Acton-Boxborough came close to winning the team title at last year’s MSTCA Division 2 State Relays only to watch Newton North rally in the final four events to take the crown.
The Revolution wasn’t about to let that happen again.
Acton Boxborough took care of business early at Saturday’s meet and then thwarted off a strong surge by St. John’s Prep in the late stages to earn a 44-41 victory over the Eagles. Newton North was third with 32 points.
In the girls’ meet, Franklin and Newton North shared the crown, scoring 36 points apiece. Central Catholic was third with 30 points.
Since its’ 2023 loss to the Tigers, it’s been all about preparation for this year’s race, according to Acton-Boxborough boys’ head coach DJ Brock.
“The whole team knew what we had to do from Day 1,” Brock said. “We have been thinking about this meet. We’ve been preparing for it. The kids have been working hard since the fall. We knew we were going to have to compete with some of the best schools in the state. We were excited for that. We knew they’d bring their ‘A’ games. We brought ours as well. Everybody stepped up. Everybody did what they needed to do. We have a bunch of new kids. It’s been exciting. Kudos to them. They were all pushing each other today. That’s what it’s all about.”
The shuttle hurdle squad and second-place Lexington (25.53) both broke the existing meet record. The Revolution’s quartet consisted of Noah Stegmeier, Owen Chen, Ivan Yan, and Ian Huribut. The hurdlers are coached by former Acton Boxborough all-stater Adam Yang, the newest member of the Revolution’s coaching staff.
“It’s been a little tough with the weather, always cold. It’s really tough to get the work in. But they always come out here and have an open mind. They’re really respectful, the most hard-working kids I know,” Yang said. “They earned it today. They absolutely earned it. It’s not me. I don’t work harder than any other coach here. It’s the kids. It’s absolutely, 100 percent, the kids.”
Haverhill won the 4x400m relay in one of the more exciting races of the afternoon. Just two seconds separated the top four teams. The Hillies’ were timed in a state-leading 3:26.57. Newton North was second at 3:27.28. Lexington (third, 3:27.72), Brockton (fourth, 3:28.18) and Acton Boxborough (fifth, 3:28.58) also broke 3:30.
While Havehill wasn’t able to pull out a victory in the shot put relay, primarily because it only had two athletes on the team, they did have the top two performances with Connor Chmielski unleashing a throw of 51 feet, 4.25 inches and Myles Robertson tossing 49-8.5.
Lexington kicked ofd the meet with a near sub eight-minute performance in the 4x800m. The squad of Nayan Das, Zachary Barry, Max Zhang and Joseph Ryan combined for a state No. 2 of 8:02.83.
For the girls, Franklin and Newton North made most of their progress in the field events. The Panthers went 1-2 in the shot put relay (32.87 meters, 28.92m) and were second in the high jump relay (4.5m). The Tigers scored nearly half their total with a victory in the long jump relay (15.14m) and a third-place finish in the shot put (4.49). Just .01 meters in that event prevented Newton North from winning the title by itself.
In the shot, Franklin’s Lily DeForge was the best in the field with a heave of 38-6.25. Newton North’s Dolapo Soyoye was the top long-jumper at 17-1.25. Central Catholic’s Macy Daigle leaped 5-3.75 in the high jump to take the No. 2 spot.
Franklin picked up points in the 4x400m (fifth, 4:13.67) and the shuttle hurdle (second, 30.54) relays. But most of its’ damage was done beyond the oval.
“I felt like our team had the possibility of being one of the top teams today,” said longtime Franklin coach Paul Travato. “I would have to say that our field event people carried the day for us, to some extent.”
Running in the unseeded section, Newton North finished second in the SMR with a time of 4:11.84. The Tigers also scored points by placing fourth in the shuttle hurdle (30.94), fifth in the 4x200m (1:48.90), and third in the DMR
“There were no surprises,” Newton North coach Mike Travers said. “I know these girls pretty well. We know what they’re capable of. We try to put them in position to succeed. That’s what we did today.”
In the SMR, Framingham was able to pull out the victory with a time of 4:10.02. The team team consisted of Catelyn Last, Ava Lombardo, Abby Desmarais and Sasha Lamakina.
The Flyers were inspired somewhat by Newton North’s effort in the prior heat.
“That was definitely motivation,” said Lamakina, who capped off the relay with a fast 800m anchor.
Acton-Boxborough set a meet record and state-leading time of 24.39 to win the 4x50m relay. Comprising the team were Nandini Ayyagan, Alexis Thermidor, Emerson Gould and Mia Sullivan.
Wachusett took over the No. 1 spot in the state rankings in the 4x200m relay with a time of 1:47.05. The Mountaineers had to contend with a talented field that included Lowell (second, 1:47.71), Acton-Boxborough (1:47.87) and four others that were under 1:50.
