(PHOTOS COURTESY OF BYRON FLAGG)
Before moving on to a sure-to-be exciting day at Reggie Lewis Center this Saturday with the New England Championships on the slate, we’re going to take one last look at the Meet of Champions. This is a competition that never disappoints and it certainly lived up to its top billing over the weekend.
Here’s some of things we observed, or found out, during a well-spent five-plus hours around the oval.
***
In the no-surprise department, Jacob Cookinham captured the shot. The Bishop Stang senior uncorked the metal ball a distance of 66 feet, 0.25 inches in an event he won by more than 10 feet. It’s always a pleasure to talk with Cookinham, a very likable athlete who has held the No. 1 spot in the country since the start of the season. What we found out this past weekend from his dad is that his school does not have a shot circle to practice on. Instead, the Kansas-bound Cookinham has one in his own backyard…literally. “All of 2021, my family, my mom and dad, and me built this shot put circle.,” he said. “We laid the concrete, put the ring in, dug the center out, we put sand in the center and we put a tent over it so I could throw outside in the weather. I kind of have an indoor, outdoor facility…Anytime of the day, anytime of the night I get to do it.” Since the start of the winter, it’s been all about consistency this year for Cookinham who has been in the mid-to-high 60-foot range for most of the season with a best of 67-4.5. He’ll be back at Reggie this weekend for the New England Championships and the following week will be trying to make it two straight for the Bay State at the New Balance Nationals, an event won by Newton North’s Max Klein in 2022. Cookinham’s goal at the two meets is not only to attain gold but possibly break the New England record of 69-0.25 by former Woonsocket (RI) great Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan. He’s eyeing a possible 70-footer. At his home-built facility, he has that distance marked off. “I get to see it all the time. I know what it looks like. I’ve thrown it a couple of times,” he said. “It’s there. I’m just waiting for it.”
***
Did we expect anything different? Not sure most of us expected the boys’ two mile to be anything more than what we witnessed on Saturday with eventual champion Sam Burgess (Framinghman) and fellow rivals and 2-3 finishers Nathan Lopez (St. John’s Prep) and Paul Bergeron (Westford Academy) on the line. What we found out later is that all three runners never intended to make this race tactical, never intended to hold back once the gun was fired. They wanted to make this race honest, make it memorable and perhaps even make an attempt at the 24-year-old state mark of 8:49.60 by Lynn English alum Franklyn Sanchez. The discussion between the trio began back in early December out in San Diego where they all were competing in the Champs Sports Cross Country Championships (formerly Footlocker Nationals). All three agreed to do their part to push the pace and handle the front-running duties. Whoever had the most left at the end would be the victor. In this case, it was Burgess that had the most left. The Harvard signee made his break with three laps to go and raced to the third sub nine-minute effort of his career with a winning 8:59.27 with his rivals not too far behind. The trio weren’t able to challenge the amazing mark set by Sanchez, but it was a classic race indeed. It also once again reminded us that you don’t necessarily have to wear the same uniform to be part of a team. Well done, guys!
***
There was no doubt in our minds that the girls’ 4×200-meter relay would be special based on the level of talent in the race. Just one hundredth of a second separated our top two teams with Wachusett holding off Lowell with a winning time of 1:45.23. It didn’t surprise us that the Mountaineers and Red Raiders would be battling each other for the No. 1 spot. After all, they were the top two seeds and the only teams that have gone under 1:45 this season prior to the meet. But take a look at our other top entries. Reading (third, 1:45.98), Pembroke (fourth, 1:45.98), Woburn (fifth, 1:46.97) and Pentucket (sixth, 1:46.41) all ran season bests on Saturday. North Reading , which was seventh, had a near best of 1:46.97 and Marblehead earned the final spot on the podium by placing eighth with a SB of 1:47.43. Talk about showing up with your ‘A’ game at the biggest meet of the season.
***
It’s always great to see our Para athletes compete in these meets. This past weekend we had two of these athletes racing at Reggie Lewis. In the 55m dash, Weymouth’s Haley Carroll clocked a time of 15.88. Delmace Mayo of Brighton participated in the mile. The seven-time gold medalist from the Move United Junior Nationals in Denver this past summer was timed in 4:32.33. Congrats to you both on your accomplishments and continuing to inspire us by what you do.
***
Take a look at our lead photo. That’s Newton North’s Myles Scott extending a helping hand to Acton-Boxborough’s Alex Landry after the two sprinters finished the 300m dash. The race was won by Haverhill’s Nataenel Vigo catala with a time of 34.37. Landry was second in 34.67, while Scott was third at 34.83. This is something we see all the time whenever we’re at a track & field meet – fierce competitors when called to action and friendly rivals once it ends. It never gets old. It’s always great to see.
***
Kudos to Marathon Sports’ Steve Infascelli, who was the main announcer at the divisional state championship and Meet of Champions. In our opinion, when it comes to announcing, Infascelli is the best in the business. With his voice and his delivery, he knows how to generate the crowd. He knows how to captivate an audience with his play-by-play announcing when an event is taking place. He’s knowledgeable on the sport, and it’s clear he always does his homework. It’s often been said that the overall appeal of legendary talk show host Johnny Carson was not just his comedic talent, but the fact that it was never about him when he interviewed his guests on The Tonight Show. He always made the individuals that sat on the seat beside his desk feel like the real stars that they were. That’s the whole point of why we do this; to not only provide coverage of all the great happenings out there, but give these athletes their just due for all the hard work they put into their craft. Unfortunately, track & field often doesn’t get the proper coverage it deserves with sports like football, baseball and basketball occupying our sports pages, occupying most of the sports media. Each time he gets called to duty on the infield of the oval, Infascelli makes it a point to recognize these great athletes in the best way he knows how. This past Saturday’s Meet of Champions was the perfect example.
