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04/15/2024 02:17 AMBoys’ Outdoor Track
The Branford boys’ outdoor track team opened its 2024 season with a split against Xavier and Foran high schools on April 9. Branford defeated Foran 92-56 and lost to Xavier 91-50.
The Hornets (1-1) were paced by senior co-captain Enaji Muhammad in the high jump, junior Akiel Lomotey in the 100 meters and 200 meters, and junior Tyler Peterson in the javelin. All three were first-place finishers in their events.
“Overall, it was quite an encouraging showing for our first meet,” said Head Coach Bing Miller. “Those three guys had outstanding performances, of course, but so many others on the team competed for us Tuesday and performed well.”
Muhammad, who finished second in New England for the high jump in indoor track this winter, cleared 5 feet, 10 inches. He also finished second in the triple jump (39 feet, 8.5 inches) and third in the long jump (20 feet, 1 inches). Lomotey, who missed last year’s outdoor season with a leg injury, won the 100 with a time of 11.3 seconds and the 200 meters with a time of 23 seconds. Muhammad and Lomotey qualified for states with their performances.
Miller has also been impressed with the commitment and enthusiasm for this year’s team, which is led by Muhammad and the other captains, Sam Coppola, Carter Moore, and Max Parsells.
“We have a lot of new faces on the team and guys like Enaji, Sam, Carter and Max have stepped up as captions to lead the way in showing all the new guys what it takes to train, prepare, and compete,” Miller said. “It’s great to see that kind of dedication to the sport, and I have no doubt we will have several more state qualifiers. One of the team goals this year is to qualify someone in all 18 track and field events.”
Other top performers included junior Nathan McCall, who was second in the 400 meters at 53.4 seconds and threw the javelin 113 feet, 10 inches; junior Peter DiStasio, who finished fourth in the 100 meters at 11.6; and sophomore Justin Cast in the 200 meters, with a time of 24.2 seconds. The team’s 4x400 relay team of Peterson, McCall, Lomotey, and junior Nolan Weted also qualified for states with a time of 3.43.
Miller also applauded several athletes on the squad who competed for the first time in their events. Freshman Kengi Lancaster finished as the team’s top discus thrower, and Romeo Oweusu-Boateng was first on the team in the 300 intermediate hurdles. Senior Chris Desiderio, competing for the first time, finished first on the team in the shot put. In addition, junior Justyn Velasquez was the team’s top finisher in the 110 meter hurdles, while senior Noah Hauswirth was Branford’s top finisher in the 1600.
“Across the board, there are a lot of great things happening with the team,” Miller said. “We have some depth in several areas, but most of all it’s great to see the enthusiasm and fun on the track, whether it’s during practice or at meets. We have a great coaching staff with Rich Biondi and Brett Joly, who both work hard to reach the kids and teach them the right way. This kind of positive attitude is contagious and hopefully will lead to even more success for the program.”
Girls’ Outdoor Track
On April 9, Branford girls’ outdoor track traveled to Xavier to race against Mercy and Foran. The team took a loss vs. Mercy by a score of 102-37.5, and they narrowly fell 73-72 vs. Foran. Ella Stone claimed first in the long jump (16-4.5), and Avery Clouse took third place (14-5). Clouse won the high jump (4-8), while Stone took third 4-4). Stone also won the triple jump (31-3.75).
Violet Marrandino claimed first place in the 1600 meters (5:52.5), and Djamilla Toukour took second in the 100 (13.5). Teammate Cheyenne Wilson (13.9) also impressed in that race. In the 200, Toukour came in second with a time of 28.2, and Wilson came in third (28.9). Stella Andresen (69.9) came in fifth in the 400.
Olivia Vernon raced in the 800 and came in sixth (2:45.0), and Cecile Hazen placed third in the 100 hurdles (21.1). Hazen also took second in the 300 hurdles (59.0) and second in the javelin (63-3). Wilson placed fourth in the discus (66-8.5).
“Ella Stone was very valuable in the jumps today, she came up big with two firsts (state qualifying in the long jump) and a third in the high jump,” said Head Coach Kevin Connell. “She is one of our most versatile athletes. Avery, Djamilla, and Cecile also did a great job covering a variety of events. Avery and Djamilla were also state qualifiers in the high jump and the 200. We got the most out of our athletes today, we will be a stronger and deeper team as the season progresses.”