Brunswick’s Samuel Cenescar completes in the high jump. He won the event with a jump of 6 feet, 4 inches. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer
GORHAM — The Bangor High School girls won its second State Class A indoor track championship, and Scarborough captured its ninth boys’ title in 10 years Monday at the University of Southern Maine in a meet that featured five state records.
A third-place finish in the final track event – the 800-meter relay – was just enough to give Bangor a one-point victory over Gorham, 65-64.
The Scarborough boys won for the fifth consecutive year with 103 points, far ahead of Brunswick (56) and Mt. Ararat (33). The Red Storm were led by senior Jarett Flaker and his sophomore brother, Jayden, who combined for three victories.
Mt. Ararat’s Lisandro Berry-Gavira celebrates on the ground after winning the 2-mile run in a record time of 9 minutes, 20.99 seconds. Carl D. Walsh/Staff Photographer
The Brunswick boys started well, with the foursome of Andrew Chingos, Joey Valliere, Tyler Patterson and Will Shaughnessy winning the 4 x 800 relay in 8:17.17.
It wasn’t the only win for the Dragons, as Samuel Cenescar easily won the high jump, clearing the bar at 6-04.
Patterson had a solid day, taking second in the one mile (4:29.52) and the 800 (2:01.52), while Shaughnessy finished second in the two-mile run (9:30.92).
Mt. Ararat senior Lisandro Berry-Gaviria won the mile in 4:22.2, then returned to the track two hours later and broke an eight-year-old record in the two-mile. His time of 9:20.99 eclipsed the mark of 9:21.87 by Harlow Ladd of Messalonskee in 2012. It was an indoor personal-best by 11 seconds, but Berry-Gaviria thinks he can run even faster.
“With five laps to go, I felt I had to go. The record was my goal,” Berry-Gaviria said.
Grady Satterfield was third in the two mile (9:46.96).
In the boys meet, Jarett Flaker won the 200 (23.11) and 400 (51.34), and his brother placed first in the 55 hurdles (7.65) and second in the 200 (23.21). Jayden anchored Scarborough’s 800-meter relay victory (1:33.77).
Mahamed Sharif of Westbrook broke his own state record in the 800, running all alone to a 7-second victory in 1:54.60. The previous record was 1:55.45.
Sharif said it was the first meet in four years where he did not throw up because of nerves before he raced.
“That’s a lot of throw up (over four years),” Sharif said with a laugh. “I was just listening to music, I wanted to make it fun. And I went for a little run this morning, that was new. I want to win at nationals. That’s the business. That’s my goal. It’s possible.”
Girls
Bangor was powered by junior Alyssa Elliott, who swept the long jump (17-09.50) and high jump (37-06). But the team title wasn’t decided until the 800 relay, which Gorham won with a time of 1:48.39. Bangor needed to finish third, and the Rams did exactly that, just .16 ahead of fourth-place Marshwood.
It was Bangor’s first championship since 2013.
“It means so much to win and be compared to that 2013 team,” Elliott said. “I was 10 when they first won it, and didn’t know about it then, but I’ve heard about that team since. They were impressive.”
Gorham’s Kate Tugman swept the mile (5:11.20) and 2 mile (11:03.24).
Cheverus junior sprinter Victoria Bossong erased of her own state records and matched another, even though she has started to ease up on her training because the New Balance Nationals are a month away.
Bossong won the 55 in 7.20 seconds, tying her 2018 record, and broke her record in the 400 at 56.95 (the old mark was 57.13). She also won the 200 (25.50).
South Portland’s Anna Folley improved her indoor best in the 800 by three seconds, finishing in 2:16.06 to break the Class A record of 2:16.82 set by Juliana Selser of South Portland set in 2017. Folley didn’t have a record in mind; she just wanted to notch her first state title after finishing as the runner-up three times in previous indoor and outdoor seasons.
“I was devastated when I got runner-up in the 800 for a third time last outdoor season,” Folley said. “Today was one of the earliest (times) I started to kick – before the bell lap. When I heard I got the state record, I almost started crying.”
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
