girls vaulting at a high level was at all-time level for Maine.
EL's Clavet opened up the duel at 7-9 clearing that height with ease, as she did with 8-6 on her first attempt. At 9-0 Scarborough's vaulters entered the competition. Tolman who missed the last 3 weeks due to a hamstring injury was first up, she planted and the pole slipped out of her hands as she did a semi flip and landed on her head, not exactly the vault that would ease the nerves. Bailey was up next and she executed perfectly over 9-0. Clavet would also clear 9-0 on her first attempt, and Tolman would get over on her 2nd attempt.
As the bar moved to 9-6, Clavet had her first miss, and Tolman followed her one the runway with a first attempt make at 9-6. Bailey would clear 9-6 on her first attempt. Then EL's Jaclyn Masters enetered with a first attempt clearance of 9-6. It would take Clavet 3 tries but she would clear 9-6 to keep the Red Eddies title hopes alive. Nothing had been decided yet and there was a lot of vaulting left.
With the bar moving to 10-0, Clavet jumped first and failed to clear, Tolman followed with a first attempt make which would prove to be a big jump, Bailey followed with a first attempt miss, and Masters would clear as well despite a brush of the bar. Clavet & Bailey would miss on their 2nd attempts leaving them with one final try to advance to the next height. Clavet had her best attempt just brushing the bar off, she would end her night with a personal best jump of 9-6. Bailey followed with her final attempt and make the right adjustments as she sailed over.
The next height was 10-6, and amazingly there was still 6 girls remaining in the competiton. Scarborough's Catherine Bailey after surviving at 10-0, went up and over 10-6, and got a favorable bounce as the bar stayed on, she be the only vaulter in the competiton to clear 10-6 on her first attempt. Lindsay Folsom of Cony would go over on her 2nd attempt, while Bangor's Courtney Lizotte & EL's Masters would sneak over with 3rd attempt clearances.
With the bar at 11-0, Folsom would have a huge clearance which would prove to be the winning height. Bailey, Lizotte, & Masters would all have 3 attempts but none would be able to clear. Folsom would then move the bar to 11-7, which was 1 inch higher than the Class A state meet record, she'd have 3 good attempts but was unable to clear.
With the vault over the Scarborough seniors once again came up big in the clutch pressure situation, this senior group was no stranger to winning as this was their 6 state team title they have been apart of during their 4 year career, being in the pressure packed situations every year paid of for them once again. The Red Storm finished with 84.5 while EL tallied 80.
This was one of the most intense meets I've ever been witnessed, while their can only be one champion, the girls that competed tonight showed a lot of guts, determination & fearlessness. It was just them on the runway with their poles trying to launch themselves in the air over a bar, they represented their schools with great pride & performed at such a high level in a pressure packed situation. Congratulations to all the young men & women who competed tonight it was a pleasure to watch you all!
Interview with Scarborough's Andrea Tolman & Catherine Bailey