FALMOUTH — Informed that the race he had just won was called by multiple coaches the fastest overall 100-meter dash in Maine high school history, Bonny Eagle senior Aidan Walcott raised his eyebrows, paused and said, “That’s crazy.”
“It just shows how much the competition has gotten better,” Walcott said.
Friday was a day of fast times at Falmouth High as the SMAA outdoor track and field championships returned for the first time since 2019, after the 2020 season was canceled and the 2021 meet was not held because of the pandemic.
Walcott’s winning time of 10.73 seconds is the second fastest in Maine track annals, surpassed only by Jarett Flaker’s meet record of 10.71 in 2019. Andrew Farr of Gorham was second in 10.74, the third-fastest time in Maine history. And Frank Morang of Cheverus, who set his own meet record in the long jump (23 feet, 3/4 inch) and was running just his second 100 dash since his freshman season, was right there in a three-way fight in 10.83.
Walcott, who will be joining Flaker as a collegiate runner at George Mason University, has been battling injuries throughout the spring season. After he pushed to a final lean for the win, just off Farr’s left shoulder, he quickly grabbed his left leg.
“I ran an 11.1 in the prelims and honestly wasn’t feeling that good, and I just tried to run as hard as I could,” said Walcott, the defending Class A champion in the 100 and 200. “I was finally able to run a 100 on a good day, run against good competition.”
Walcott said of Farr, “He pushes me to run my best and try my absolute hardest. Honestly, I wouldn’t be running those times without him.”
For Farr, the result was “bittersweet.” As happened at last year’s state meet, the Gorham senior who will be competing at Yale, came in as the top seed.
“It’s a PR and the fastest time I’ve ever run, so that’s something I’m trying to embrace, but no one likes to finish second,” Farr said. “It’s good to have a rivalry. Every time I’ve raced (Walcott), I’ve run a PR. And that’s what track is about.”
The rivalry will continue next week at the Class A state championships in Bangor.
Farr came back to win the 400 in a meet-record time of 49.08 seconds, setting another PR and breaking the league mark of 49.4 set in 1988 by Scott Dugas of Sanford. Farr also won the 200 with room to spare in a quick 22.11 seconds. He was named the boys’ track MVP of the meet and was also the SMAA regular-season boys’ outstanding track athlete.
On a warm, pleasant night, several meet records fell.
Emma Green of Gorham set a new mark in the girls’ 100 with a time of 11.90. The previous record was 11.94, set in 2019 by Victoria Bossong of Cheverus. Green’s previous fastest time was 12.15. Green also won the 200 in 25.66 and was named the girls’ track meet MVP.
“That was very good to break 12 seconds,” Green said. “I think the difference was with my start. I’ve been working on that mostly, and the transition phase of the race.”
Gorham won the girls’ team title with 93 points, paced by Green and Alyvia Caruso, who won the long and triple jumps and will be favored in the 100 hurdles at the state meet despite falling in her preliminary on Friday. Thornton Academy (82), Windham (64), Scarborough (63.5) and Bonny Eagle (55) rounded out the top five.
Scarborough took the boys’ team title with 102 points. Gorham (79), Bonny Eagle (73), Cheverus (67) and Falmouth (58) were in the top five.
Morang set his long jump record (the old mark was 22-5 1/2 set in 1986 by Louis Bute of Bonny Eagle) on his third attempt, then scratched his next three jumps to conserve energy. The plan worked. The Brown University-bound Portland resident, named the boys’ field event MVP of the meet, came back to win the triple jump at 43-9 3/4 and pushed Walcott and Farr in the 100.
“I have big expectations, but not as much as I will for next week. My focus is on getting better times and then doing more at states,” Morang said.
Other meet record setters were Ben Cobb of Thornton Academy in the javelin (modern record) with a throw of 173-9, breaking Justin Tarbox-Touissant of Biddeford’s 2008 mark of 171-6; the Bonny Eagle girls’ 3,200 relay team of Delaney Hesler, Emmaline Pendleton, Hannah Stevens and Addy Thibodeau that broke their own 2019 record by nearly eight seconds in 9:31.68; the Falmouth boys’ 400 relay team of Charlie Adams, Will Addison, Andrew Christie and Finn Caxton-Smith in 43.20 (old mark was 43.63); and the Gorham girls’ 400 relay team of Maddie Michaud, Green, Ashley Connolly and Sydney Connolly with their 49.43 clocking,breaking the old mark of 50.09.
The boys’ 800 didn’t have a meet record, but it had plenty of drama. Christopher Walton of Biddeford used a final surge to edge Zach Barry of Scarborough by three-hundreths of a second in 1:59.94. Earlier in the meet, Barry used a final lap kick in the 1,600 to bury a close field that included Walton. Barry tried it again in the 800, but this time Walton was able to stick with him.
“I knew I had it in me,” Walton said. “I knew he would make a move with 300 to go, and if I had enough of him at the 100, I would get him.”
“It’s awesome to have people like Chris to race,” Barry said.
The Flaker family from Scarborough continued to make its presence felt. Senior Jayden Flaker swept the 110 high hurdles and 300 hurdles, while his freshman sister, Emerson, coming back from a broken tibia suffered in the basketball playoffs, cut nearly four seconds off her personal best to win the 400 in 58.44 seconds.
Mia-Claire Kezal of Thornton, the SMAA regular-season outstanding girls’ track athlete, dominated the 1,600 with a time of 5:05.56 and came back to win the 800 in 2:18.61.
Windham’s Estella Inman was named the girls’ field MVP, as well as taking the regular-season honors. She won the shot put with a school-record throw of 38-8 1/4 and the discus with a 6-foot season best of 125-6.
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