Sports
Tough Start Won't Stop Black Knights' Track
Despite a loss in their first meet, Stoughton High's track team could be a force.
With one meet down and another coming up this Saturday (12/18), the track team is already running on all cylinders. Despite a tough loss to Oliver Ames, the 0-1 Black Knights are focused on getting back on the winning track.
The team is run by two head coaches: Harvey Blonder who handles the boys' team and Bob Clarke who manages the girls'.
"The Hock's tough," Blonder said at practice last week mentioning that the new Hockomock League's alignment will hopefully help their record.
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With such a massive team it can be hard to organize everyone. The team is comprised of about 50 boys and 50 girls. They all address Coach B. affectionately as just "Blonder." Even in the bitter cold that marks the beginning of the track season, the team mostly practices outside. The boys and girls practice together, though the throngs are divided up in other ways. Distance runners, sprinters, hurdlers and throwers are split up for practice each focusing on different aspects of track and field competition.
The boys' team is led by three captains: Marlon Crome, Paul Solem and James Brauneis. They'll be in charge of a huge boys' team made up from nearly equal parts of each grade. 15 seniors, 10 juniors, 13 sophomores and 14 freshmen make up the boys' squad.
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Coach Blonder pointed to four seniors—Patrick Claude, Allan Raskind, Wayne Reid and Rory Siegel—as being key contributors this season.
In their first meet they were defeated by Oliver Ames 68-18 in a dual meet at Franklin Field House (the girls' fell by the same score to O.A.). Even with the loss, coach Blonder said there were positive signs. "The boys competed well in several areas," Blonder said in an email, "but were overmatched in the distance events."
The shot put was won by Brandon Alves with a state qualifying throw of 42'9". Alves has been highlighted by coach Blonder as one of the league's best throwers. Alex Lorius took home the high jump with a leap of 5'4". Lorius also took third place in the hurdles.
Among other third place finishers were Pat Jackman in the dash, Eric McPherson in the 300-meter, Crome in the high jump and Riordan Hoffman in the shot put.
"The team should be more competitive with the other three teams in the Davenport division of the Hock," Blonder said. Specifically, coach Blonder pointed to 2010's New England Champ Greg Boursiquot. Boursiquot, "should be a force in the hurdles and other events."
