Published in the June 1, 2017 edition
The boys track team is all smiles after finishing 2nd in the D4 States. (John Friberg Photo)
By Ryan Spinney
On Sunday May 28th, the NRHS Boys Spring Track Team attempted to finish off a dream season as they went to the Division IV State Championship at Norwell HS. Fresh off an undefeated CAL regular season championship, a CAL Open Championship and a State Relay Championship Title (a first in school history to win all three), the stakes were high and the competition was extremely tough. After a hard fought battle, the Hornets would have to settle for a silver as they finished 2nd overall to a very talented Old Rochester Regional team by a score of 84-59.5. Weston was third with 42 points overall. This 2nd place finish was the best finish ever in program history and it caps the highest achieving season the Hornets have ever had overall.
“This group of young men did everything they could today to bring home the title and unfortunately sometimes that doesn’t work out the way you hoped,” said Hornet coach Ryan Spinney. “I am so incredibly proud of this group. Not only for their athletic accomplishments but also in their growth in maturity and work ethic throughout the season. They defined the term “team” and that is worth so much more in my book.”
The Hornets were paced by top finisher Cam Davis who took 2nd overall in the Pentathlon (2829 points), 3rd overall in the Long Jump (20′ 6.75″) and tied for 7th in the High Jump (5′ 10″). Cam alone scored a whopping 15.5 points for the Hornets at the state level. Cam has been amazing this year in so many events for us. I am so happy for him as he really led our team today while proving that he is truly an elite athlete in our state.” Cam will be moving on to the All-State meet in both the Pentathlon and Long Jump events.
Also taking 2nd place was Jenson Kaithamattam in the Pole Vault with a vault of 11′ 0″. “Jenson has done everything possible to be the best vaulter he can. For him to be one of the best in the state is a testament to hard work and drive. He is an example of tenacity for all the younger kids on our team and we will miss him tremendously next year.” Jenson will vault at the All-State meet as well.
Joining Cam and Jenson at the All-State Meet will be Bob O’Donnell in the Shot Put (48′ 8″), George Guinta in the 200 meters (22.97 in prelims and 23.32 in finals) and the 4 x 100 Meter Relay team of George Giunta, Matt McCarthy, Billy Lord and Matheus Dovale (45.20) as they all scooped up 4th places.
Billy Lord, a freshman with a very bright track future, took 3rd overall at the Pentathlon. “Billy is going to be something very special. He is extremely driven and talented to boot. Watching him compete over the next 3 years will be very interesting.” Following closely behind Billy in the Pentathlon was senior Zach Robarts as he took 4th place. “Zach really pushed himself hard this season to be the very best he could be. It most definitely showed in his results and he was a tremendous talent for us over the last 4 years.” The Hornets also picked up 8th place with a strong effort from Senior Liam Rutherford to give them 20 points total for the event!
Senior Tom Helms broke the 2 minute barrier in the 800 meters as he took 5th overall in the event with a time of 1:59.39 which is 4th all time in NRHS history. “Tom has been a rock for us during his career and to see him break that barrier today is poetic justice. Such an accomplishment for a well deserving young man. He left his imprint on this team as being one of the guys that would always step up when the situation called for it and would run his heart out for us. Heart is something you can’t coach and he always displayed heart no matter what event he was competing it.” Junior Nick Carpenter took 6th in the Pole Vault with a vault of 10′ 0″ and to round of the scoring Hornets were 8th place finishers Jenson Kaithamattam in the 400 Meters and George Giunta in the 110 Meter Hurdles.
The Hornets will be graduating 22 Seniors next week and their impact on the program will be a monumentally positive one. “We can’t replace this group,” states Spinney. “We may be able to reproduce their athletic accomplishments at some point but we can’t replace their personalities and work ethic. The coaching staff, the school, the team and especially me, will miss them immensely. They are all excellent young men and will be successful if they keep working as hard as they did for us over the last four years.” CONGRATS HORNETS, OUTSTANDING SEASON! ENJOY THE MEMORIES!
