By Chris Lotsbom
Class of 2009
Walpole Track and Field boosted their record to 2-0 with a dominant win in the home opener versus Milton on April 7. Even with a chilly cross wind blowing and the temperatures dipping into the 30’s, the Rebels stayed hot, ran hard and performed well.
Senior captain Chris Cameron led all point scorers with 16 points, as he won the 110m hurdles, and the 400m hurdles and finished second in the javelin and triple jump.
Cameron (15.8 sec.) helped earn a one-two-three sweep in the hurdles, as he led senior captain Bobby Fitzgibbon and sophomore Jackson Paslaski to the line.
With his third win of the season, senior captain Vinnie Lee captured the 100 meters in 11.1 seconds, just .2 seconds off his personal best. Lee also finished second in the 200 meters.
Vinnie wasn’t the only Lee gaining points for the Rebels, as his brother Alex, a sophomore, finished third in the 100m.
Next up on the track were the milers, and they put on quite a show. Through the half mile, senior Brendan Corcoran and junior Ben Goula broke away from the chase pack, with one Milton Wildcat close behind. Corcoran kept the lead with one lap to go, and then started with a ferocious kick. He ended up winning in a season best time of 4:47. Second place went to Milton, but third was taken by Goula.
The 4x100m relay team took their places around the track after the completion of the mile, ready to attempt a win which would break open the meet. Comprised of the younger Lee (Alex), juniors Joe Rockwood and Skip Kitchen, as well as senior Ryan Collins, the team finished in 46.7 seconds, just shy of qualifying for the class meet. But the team won, giving the Rebels another five points and further increasing the lead.
In the 400m, senior Mike Quintanilla came in second, running 55.9, and earned another 3 points for the Rebels.
Following the 400m was the 400m hurdles, where Cameron won in a season best 58.9. Finishing second was Paslaski (62.4), who also had a great day, as he earned eight points.
Senior Jarrod Goula led from start to finish in the 800m run, just like his race last week versus Framingham. Goula ended up crossing the line in 2:04.5, good enough to qualify him for the end of the year Class Meet.
Vinnie Lee and Ryan Collins took to the track next in the 200m, taking on one of Milton’s best sprinters. Though it was tight until the finish, the Wildcat managed to finish first, ahead of Lee (23.1) and Collins (24.3), who placed two and three, respectively.
When the gun fired for the two mile, a great duel began to develop. Senior captain Chris Lotsbom took the lead from the start, and passed through the mile in 5:20, just ahead of freshman Justin Connolly and Wildcat Brendan Saur. With a half mile left, Connolly passed Lotsbom, and immediately began to put in a surge, creating a 2 meter gap between the two Rebels. But, with 200m left, Lotsbom pulled even with Connolly, preparing for a 100m sprint to the finish. In the end, Connolly went in to second gear and ended up earning his first win, beating Lotsbom by a step. Connolly finished in 10:37, a huge personal best.
“I’m really happy with the race, and I felt great,” said an excited Connolly, who has a great future ahead of him, as he is only a freshman.
Turning to the field events, the Rebels earned 35 out of a possible 54 points, gaining an insurmountable edge over the Wildcats.
Senior Nick Rockwell continued his throwing success, earning a win in the discus and a second place in the shot put. Rockwell, who will be throwing next year in college, is currently ranked 10th in the state in the shot, according to athletic.net.
For the second week in a row, the javelin was swept by the Rebels’ crew of Ryan Collins, Chris Cameron, and John Farrell. Collins threw the spear 140’11, good enough to capture the win, his first of the year.
Senior captain Bobby Fitzgibbon gained his second win of the season in the high jump, as he leaped to a height of 5’6”. Two inches lower in second was junior Skip Kitchen, who matched his height from the previous week’s meet vs. Framingham.
On the runways, the surprise of the day had to be Jackson Paslaski’s monstrous long and triple jumps. In both events, Paslaski bettered his personal record, while at the same time earning a total of six points. He won the long jump (19’1”) just ahead of Alex Lee, and came in third in the triple (36’6.5).
Though the Rebels earned a dominant win over the Wildcats, the team can expect two hard meets versus Natick and Wellesley coming up.
With their record now at 2-0, and the team still improving, hopes of a second consecutive Bay State League title are on the horizon for the boys of Walpole track.
