Young Broncos capture first state championship

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ORONO – Barely an hour into Saturday’s state Class B track championship, Chrissy Beal found her ride home.

“Good job, kid,” Hampden coach Dave King said after his talented freshman had leaped 16 feet, 1/2 inch and solidified her hold on second place in the long jump.

Then, as he’s said thousands of times over his “24 or 25” years at the helm of the Broncos, King told Beal what she’d earned with her personal-best effort.

“You can ride home on the bus.”

Six hours later, after a steady string of Broncos ran faster, jumped better and threw farther than they ever had, King changed his tune.

“Everybody can go on the bus tonight,” said King, enjoying the glow of his first-ever girls state title. “No problem.”

Danielle McCabe’s 400-meter state record (1:00.18) highlighted the effort as the young Broncos came in as a favorite and exceeded all expectations, ending the drama early in the afternoon at the University of Maine field house.

Hampden finished with 72 points while Greely of Cumberland Center closed strong to score 66. Gorham was third with 49, and Marshwood of Eliot and Cape Elizabeth tied for fourth with 26.

Sara Smith of Winslow became the first girl in Maine high school history to break the 10-foot barrier when she pole vaulted 10-1. Bridget Gagne (2:23.89 in the 800) also set a record.

In the boys meet, Sumner senior Brendan O’Keefe won the three distance events and set a state record in the 800 (1:59.98), but the rest of the day belonged to Scarborough.

The Redskins got two individual wins from Justin Drew (long jump, triple jump), two more from Matt Sither (400, pole vault), and a state record of 23.34 seconds in the 200 from Mike Smith.

Scarborough finished with 104 points and put an exclamation point on the victory when its 880-yard relay team of Smith, Drew, Jared Coulston, and David Paul broke another state record with a sizzling 1:34.55 in the meet’s final race.

Gorham was a distant second with 57 points, Foxcroft Academy scored 37, Sumner got 30 (all from O’Keefe), and Hampden notched 19.

Lake Region’s Steve Thomas matched another record in the boys meet when he ran his 60 semi in 6.64 seconds.

O’Keefe won the 800, mile, and 2-mile in contrasting styles.

In the mile – the day’s first distance final – he won in what has become his customary fashion, running from the front of the pack.

“I knew that being fresh I should try to go out and take the mile and try to get a good time,” O’Keefe said. “In the other two [the plan] was just to stick with the guys and kick at the end.”

In the girls meet, the Broncos gave King a title by exceeding their seeding early and cruising to the win.

And King knew the recipe for victory.

“I’m just delighted for genetics,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of awful good young female athletes in Hampden and they’re doing a tremendous job.”

That work began in the meet’s first events, the long jump and shot put.

Beal and sophomore Jani Bosse entered the long jump as the sixth- and seventh-best jumpers. They emerged with a 2-4 finish and some unexpected points.

In the shot put, senior Kelly Raymond, the No. 10 seed, threw two feet farther than her seasonal best and finished fourth.

And even when things didn’t turn out Hampden’s way, the early efforts boosted the prevailing mood.

Just ask McCabe, who felt a bit down after a fifth in the 60.

“In the 60 I ran a pretty good time, but I didn’t get the points that I was supposed to, so I was worried that might set a bad omen,” McCabe said. “But then I saw Jani and Chrissy do great in the long jump and I felt better.”

The Broncs also got a big day from another soph, middle distance ace Samantha Kingsbury, who pared six seconds off her seasonal best to take second, then came in fifth in the 800.

Kingsbury also said Hampden’s early performances served as a springboard.

“When we started hearing people were placing and we hadn’t expected it, we got excited,” she said.