During MileSplit's live stream of the Division I State Championships this past week, play-by-play announcer Steve Infaselli proclaimed this season as "The Year of the 600." Infaselli was making reference to not only American middle-distance star Cas Loxsom's recent world indoor record, but what is also happening here in the Bay State.
Burncoat's Rodney Agyare-May, the defending state champion, is currently ranked No. 1 in the country after breaking Loxsom's New England record a few weeks ago at The Armory Track Invitational with a winning time of 1 minutes, 18.40 seconds. Right behind Agyare-May is fellow rival, Newton North tenth-grader Theo Burba, who won the Division I Championship this past Saturday in a nation No. 2 of 1:19.62. In what could be the race of the day in the boys' competition at Sunday's MIAA All State Championship, the two gifted runners will toe the line together in a race that we're predicting could have two under 1:19! Imagine that? There's also John Gove of Leominster, who could make things interesting down the final stretch. Gove finished second to Burba at the divisionals with a best of 1:20.55 (US #5).
How about the 1,000m? This race could have three under the 2:30 mark. At the Division I meet on Saturday, Lexington's Thomas Lingard held off Acton-Boxborough's Colin Grip with Lingard breaking the tape in 2:29.61 (US #6) to Grip's runner-up effort of 2:29.76 (Tied, US #8). The race also saw third-place Devin O'Connell of Andover come close to breaking 2:30 with his time of 2:30.54 (US #14).
Newton North, one of several teams in the hunt for the team title, will be looking to get 10 big points from Andrew Mah in the two-mile run. Mah is the top-ranked runner for the 16-lapper with his 9:17.62 from the MSTCA Coaches Invitational in late January. Mah looked impressive in his victory at the Division 1 meet where he won by four seconds in 9:20.05, an effort that came after winning the unseeded heat of the mile in 4:25.58 (fifth overall. St. John's Patrick Creamer, who was second to Mah at the divisionals, is the No. 2 seed with a 9:24.
In the mile, Newburyport's Jack Carleo leads the charge. Carleo clocked a personal best of 4:13.77, which he ran to finish fourth in the high school race of the NYRR Millrose Games. He also did 4:16 at a BU Mini Meet at the start of the season. Carleo, who's not afraid to take the pace out hard, will be tough to beat this weekend. The real question might be who will finish second? As far as that goes, it's anybody's guess. Masconomet Regional's Kyle Faddas (4:19.50) and Marshfield's Derek Holmes (4:19.89) both went under 4:20 by going 1-2 at the Division I meet. St. John Prep's Tristan Shelgren is also a 4:19 miler and came close to the mark this past weekend when he captured the Div. 2 title with a 4:20.48 clocking, mere strides ahead of Ben Kovacs of St. John's, who was timed in 4:20.57.
Sophomore Smith Charles of Milton has potential to rack up quite a few points in his team's quest for a title. He's ranked No. 1 in the 55m dash, an event he was fourth last year at the All-State Meet as a ninth-grader. He's also among the top 3 in the high jump and long jump. Charles' biggest challenge will come in the 55m where he'll more than likely duke it out with Northampton's Nikolas Smith. The two engaged in a down-to-the-wire affair at the Div. 4 meet where Charles was able to edge his rival with an all-time best of 6.45 to Smith's 6.48. You also can't count out Brighton's Ricky Francois (6.50) and Catholic Memorial's Ore Ojo (6.54), who were the respective Div. 2 and Div. 3 winners last week.
Charles is one of six athletes that have cleared 6-4 in the high jump this season. He has a best of 6-6, which he did at the outdoor state meet last June. The favorite in this event is Old Rochester's Danny Renwick, who established a meet record and PR of 6-8.25 in the Div. 2 meet. It's a crowded field in the long jump, too. Eight competitors have gone further than 21 feet with St. John's Nikolas Reardon leading the charge based on his first-place leap of 22-4.25 at the Div. 1 meet. Charles is the only other athlete that has done 22-plus with a best of 22-3.5.
With 12 teams separated by a mere two seconds, the 4x200m relay should create some excitement towards the tail end of the meet. Div.1 winner Lexington(1:31.50) and Div. 2 champion Brighton (1:31.68) hold the top two seeds based on what they did this past week. But it's Newton North that is the only team that has broken 1:31, just barely going under the mark with a 1:30.99 from its win at the Coaches Invitational last month.
The other two relays appear to be equally as close when predicting a winner. Eleven teams went under 3:30 this season in the 4x400m and 10 dipped under that time at the divisionals. Catholic Memorial (3:25.77) boast the fastest time of the bunch. But there is also Newton North (3:25.84), Lexington (3:26.92) and Acton Boxborough (3:26.97) among a few others that could contend. In the 4x800m relay, Marshfield is the only foursome that has broken eight minutes this season, clocking a nation No. 9 of 7:57.74 at the Div. 2 State Relays in mid January.
Colin McCabe of Dartmouth, who has improved by nearly 10 feet in the shot put from last year, will be looking to win his first state title. He currently holds the top seed with his PB of 57-10 at the Coaches Invitational. If McCabe can pull off the win, he'll improved by 11 placements from the 2016 All-State Meet. He was 12th last year. McCabe's toughest challenger appears to be Marlborough's Manny Teo. Teo was second to McCabe at the Div. 3 meet with his best of 52-4.25.