NN’s Burba blazes to win
Fastest 600 in country
A nasty bout with pneumonia knocked Theo Burba out of the Coaches Invitational last season, so you can bet the Newton North sophomore was primed to leave his mark on the Large School meet yesterday at the Reggie Lewis Center.
Burba found the early pace plenty fast enough in the 600 so he wasn’t content to settle in with the talented pack. He still had plenty of lift in his legs on the gun lap as he tore away to the win in a very quick 1 minute, 21.02 seconds. The time was not only a personal best for Burba, but also the fastest time in the country this winter.
“I usually run a lot faster when I tuck in at the start,” he said. “Coming in I thought I’d be running from the front, but I was able to tuck in with the pack.”
Newton North’s Andrew Mah shadowed St. John’s Prep’s Tristan Shelgren through a 4:35 opening mile before surging into the lead on the backstretch with five laps remaining in the 2-mile. Mah never faltered as he sliced 10 seconds off his personal best with his 9:17.62.
Shelgren finished strong to take second in 9:25.10. “I wanted to stay behind,” said Mah. “I didn’t want to be out in the lead early.”
Plymouth South’s Madelyn Sessler’s training the past two weeks had been spotty, courtesy of a hamstring injury sustained in the Coaches Relays and a stomach bug last week. The Columbia-bound defending All-State champion in the 55 hurdles hardly looked the worse for wear, though, as she bolted to an 8.59 victory against a talented field.
“There’s not as much pressure on me because the girls I ran against last year graduated,” she said. “There is more pressure on me to run on my own. It’s my first race competing against girls around my time.”
Newton South’s Calene Lazare also had a big day on the infield as she broke her personal best in the preliminary heat of the 55 dash and again for the win in 7.26.
Marshfield’s Derek Holmes found the 2:12 pace through the opening 800 too slow so he surged past Brockton’s Christopher McCaffrey and forged ahead for a decisive win in a personal best time of 4:22.98.
The girls mile had a Dual County League flavor with the top three finishers all hailing from the competitive league. Newton South’s Caroline Barry emerged from a bunched pack early and set the pace for the next seven laps. Newton North’s boys claimed the lone meet record, blazing their way to a 1:30.99 to erase the 2012 mark of 1:31.33 set by Chelmsford.
Brighton’s Ricky Francois didn’t let a sore hamstring sway him in the 300 as he cruised to a 35.39 win. He also captured the long jump title with a leap of 21-53⁄ 4. Phillipe Marge of Somerville clinched second in 35.92 and Lowell’s Michael Akon was third in 36.63. Dartmouth’s Colin McCabe proved to be the class of the shot put field as he won by more than six feet with a monster heave of 57-10.