Hillhouse captures home team title

MIDDLETOWN — When Manasseh Bekele crossed the line after putting the finishing touches on Hillhouse setting a Class MM record by winning the 4x400 relay, there were a few handshakes with his fellow anchor leg runners.

At the time, the blistering time of 3 minutes, 22.85 seconds set by Talib McBride, Dale Thompson, Naszier Torrence Robinson and Bekele seemed to wrap up the team title for the Academics. However, with a couple of events yet to be announced nothing would be official for another 30-45 minutes.

When the final number crunching was completed, Hillhouse won five events including two of the three relays to win the team title with 81.5 points while Bunnell had 71.

Hillhouse opened the meet with the quartet of McBride, Thompson, Ryan Martinez and Bekele winning the 4x800 relay in 8:07.82. Bunnell countered by winning the 4x100 relay in 42.46. Bekele won the 800 in 1:56.31 while junior Deshaune Poole accounted for 28 points by winning the 110 high hurdles (14.88), the 300 intermediate hurdles (39.24) and taking second in the 200, an event won by Masuk’s Conor Mahony.

“It is amazing, we only came out here with seven athletes so to come out and score high it is a big deal,” Poole said. “I knew I had to get those points so I had to focus. I tried to tell myself to work hard, try to catch them on the turn.”

Bunnell’s Elijah Henry and Jonathan Cineus finished first and second in the triple jump for Bunnell while Christ N’Dabian and Elijah Henry were the top two finishers in the 100.

Stratford’s Khalil Carr won the 400 in 49.56 and helped city rival in the process by taking some points away from Hillhouse.

SETTING THE STANDARD

Neither Hand High’s Michael Burchell nor Bunnell’s Hannah McLaughlin saw their record-breaking throws coming, which made things all the sweeter

for the two seniors.

Burchell was in good shape to win the shot put title even before his final

attempt in the boys’ shot put.

With most of the pressure off, he uncorked a final toss of 55 feet, 21⁄4 inches that brought an emphatic end to the event. Not only did he set the Class MM

meet record that has stood since 2006 but also the Hand school record set 43 years ago.

“I didn’t think it was gong to be 55,” Burchell said. “My PR (personal record) was 52-10 and the

school record was 54-6. I was getting worried that I wasn’t going to beat it before I graduated.”

Catherine Avalone / Hearst Connecticut Media Hillhouse junior Deshaune Poole won the 300-meter hurdles at Wednesday’s Class MM track championships at Middletown High School.