With our athletes now leaving the dirt trails of cross country behind, it’s time to shift our focus to a different kind of competition—one where running, throwing, and jumping take center stage. The indoor track & field season has arrived.
As always, we have several talented returnees set to make an impact, a group of notable newcomers ready to challenge the field, and—without question—a few surprises waiting in the wings. Expect plenty of new faces atop the podium this winter, with only six state champions from the 2024–25 season returning.
Over the next few weeks, Bay State Running will preview the upcoming winter campaign. We’ll take our best shot at predicting the top performers in each event.
We’ll kick things off with a look at the boys’ throwing events, which includes the 25-pound weight and the shot.
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SHOT
With the graduation of Peabody’s Alex Jackson, who won the last five state titles when you combine the outdoor seasons, we’ll have a new champion in this event for the first time since the indoor campaign in 2024. Who will that be this season? We have several athletes we could list as contenders.
Our top choice is Hopedale’s Ari Levine, who was the only thrower besides Jackson to surpass 60 feet last year. Levine gave it his best shot to dethrone his rival at last spring’s Meet of Champions, unleashing a PR of 60-8.75. His performance there was one of three 60-plus throws on the season, having also hit the mark with victories at the Division 6 Championships (60-2.25) and the Central Mass Multi-Meet (60-5.75).
Lunenburg’s Ray Breadmore, a runner-up at last winter’s MOC, came close to the 60-foot barrier during the outdoor season with an all-time best of 59-3 at the Mercury Games. He’s another athlete who can’t be overlooked. Stoneham’s Thomas Wood and Attleboro’s Noah Williams are also solid contenders, returning with bests of 57-8.75 and 55-5.25, respectively.
The big question is whether Oliver Ames’ Mitchell Callender will compete in his first indoor season. As a tenth-grader last year, Callender placed third at the MOC and came less than a foot from 60 feet at the Div. 3 Championships, where he uncorked a winning throw of 59-5.25.
WEIGHT THROW
The podium will certainly look a lot different this year at the MOC. From the 2025 meet, the top six have all graduated with Lexington’s Franz Schroeder and Lexington’s Christian Brown the only returning scorers, finishing seventh and eighth, respectively. Schroeder achieved a PR of 56-5.5 from the ML-12 Varsity Championships. O’Bryant’s Christian Isaiah Holt (49-9.25), Brown (49-2.25), Hingham’s Zach Wong (48-4.5), and Hopkinton’s Ryan Morin (48-1.5) are among several others that could be battling for top positions this winter.
