NORTH ANDOVER ― Led by a star-studded senior class, the Tanners completed a dream years in the making.
Peabody Veterans Memorial boys track & field took home its first state title in program history, scoring 92 points to outpace the competition. Marshfield placed second with 66 points.
“It’s something that’s very, very special… we’ve worked very hard for many, many years and it really starts with the staff that we have,” Peabody boys track & field coach Fernando Braz said. “Our kids just came together as a group… the last two years we got second a couple times and they made a commitment this year.”
The Tanners saw key contributions from all across the team, including Peyton Smith’s first-place finish in the 110m hurdles and Declan Smith’s second and third-place finishes in the 1-mile and 800m respectively. Areno Saint-Victor also picked up two medals with a third-place finish in discus and a second-place finish in shot put.
But the Tanners’ first state title would not be a reality without the continued dominance of Alex Jackson, who retained his first-place medal in both the discus and the shot put events.
“It’s big individually to get these medals, we work all year for this meet — but it’s even bigger as a team to get these medals (and) to get the 20 points for the team,” Jackson said.
“This is a special senior class… there’s talent all-around, top-heavy talent. There’s so much depth and it’s a special group.”
Marshfield’s Nathan Looney sets new 100m state record
Marshfield’s Nathan Looney broke the Massachusetts’ boys 100m state record in a photo-finish to win the gold medal.
Looney’s time of 10.535 beat out Daniel Killian of Winchester by a feather, crossing at 10.540. Killian’s mark also broke the original state record, giving him the second-best mark in the state record books.
“I honestly thought I lost,” Looney said. “… surreal feeling, I’ve been wanting this since I was a sophomore so it was great to finally (win).
“I just kind of blacked out for the past two minutes… (during the race) it felt crazy, it felt like lightning through every vein in your body. Killian (has) been a competitor (of mine) for the past three years, I’ve been pushing for him, he’s been ahead of me in every race — pretty much was in this race. I don’t know how had that, it’s crazy, but it means a lot going to (UMass) next year, knowing I have this time under my belt.”
Looney placed first in the 200m event as well for Marshfield, joining Graham Heinrich with two first-place medals for the Rams, who won gold in both the 1-mile and the 2-mile events.
Jackson Booker, Amar Skeete shine for Catholic Memorial
Catholic Memorial boys track & field placed fifth overall, led by standout performances from two gold-medal winners, Jackson Booker and Amar Skeete.
Booker’s winning score of 23-00.25 in the long jump not only set a new PR for him, but also ranked fourth all-time in the state records. The Knights’ sophomore also earned a third-place finish in the 100m dash and led the 4x100m relay team that placed first overall, also ranking fourth all-time.
“I just PR’d twice, two big PR’s I was not expecting,” Booker said. “But I’ve been working hard and practicing, it’s been a good couple weeks leading up to states, so I think I definitely deserve these PRs, it feels good.
“I got two years ahead of me to work hard and hopefully break some more records. The more I work and because I have so much time, I definitely am looking forward to the future.”
A fellow sophomore and gold-medalist, Skeete’s score of 47-05.25 in the triple jump ranked second all-time in the state records.
“It really is such an inspiring moment for me,” Skeete said. “It really pushes me to go farther, seeing what I could already accomplish.
“It’s (a) huge relief and joy mixed into one, because I’ve really been working and then to see it finally pay off, it just put a smile on my face.”
Springfield Central’s Carmelo Harrell earns second-place medal
Springfield Central’s Carmelo Harrell brought home a second-place medal for his performance in the 110m hurdles. His time of 15.18 set a new PR by nearly half a second, a significant jump for the Golden Eagles’ senior, entering the year with a PR of 15.63.
“It’s a big PR… I’m pretty proud of that,” Harrell said. “(Meets like this) brings out the best… coming out here, everyone’s got the same goal as you and everybody’s running at the same time as you.
“You got to push yourself further than you’ve ever done to make a difference. There is strong competition out here, I have never raced against any of these people and I just wanted to go, give out my best and it let me to come in second place.”
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