GORHAM — Five state records fell Monday as Scarborough won its sixth consecutive Class A boys’ indoor track championship and the Bangor girls earned their second straight title at the University of Southern Maine.
Scarborough was led by Zach Barry with victories in the mile (4:22.02) and 800 meters (1:59.89) and a runner-up finish in the 2 mile. Jayden Flaker prevailed in the 55 hurdles (7.52), Nicholas Connolly won the shot put (55-6) and Toby Martin placed first in the pole vault (13-6). Martin and Flaker also helped the Red Storm win the 800 relay (1:34.80).
Scarborough finished with 75 points, while Lewiston was a close second with 72. Cheverus finished third with 37.
Gorham senior Andrew Farr recovered from the disappointment of a disqualification for a false start in the 55-meter dash, bouncing back to win the 400 in a state-record time of 49.54 seconds. He added another victory in the 200 (22.48).
“I wanted the state record in the 55. And I cried when I was disqualified. But then I thought, I don’t want that to define my last indoor states. Then everyone was cheering so loud for me in the 400, like they knew I was disappointed. And I just got this vibe,” said Farr.
Flaker’s time of 7.52 in the hurdles matched the state record set by Bonny Eagle’s Ben Roy in 2006. Flaker also took third in the 200 (22.64) and ran the anchor leg in the 800 relay.
Barry, meanwhile, added 28 points to his team’s total.
“I just tried to work as hard as I could,” Barry said. “Everyone on our team rallied. Everyone put out a good performance; everyone did a good job.”
Runner-up Lewiston collected significant points on the backs of three sprinters and jumpers. Abdirizak Abukar won the 55 (6.59) and was second in the 200 (22.56) and 400 (50.42). Jabreel Muhammad-Aceto won the triple jump (44-2 3/4) and took second in the 55 hurdles (7.93). Raimundo Lubota was second in the 55 (6.63)
In the girls’ meet, Bangor racked up 82 points to finish ahead of Gorham (67) and Bonny Eagle (50).
Bangor junior sprinter Anna Connors set two state records and won three events – the 55, 200 and 400. Afterward, she said she took something positive from the lost indoor season in 2021.
“It might have been a good thing,” Connors said. “It was nice to have a year off from the stress, and to get my legs ready, to be rested. I’m really excited for the outdoors and for next year.”
Connors won the 55 with a state-record time of 7.16 – erasing the mark of 7.20 set by Victoria Bossong of Cheverus in 2019. Then she won the 400 by more than 3 seconds in 58.20, even though she eased up, she said, to save her legs for the 200. In her final event, Connors ran 25.20 to break another 3-year-old record held by Bossong (25.43). Connors won the 200 by more than a second.
Gorham’s girls’ 800 relay team might take the prize for most-optimistic outlook. Going into the meet with a state-leading time of 1:51.22 that was 3 seconds off the Class A record, there was no reason to think the Rams had a shot at a new record.
But with three seniors – Maddie Michaud, Emma Green and Sydney Connolly – joined by freshman Ashley Connolly, Gorham won by nearly 4 seconds in 1:47.59, lowering the 10-year-old record of 1:48.13 held by Scarborough.
“My sister asked as we went to (check in) if I thought we could get the state record. Honestly, I had no idea, no clue,” said Sydney Connolly, who ran the anchor leg. “I just ran as hard as I could. I thought I heard people cheering for Bonny Eagle and thought they were right behind me.”
Bangor’s victory was aided by distance runner Megan Randall, who won the 2 mile in 11:07.21 and took second in the mile (5:10.96). She faced stiff competition from Thornton Academy senior Mia-Claire Kezal, who won both the mile (5:10.86) and 800 (2:19.41). Kezal placed third in the 2 mile (11:30.11).
“At the last indoor state meet (in 2020), I was second in the 800, and outdoors I was beaten in the 800. I wanted it so badly,” said Kezal, who won the 800 by 2 seconds.
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