PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – Meet three of the track and field competitive season brought our team north to Presque Isle for our first of three back to back county meets. The all-Aroostook County meet served as a preview to the county championships that will be held in Caribou on May 19. Schools attending were Houlton/GHCA, Presque Isle, Caribou, MSSM, Washburn, Fort Kent, and Fort Fairfield.
“Our student-athletes enjoyed a reduced event schedule this meet and despite the cool and windy conditions in Presque Isle last night we had some great results” said head coach Chris Rines, “with just two or three events for most they were really able to focus and double down on their efforts in their specialities. Every girl on our team was able to record a top 10 place — several of them scoring, and the boys chipped in with several personal bests as well placing high among their Aroostook County counterparts.”
Amelia Drake tosses another PR in the girls shot put.
(Contributed photo)
The girls team has been putting up some incredible results and Thursday night was no exception. Individual event wins went to the pair of sophomore sensations in Teanne Ewings and Natalie Johnson. Ewings earned victory in both the girls 1,600-meter run and 3,200 with her 3,200 performance setting her new career, school and program best time of 11:12.73 and 13 seconds over her previous best). Milesplit.com also recognized this time as a US Second Team standard performance. Johnson recorded her first career win in the girl’s 800 falling just one second off her career best in the event which despite the conditions was an amazing effort.
Also placing in scoring positions for the girls team were Johnson 1,600m (second), Ariana Ardell 200 (second) and long jump (fifth), Amelia Drake 400 (fourth), Leanne Ross 800 (fourth), 1,600 (third), long jump (sixth), Andrea Ross 1,600 (fourth), 3,200 (second), high jump (third), Victoria Ervin 100 hurdles (third), 300 hurdles (fifth), high jump (sixth). Placing in the top 10 just shy of scoring positions was Drake’s 200 (ninth), discus (eighth), and shot put (eighth).
Final team scores for the girls were 1 Presque Isle 213, 2 Houlton/GHCA 90, 3 Fort Kent 69, 4 Caribou 66, 5 Fort Fairfield 30, 6 MSSM 22, 7 Washburn 15.
Landon Laferriere continues lowering his time in the 1,600 with another incredible performance for only his second time running the event. (Contributed photo)
In the boys’ meet James Brady continued his impressive freshman season with three new personal bests in the javelin and 1,600 and 3,200 races. He was joined in scoring positions this week by rising star Landon Laferriere who also recorded new bests for this season. Brady would place third in each of his races and Laferriere would go fourth and fifth in his 800 and 1,600 races respectively. Brady also placed eighth in javelin as the only other top 10 performance of the day.
Scoring new personal bests were Hayden Stoker-Pelletier in the 100 and discus, Ethan Casale in the long jump and the 100. Junior Gavin Wright was unable to attend the meet due to illness.
Final team scores for the boys were 1 Caribou 261, 2 Presque Isle 107, 3 MSSM 78, 4 Washburn 40, 5 Fort Fairfield 23, T6 Fort Kent 18, and T6 Houlton/GHCA 18.
Full results, including names, times, and places from the meet can be found here: https://me.milesplit.com/meets/540856-presque-isle-high-school-tand-f-2023/results/924376?type=formatted#.ZFUNIOzMLt0
The team will travel north again next week on Saturday, May 13, to Caribou High School for another meet with the county schools as well as Ellsworth, Central, and Piscataquis Community High School. They will round out the regular season again in Caribou on Friday, May 19 for the Aroostook County League championships.
For more information, please check out the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/houltontrack.
