Published in the January 12, 2018 edition.
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
BOSTON — The WMHS boys’ indoor track team needed one more win when they traveled to Boston University on Tuesday to play Stoneham. One more win, and another Freedom Division title would accompany a perfect 5-0 record in divisional play.
It is often times a difficult scenario for an athlete to maintain their composure and keep pushing, but Wakefield is full of upperclassmen who have been in this situation throughout their entire Warrior careers, and those competitors made sure their team was ready to seize the opportunity. In the end, Wakefield left no doubts, beating the Spartans 77-14 in a complete team effort that surely made the coaching staff proud.
“I am really happy for our whole team but especially the seniors because they have won the championship three out of their four years and they know it hasn’t been easy,” said Wakefield head coach Ruben Reinoso.
The Warrior runners were in mid-season form, as they took 1st through 3rd in multiple events including the 55 meter, 300 meter, 600 meter, 1000 and one mile.
In the one mile, seniors Tommy Lucey (4:37.54), Matt Greatorex (4:40) and Ryan Smith (5:00.17) finished 1,2,3 in their final indoor Freedom Division miler.
In the 1,000 meter, junior Billy Stevens took 1st in 2:49.35. Juniors Carter Margolis (2:53.45) and Nick Connor (2:43.48) crossed the line nearly side by side for 2nd and 3rd.
In the 600 meter, the Warriors nabbed the first four spots, led by sophomore Tanner Jellison (1:27.12) and followed by senior Riley Brackett (1:32.07), senior Ryan Ritchie (1:36.25) and sophomore Matt Roberto (1:38.47).
The 300 meter saw junior Brian Smith take 1st in 38.21. Freshman Tucker Stikeman (39.95) and senior Jared Hurley (40.00) finished neck-and-neck for 2nd and 3rd.
In the 55 meter dash, senior Henry Stikeman flew to a first place finish with a time of 7.10. Sophomore Ryan Obear took 2nd at 7.23 while junior Tommy Mottl got 3rd at 7.32.
In the two mile, Wakefield got the top two spots with juniors Rohan Singhvi (10:19.18) and Casey Brackett (10:23.39). Senior David Lee also ran a great race in 10:42.37, crossing the line in 4th place.
In the 55 meter hurdles, senior Sam Morey cruised in at 8.72 for 2nd place while senior Jordan Fauci (9.36), sophomore Eli Gosslin-Smoske (10.03) and junior Thomas Galvin (10.35) took 3rd through 5th.
Wakefield also won both relays, with Henry Stikeman, Obear, Mottl and Brian Smith winning the 4×200 in 1:37.65 while sophomore Trevor Zupan, Lucey, Margolis and Hurley won the 4×400 relay at 3:48.46.
The Warriors were just as solid In the field events. Senior Pat Redmond kept his streak alive with a first-place 47’10.5 throw. Redmond had the best throw in every meet this season. Sophomore Liam Cosgrove threw it 37’ for 3rd place.
Senior Marc Biennestin took 2nd place in the high jump with a 5’9 leap. Galvin took 3rd at 5’5.
The Warriors still have more to look forward to in the indoor season as the relay teams will get ready to compete in the state relays taking place on Saturday, Jan. 20. After that, the team will reset for the Middlesex League Championship Meet which will take place on Monday, Feb. 5, 4:30 p.m. at the Reggie Lewis Center.
But for now, the Warriors have earned the right to celebrate this win, another great accomplish for a team (and a senior class) that will go down in Wakefield history as one of the best ever.
“My coaching staff has done a great job all year to make sure the athletes were ready,” said Reinoso. “I am glad that hard work and sacrifice has paid off.”
