Times Staff
Entering Saturday's MIAA Division 2 Track and Field Championships at Reggie Lewis Athletic Complex in Boston, Gloucester High School boys track coaches Jim Munn, Jeff Destino and Packy Fusco were confident that their team was capable of finishing among the top three or four teams in the state.
Although just six of the team's members had qualified for the meet — the equivalent of postseason tournament play — their relative high seedings looked a sure bet to score somewhere in the 30-point range in the nearly 50-school field.
"But seedings, while important, really matter only on paper," Munn said. "Sporting events aren't won on paper. It's not what you did yesterday that counts, but what you did today."
Gloucester placed a disappointing eighth as a team with 20 points, tied with Westborough. Mansfield was first with 59 points, North Attleboro and Falmouth were second with 36 points, followed by Central Catholic with 32 points.
The Fishermen posted an unexpectedly sub-par performance in the team's two top-seeded events — the mile and 4x800 relay. According to Munn, senior Andrew Ryan "came out flat in the mile and never got it going." Ryan's 4:31.69 performance, well off his No. 1 ranked 4:24.15 qualifying mark, was good only for ninth place.
In the relay, it would take what the coach called a "heroic," come-from-behind anchor leg run by Kevin Hurd to salvage a second-place, 8:18.08 finish, and advance his team to Friday evening's All-State Championships.
But not all was disappointment for the Fishermen, however, as senior Gus Margiotta handled the pressure of big meet competition by finishing second with a near-personal-best toss of 55-1.75 in the shot put.
"Gus again demonstrated real poise in his performance," throwing coach Fusco commented shortly after Margiotta's appearance on the awards stand, where the top six finishers in each event receive their medals. "Each of his throws was over 50 feet, which points to his confidence, poise in the circle and maturity in being able to perform at a consistently high level under pressure."
Also earning high marks from the coaches were juniors Kevin and Kyle Hurd, and James Patrican. Kevin Hurd for his 2:35.29 second place in the 1000 meter run and team-saving 1:59.4 4x800 anchor leg. Kyle Hurd for his 2:39.81, ninth place run in the 1000 and 2:03.6 second leg in the 4x800, and Patrican for his 8:38, 17th place in the 55-meter hurdles.
But with splits for the remaining two legs of the relay at 2:06.3 for lead-off Gilbert Brown, and 2:08.1 for Ryan, it would appear that Gloucester's best chances at Friday's All-State Championships will come with Margiotta, currently ranked No. 3 in the state.
As for the Fishermen's 4x800 unit, still the only Massachusetts team to have posted a sub-eight-minute clocking this season? This, according to Munn, is a question that only time can answer.
"Brown is just returning after missing two weeks of training due to a back injury, so can he return to sub-two-minute form in time for Friday's meet? That's one of the questions that remains to be answered," Munn said. "Certainly we're going to need a much better run from Ryan, whose performance I hope was an anomaly.
"Three weeks ago, our 4x800 team looked all but unbeatable, at least on the state level. But that was three weeks ago. (Saturday), for reasons both known and a complete mystery, we came out flat and had it handed to us. These boys have something to prove, though mostly to themselves. But they now have less than a week to recover. We'll see how they respond."
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The Gloucester High girls track team enjoyed a successful day on Saturday at the Division 2 Eastern Mass. Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Co-captain Abbie Rogers led the way with a third place finish in the mile with a personal-best time of 5:20.89. Rogers also ran a leg on the 4x400 relay, which set a school indoor record of 4:16.64. Her third place advances her to the All-States on Friday Night.
Bianca Giacalone had a personal-best in the 300, finishing 10th with a time of 43.63. She also was one of the legs on the record-setting relay.
Elle Wierbicky placed 11th in the 600 with a personal-best 1:44.18, and also ran a leg on the relay. Brittany Diamond won her heat in the 1000 and was 10th overall with a personal-best 3:10.97. Clare Pleuler, who came off an injury, was the lead leg on the record-setting relay team. Emily Doucette just missed reaching the finals of the 55-meter dash.
