On the eve of the Bob McIntrye Elite Relays in Boston yesterday, Gloucester High School boys' track and field coach Jim Munn was faced with a dilemma.
Andrew Ryan, a key member of the Fishermen's nationally ranked 4x800 relay team, had been in bed for two days battling the flu.
Not only that, the shot put relay team's third member, Max Millefoglie, had just injured his knee and wouldn't be able to throw.
But after a lengthy discussion with Andrew and his mother, and a phone call from the team's No.1 shot putter Gus Margiotta informing the coach that a replacement had been made, the decision to go to the meet the following morning with both teams was finally made.
The Fishermen foursome again finished first in a field of the top 28 4x800 teams in the state and in a near meet record time of 7:58.95, the existing record being 7:58.60.
"The boys ran terrific, though somewhat disappointed that they hadn't broken the meet record," Munn said after the race.
Gilbert Brown led off for the Fishermen with a fine opening leg of 1:59.5. Kevin Hurd followed, and very quickly took the lead over from the St. John's Prep and Andover runners with a brilliant, no-looking-back, 1:58.7 second leg. Andrew (Ryan) was next, battling the effects of the flu to turn in a gutsy 2:01.5, before passing the baton to Kevin Hurd, who sealed the team's 80-meter victory over second-place Andover (8:08) with a 1:59.1 anchor leg.
The victory, according to Munn, came with a price. "Our boys prevailed today because they worked harder and gave more of themselves than any other team out there on the track. They were a pretty beat-up bunch after the race."
In the shot put relay event, Gus Margiotta (50-1.18), Chris Unis (43-6.83), and Alex Natti (39-11.92) combined for fifth overall in a field of 28 teams.
Margiotta and Unis were both a little off, according to the coach, Gus fouling twice in the three attempts allowed each thrower, while Natti did a "nice job" filling in at the last minute for the injured Millefoglie.
