The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Middletown ready to defend track and field Class L title
MIDDLETOWN — The Middletown boys track and field team has taken on a different attitude this year in its preparation for Tuesday’s CIAC Class L championship meet at Rosek-Skubel Stadium.
The Blue Dragons were a contender last year and filled the role well, winning the school’s first state title in the sport on the strength of first-place finishes in two relays and two individual events. Now, as defending champs they are owning the title and have every intention of making it two in a row.
“After we won last year, that’s all they talk about, ‘we want another ring,’” head coach Jenn Price said. “Winning becomes addictive. It’s a good feeling.”
Price and her coaching staff had a choice after the conclusion of the CCCSouth meet on Wednesday – enter each athlete in each event he qualified for (up to three), or pull back on some to maximize the potential to win points and, therefore, the team championship. Points go to the top eight finishers.
“We decided to go for it,” Price said. “We put all kids in the events they qualified for and we’ll hope for the best. I think we’re in decent shape.”
With the exceptions of the 4x400 relay and the 300 hurdles, a Middletown athlete qualified in every event for the Class L meet. At the CCC South championships, the last opportunity to qualify for states, Tyler Wenzel got there with an effort of 11 feet in the pole vault. The brothers Drescher, Dylan (163-8) and
Trevor (145-11), did the same in the javelin.
Price is hopeful that the Blue Dragons’ depth will carry the day at the state meet.
“Last year we went in gunning for the team championship, and now we’re more well-rounded this year than last year,” she said.
Middletown’s competition is expected to come from Windsor, which moves up from Class MM, where it finished fourth last year; Xavier, which moves down from Class LL; Bristol Central and Hall. Hand, last year’s Class L runnerup and the eventual State Open champion, moved
down to MM.
“There are teams not in our division last year, and some who are improved,” Price said. “Other teams faltered and we jumped ahead. Things fell into place and we met expectations and jumped over teams.”
Middletown will be defending its title in the 4x100 relay and will go with DaJaun Lamotey, Eddie Williams, Nico Cavaliere and DeShaun Bradshaw. In another example of wanting to maximize points, Garrett Dandridge, who ran the third leg of the 2017 relay, instead will compete in the 100, 200 and 400 meters. He was second in last year’s 200.
A hamstring injury limited Cavaliere the last two seasons. He tweaked it while running the 4x100 at
the Middletown Invitational in early May and didn’t compete in the 100 and 200. Sandy Tucci, who coaches the team’s sprinters and hurdlers, has put restrictions on his athletes who are dealing with nagging injuries in order to have them as fully healthy as possible Tuesday.
However, as Cavaliere attested, “at the end of the day we have to get the job done and push ourselves.”
Bradshaw was last year’s champion in the 100 (11.24 seconds) and he’ll be back along with teammates as qualifiers: Cavaliere, Dandridge, Lamotey, Williams and Reynaldo Ramos.
Senior DeAaron Lawrence will compete in the jumps trifecta – long, high, and triple. He is the defending champion in the high jump.
“A lot of people feel like we have big shoes to fill (Tuesday),” Lawrence said. “We lost key sprinters and hurdlers, but we think we can (repeat).”
An All-State performer in football, basketball and track, Lawrence will attend Stonehill College and intends to play at least football.
“Those accomplishments stack up as well as any you’ll find,” Tucci said. “In my opinion, he’s the best all-around athlete in the state. For me as a coach, as a senior he’s expanded his repertoire in track and dedicated himself to the two horizontal jumps. We’re counting on him for point production in those two events. He should be a major factor.”