Stoughton Boys' Track Runs Past Canton

After being edged by last week, the Stoughton High boys’ track team rebounded to edge Canton High Tuesday on the road. Led by Steffan Jackson, the Black Knights beat the Bulldogs 71.5 to 64.5, to improve to 3-1 on the season.

Stoughton earned the win despite competing without Greg Boursiquot, who coach Harvey Blonder said “has been running all season with an injured hamstring and was given a much needed rest in order to try to get healthy for the upcoming championship meets.”

Boursiquot was the team’s leading scorer heading into the Canton meet, but Jackson, the team’s second-leading scorer, stepped up. Jackson who won the 400-meter hurdles (59.1), the 110-meter high hurdles (15.9), the triple jump (40'10.75”) and finished second in the high jump (6'0”).  All four events were personal bests and new qualifying marks for the state meet later this season.

Nick Green won both the mile (4:50.8) and 2-mile run (11:04.8).  Brandon Alves won the shot put (44'11”) and James Brauneis won the discus event with a personal best of 114'1”.

The all sophomore 4 x 100-meter relay team of Aaron Mack, Marcus Middleton, Matt Mack and Andrew Valle won in a state meet qualifying time of 46.4 seconds.

Other personal bests scoring efforts were turned in by captain Jordan Ricci, who came in third in the 400-meter hurdles in 62.5 seconds (just a half second off the state qualifier); Aaron Mack with his second place in the 100-meter (11.6), Valle with a third place finish in the 400-meter (56.5); and captain Paul Solem with a second place in the 800-meter (2:11.4).

The remaining points were came from captain Marlon Crome - third in the mile and high jump and second in the triple jump; captain Alex Lorius, who came in third in the 110-meter hurdles; seniors Patrick Claude (third, long jump); Riordan Hoffman (second, discus); Francis Ike (second, shot put); Felipe Njeim (third, shot put).

Ricci added a second place in the javelin and a third place in the discus while junior Paul Comeau finished third in the 2-mile run and Middleton was third in the 100-meter dash.

Freshmen Alec DeNapoli (5:30) and Tevin Afonseca (5:36) ran bests in the mile. Junior Nolan Fraine had a best in the shot put (34'7”). Sophomores Joe Bunce-Grenon (high jump, 5'8”) and Dan Eckler (javelin - 115') had personal bests, as did freshmen Tim Porter (shot put, 26'6”) and Taylor Calisi (shot put, 25'8”)

“The win was very gratifying for the team (and it's coaches),” Blonder said, especially considering the absence of Boursiquot.

The team travels to King Philip next Thursday.

Scores and results courtesy of Coach Harvey Blonder.