Arnold Mills goes virtual
Runners have week to run annual Four-Mile Road Race
A little of this, a little of that …
• With entrants having the choice to run the required distance over a week-long stretch, the 52nd edition of the Arnold Mills Four-Mile Road Race will go down as the most unusual in the event’s history.
Runners have between Sunday, June 28 until 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 4 to complete the fourmile distance at any place they choose before submitting their results. A word to the wise to those who haven’t signed up yet – the registration deadline is Thursday, July 2 at midnight. The only place to signup is by clicking on www.arnoldmillsparade.com/road-race.
Each runner receives a code that they must enter before logging their time.
“The reason why we put a deadline is that we didn’t want a bunch of people to decide to run on the last day,” said Arnold Mills race director Steve Mazzone. “The hard-core runners, they probably have a date already reserved when they’re going to actually do it.”
Mazzone wouldn’t be surprised if a number of folks keep the tradition alive of running on July 4. If they’re aiming for a 9 a.m. start near the Cumberland Fire Station before proceeding down Nate Whipple Highway, it’s important to adhere to social-distancing guidelines. The course will be marked.
“We have runners from Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, and Pennsylvania in addition to those from Massachusetts and Rhode Island,” noted Mazzone.
“We don’t have a lot of high-school aged kids right now, but to me, doing a race like this is the perfect kickoff to their summer.”
Complete results will be posted either Saturday night (July 4) or early Sunday morning (July 5) on www.oceanstaterunning.com. The top overall finishers, as well as finishers in several of the age-related and specialty categories, will be honored with prizes.
The T-shirt that’s included with the $10 entry fee will be available for pickup at the Old School House next to the North Cumberland Fire Station on Friday, July 3, from 3-6 p.m. and again on Saturday, July 4, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. If you’re unable to make it in-person, reach out to former Cumberland High cross-country/track coach Tom Kenwood (Kenwood2@cox.net) to make arrangements.
Should you have further questions, email Mazzone at smazzone5@gmail.com.
• Soon-to-be college contributors Erickson Bans and Jaylen Smith were among the big winners at the Shea High School athletic awards ceremony that was recently held virtually. Bans and Smith were co-recipients of the Winston Dodge Male Athlete of the Year. Bans re-wrote basketball history for the Raiders and is off to Bryant University. Smith, a football and track standout, is suiting up for the gridiron program at the University of Rhode Island.
Girls basketball star Yasmine Santos was tabbed the Carolyn Nactrieb Female Athlete of the Year.
Shea also announced Coach’s Special Awards in the following sports: football (Pedro Cartagena, Raheim Dacosta, Ronaldo Gomes, Jaydason Gomes, Sergio Gonzalez, Seydina Gueye, DeJuan Hayes, Maliek Jackson, Immanuel Lima, Joron Lewis, Kennedy Miranda, Tyree Martin, Davontay Vaz, Edmilson Teixeira, and Christopher Whitfield), baseball (Joron Lewis, Sean Soares), boys basketball (DeJuan Hayes), girls basketball (Alia Darius), swimming (Anthony Acevedo), girls soccer (Daisy Tavares, Michelle Sanchez Mayo, Alia Darius, Autulinda Monteiro), girls tennis (Evsyvette Chapman, Sarah Mateo), boys track (Ronaldo Gomes, Davontay Vaz), girls volleyball (Sayara Silwal, Alia Darius), and boys volleyball (Pedro Cartagena).
The Principal’s Special Award went to Sophia Panzo (softball, tennis) and Igaliah Makor. The Athletic Director’s Special Award was given to Mishayla Culhane and Brian Bericochea.
The Raiders also recognized Brianna Andrade with the Stephen Paul Schaffer Student-Athlete Award that’s given to the top academic student who participates in athletics. Brandon Ribeiro received the Jason Beaulieu Award that’s presented to a baseball player. Receiving the Marines’ Male & Female Distinguished Athlete Award were Jazmin Torres and Christopher Whitfield. Brian Beriochea was presented with the Marines’ Scholastic Excellence Award.
The Brian Hayward Memorial Award that recognizes a Shea athlete who’s supportive of his peers and teammates went to Ezekiel Velazquez. The Thomas J. Duffy Unsung Hero Award was given to Frank Barrios. The Neil Shacket Pride & Desire Award was presented to Jacob Lopes.
• For its annual sports banquet, Woonsocket High put together a slideshow that was placed on the school’s website. Each head coach announced their choice for MVP and Most Improved Player.
The MVP winners include Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan (football), Arianna Martinez (cheerleading), Bethany Coppinger (field hockey), Jason Corrales (boys soccer), Aijah Insisiengmay (girls soccer), Drew Paskanik (boys cross-country), Nicole Dioh (girls cross-country), Hannah Moyen (girls volleyball), Brian Benitez (unified volleyball),
Tianna Carpentier (girls tennis), Ousmane Kouroma (boys basketball), Isabella Mencarini (girls basketball), Hayden DePault (wrestling), Logan Coles (boys indoor track & field), and Jahzarah Kizzy Alexis (girls indoor track & field).
Recognized as his/her team’s Most Improved Player were Anfernee Abney (football), Kaitlynne Santana (cheerleading), Brianna Woodmansee (field hockey), Elias Marcotte (boys soccer), Payton Laverdiere (girls soccer), Joseph Libucha (boys cross-country), Brianlys Simono (girls cross-country), Madison Thibodeau (girls volleyball), Xavier Pantoja (unified volleyball), Rachnie Iv (girls tennis), Marcus Harmon (boys basketball), Tianna Carpentier (girls basketball), Davin Alarie (wrestling), Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan (boys indoor track & field), and Jalissa Jackson (girls indoor track & field).
Three-sport athlete Jason Corrales (volleyball, wrestling, soccer) took home the Novan Spirit Award while Jesse Houle, a participant in football and track, earned the Male Most Versatile Award. A letter winner in softball, track and volleyball, Madison Thibodeau earned the Female Most Versatile Award. Eric Bedoya Morgan was named the top Male Student Athlete while Anna-Trang Truong was tabbed the top Female Student Athlete.
• For those wondering, the R.I. Boys Basketball Committee will be meeting again at some point in the near future to figure out the alignment that works best for everyone for the 2020-21 season. The proposal that was submitted was rejected at last week’s meeting of the RIIL’s Principals’ Committee on Athletics.
• Games from yesteryear are continuing to be added to the YouTube channel that’s managed by the R.I. High School Boys Basketball Coaches Association. Currently, over 100 games that date back to 1987 have been added. The rolodex, which includes 20 championship games, is being updated on a daily basis.
• Rhode Island ended up sending two high school football teams to the Twitter-based National Helmet Tournament that opened last week. State champ Davies Tech earned an automatic bid to the Field of 67 while Cumberland received an at-large berth. The Patriots lost to a school from El Paso, Texas in the Round of 64. Meanwhile, the Clippers received enough online votes to advance to the Round of 32 before falling to the state champ from Kentucky.
• So far, 1.6 million pounds of food have been distributed to families as part of the several food drives that have taken place at McCoy Stadium with the help of Ocean State Job Lot and The Elisha Project. The next food drive at McCoy is scheduled for this Friday.
• Last Saturday’s Belmont Stakes provided a sad snapshot of sports without the presence of fans rooting on from the stands. Can’t wait for the walk-off home run that barely registers a ripple with half-filled or completely empty ballparks.
• There’s a part of me that’s always believed the NBA and NHL should have punted on the idea of crowning a champion for the 2019-20 season. The idea of returning to action this summer … don’t be surprised if multiple seasons are impacted down the line.
• This column would have been longer, but with Major League Baseball announcing a 60-game season that’s slated to begin in late July, it’s time to dust off the fantasy draft prep that was put aside for obvious reasons.