Talented Mansfield Boys Track Team Eyeing Second Straight State Title

Looking to capture its second consecutive state championship, the Mansfield High boys’ indoor track team will carry a ton of momentum into the MIAA All-State Meet, which will be held on Saturday at 11 a.m.at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center.

The Hornets won the first indoor state crown in the program’s history last winter by the slimmest of margins, edging rival Andover by one point.

Mansfield has followed up that state title with a dominant 2010-11 campaign. The Hornets rolled through the Hockomock League season, winning both the Large School Division dual-meet championship and the league-meet crown in impressive fashion.

Mansfield continued on its roll last week during the MIAA Division 2 State Meet at the Reggie Lewis Center. The Hornets easily captured its second straight division crown, outdistancing league rival North Attleboro, 98-40.

“The guys that were seeded high going into the meet performed extremely well under all the pressure and came through with their expected contributions towards the team score,” said Mansfield head coach Julie Collins. “Obviously, we had kids that were not seeded that scored. They exceeded expectations and got involved to score some surprising points. The field-event athletes, high jump, long jump and shot put, were a nice surprise in terms of adding to our crazy, lopsided score of 98 points in a division meet.”

But on Saturday, Mansfield will have to contend with several talented Division 1 teams, including New Bedford, Acton-Boxboro, Newton North and Andover. It was a fierce battle between those four teams for the Division 1 state title a week ago. The Whalers won the division meet at the Reggie Lewis Center with 49.5 points. Acton-Boxboro placed second with 39 points, while Newton North and Andover tied for third at 36.

Lowell, Marshfield, Pembroke and Brookline will all look to get into the mix for the state crown as well. Lowell was fifth at the Division 1 State Meet with 26 points, while Brookline (20) was ninth. Marshfield was fourth at the Division 2 State Meet with 33 points. Pembroke finished second to Bishop Feehan (74-51) at the Division 3 State Meet.

“The pressure gets really intense for this meet,” said Collins. “I think the boys will perform with poise and confidence. If they can keep the nerves in check, they stand as good a chance as any team of bringing home the title.”

Mansfield will have two of its athletes seeded first on Saturday. Senior captain Shayne Collins is the top seed in the two mile with a time of 9:14.51. Fellow senior captain Matt Cioe is seeded 17th in the event with a time of 9:50.77.

Junior standout Josh Lampron is the first seed in the mile with a time of 4:19.86.

The 300 meters will have a decidedly Hockomock League look. King Philip junior star Charles Ruffin is the top seed with a time of 35.21. Hornet senior captain Steve Gannon is seeded third with a time of 35.77 seconds and junior Nick King is fourth at 35.95.

After all three teams captured Division 2 titles a week ago, Mansfield has all three of its relay squads seeded in the top six for the All-State Meet. While the four runners for each team have not been entirely ironed out as of yet, the 4x200 relay team enters the All-State Meet as the third seed with a time of  1:32.19. The 4x400 relay squad is seeded third with a time of 3:28.12, while the 4x800 team is the sixth seed at 8:10.44.

Senior Patrick Greaney is seeded sixth in the long jump competition with a distance of 21-3.75. Junior Brian Ferreira is also seeded in a pair of events. He is ranked 15th in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 7.97 seconds and is the 20th-seed in the high jump at 6-1.

The Hornets also have two athletes seeded in the 600 meters. Junior Griffin Robertson is the 16th seed with a time of 1:24.69, while senior captain Ryan Petrella is 20th at 1:24.84.