Villa Novan track success no surprise
Young boys squad delivers superb performances in field, jumps
PROVIDENCE – Some track and field aficionados may have been stunned at Woonsocket High’s stellar team finish at the R.I. Outdoor Championships at Brown Stadium last Saturday afternoon.
The Villa Novans rode a victory, two runner-up placements, a pair of thirds and a fifth to earn sixth overall among 31 squads. In the process, they rolled up 40 points, only eight less than fifth-place North Kingstown and 16 fewer than No. 4 West Warwick, considered one of the pre-meet favorites.
Late in the day, however, veteran head coach George Briggs maintained the success didn’t surprise him an iota, and that statement came long before he had learned junior Jake Greenless had captured the discus crown with a spectacular heave of 142-6.
“We’re having a great meet, and I think that’s shocked some people,” he stated, watching a race on a far end of the oval. “We were 11-1 during the (Northern Division) dual-meet season, our only loss to Cumberland, so this is a really good team. It’s also an undergraduate team, with a lot of solid juniors and sophomores.
“I kind of expected this,” he added. “You know, I’m involved with the Rhode Island coaches’ poll, where we rank who we believe to be the top teams in the state, and we weren’t even in the top 10, so this is nice.
“The huge thing is having our middle school program back; we went six years without having it, and it’s starting to show on the varsity level. We were getting freshmen who were great kids, but without any experience. You can’t expect to put them in top-flight competition and expect athletic genius. They were lacking that valuable experience.
“The middle-school program has been back for two years now, and it’s been a godsend. Another key element is having Barbara Raymond-Daluz as our distance coach. She was an All-Stater nine times between 1985-87, and the Gatorade/Rhode Island Track Athlete of the Year as a senior.
“We’re so pleased to have her as part of our program, as she helps in other events, too. She was the missing piece to the puzzle.”
Not surprisingly, the day began with juniors Jared Briere and Dilyn Cote placing second and third, respectively, in the hammer throw, a Villa Novan staple. Barrington senior Bobby Colantonio easily won with a phenomenal heave of 246-5, but Briere managed a toss of 202-1 and Cote another of 195-5.
“It was an average distance for me, but I was able to accomplish my goal of becoming an AllState second-team selection again,” admitted Briere, who gained the same placement in the 25-pound weight throw at the state indoor championships back in February. “Last year, I finished sixth at outdoor, and I was really disappointed. I knew I had a lot more in me; I could’ve done better.”
When asked if he thought he had a shot at upsetting Calontonio, one of the finest schoolboy hammer throwers in the nation, Briere stated, “You never know; that’s why you compete, but I pretty much knew if everything went according to plan, Bobby would win it.
“My best ever is 207-9, and I didn’t quite get there,” he continued. “My first throw in prelims was 199, then I threw 189 and my third was at 198. I was a little frustrated because, right at the start of the hammer finals, I was called to the shot put (area) for my first throw. I had to run up there, throw and then race back here.
“I was a little angry, but I knew I had to compose myself.”
He did, and then some, uncorking a heave of 202-1, which put him into the second spot.
“I just hit the right spots (in his “whirling” technique),” he noted. “I had good positioning and just let it fly.”
Because he hadn’t warmed up for the shot, he mustered a mere toss of 41 feet to finish 16th overall, but he was plenty warm for the discus. With a distance of 133-0, he earned a personal best to snag fifth.
When asked if he was satisfied with his fifth, Briere lit up, “Heck, yeah! My best throw in the finals was only 119 feet, and I wasn’t expecting to place, so it’s a huge bonus. I initially just wanted to come in and PR, have a good show- ing.”
While that was occurring, sophomore Josh Correia was busy fashioning a runner-up placement in the long jump (21-11 ½) and a third in the triple jump (40-11 ½). South Kingstown junior Anthony Shepard outdueled him in the long jump by 10 ½ inches, while Shepard and West Warwick senior Avery Williamson collected the top two spots in the triple jump.
Still, in the latter, Shepard only beat him by 15 inches, and Williamson by 11.
“He’s just a kid who comes to practice every day and works hard,” Briggs stated of Correia. “He’s a team captain as a sophomore, which is really saying something, but he is for a great reason. He’s a true-blue role model for the freshmen and his fellow sophomores. He’s a very mature young man, despite his young age, and he’s a real student of the jumps.”
Then there was Greenless, who saved the best for last. He had been seeded seventh in the discus with a PR toss of 138-9, but he unleashed a 142-6, eventually claiming the crown (and firstteam All-State status) over West Warwick junior Ivan Goretoy. He threw 142-1.
“There were a bunch of kids who were within five feet of each other, and I thought, ‘We’re all so close. I can do this if I put my mind to it,’” Greenless offered. “I did that on my second throw in the prelims. My first was only 102, which was disgusting. I tried to keep my shoulders back, but I ended up with a hitch in my rotation and it just fell out of my hands.
“I was all bummed out after that, and I’m not really sure what happened,” he continued. “I thought that I had been hitting some big throws in practice over the past couple of weeks, and I’ve been trying to get that to happen in a meet.
“It finally did, and now I’m a state champion. I don’t know how I did it; it hasn’t really sunk in. After taking 12th in the hammer (168-11), I figured I needed to redeem myself. My goal was to at least place and to get a PR, and I did that. It feels great. It’s a shock, but a good shock.”
Stated weight coach Marc Piette: “For all my guys, Jared, Dilyn and Jake, it’s just hard work, dedication and motivation. I wouldn’t say I expected all of this, but I did plan on the hammer guys to be where they were. As for the discus? I expected Jake to be in the top five and Jared to have a best-ever throw.
“To get two guys in the top five, man, I’ll take it. We had a lot of kids do really well.”
To be fair, Woonsocket also had a girl, junior Quinn Harlan, who nearly snatched for herself a state title in the long jump. In the end, she had to settle for runner-up status with a personal-best leap of 18-4 ½.
If not for a freak injury, she may have been the recipient of a lot more hardware in the 100 and 200 dashes.
If there was an award given for grit, determination and bravery, officials would’ve issued it to Harlan.
“I feel really great about the distance; it’s a new school record (she broke her own by 8 ½ inches the week before at the Mount Pleasant Invitational) and my PR,” she said. “I can’t believe it because I really wanted to break 18.
“I was stunned because my first jump in the prelims was 16 feet, and my second 17-2,” she added. “I was really trying to beat (Cumberland senior standout) Meaghan (Scullin). She’s a really good jumper, and she had just taken control of the leaderboard at 17-10.
“That’s when I went 18-4 ½, and I was thrilled. In the finals, I got 17 on my first jump, then fouled on the next two. On the last one, I was really going for 19 feet, but I went over the board and came down awkwardly on my (left) ankle. I think I rolled it.
“I was in a lot of pain, but I really wanted to push through it because I was so pumped up from the long jump, and I had the 100 prelims coming up. I started that first race, but I finished last; I couldn’t push off my foot. I had to scratch from the 100 and 200, so I’m pretty bummed.
“I could have had two state titles. My ankle still hurts pretty badly. I did get second-team AllState, but I wanted more.”
She didn’t collect a medal, yet – more importantly – she gained her coaches’ admiration.