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ORONO – Casey Quaglia is confident this will be ‘the year’ for the Bangor boys indoor track and field team.
And why not? The Rams have all the ingredients of a state championship-caliber team: Depth, talent and leadership.
“We [feel] that we are definitely contenders for that state title,” the senior distance runner said.
Those ingredients were evident Wednesday night at the University of Maine field house as Bangor racked up 1941/2 points in a multi-team Eastern Maine Indoor Track League meet.
Hampden Academy finished second in the boys meet with 981/2 points and Old Town third out of seven teams with 88.
The Bangor girls, who lost 67 points from last year’s EMITL championship team, used its depth to fight off a talented Old Town team to win 162-125. Hampden finished third with 61.
Bucksport, Sumner of East Sullivan and George Stevens Academy of Blue Hill also had teams competing.
In the boys meet, Bangor, which has not won a state Class A title in indoor track, is quietly confident they could be hoisting the state championship trophy come February.
“There’s a lot of heart on this team, we’ve got it this year,” Quaglia said.
“The coaches have done great. Right now, we’re bonding as a team which is great,” added Quaglia, who cruised to wins in the 800 in 2 minutes, 2.56 seconds and the 2 mile (10:06.75).
Quaglia, Branden Mountain, Riley Masters and Shea Patterson ran to victory in the 4×800 in 8:46.43 and Masters, who like Quaglia is coming off a strong cross country season, cruised to victory in the mile in 4:44.24.
“Riley Masters is a master of running,” said veteran Bangor coach Maynard Walton. “He has tremendous technique, he knows how to race. You haven’t seen the best of him yet.”
Quaglia didn’t run the mile Wednesday, but he has lofty goals for that event.
“I’m going for the PVC record in the mile, 4:17,” he said. “I think that can be done with proper training.”
Jimmy Clukey, a newcomer to indoor track, captured the 60 dash while Tyler Seekins took the 60 hurdles and Robert Seccareccia the shot put.
The Rams’ other individual winner was Tony Martinez in the 200 meters.
Bangor ran without two of its top sprinters, Cam Cormier and Curtis Coleman, who are vacationing at Disney World in Florida.
Old Town’s Sam Petrie won a pair of individual events, clearing 5-10 to win the high jump and 12-10 to take the pole vault. Teammate Brandon Gastia won the triple jump and was second to Hampden’s Jonathan Lenz in the long jump.
In the girls meet, unlike the boys, the Bangor girls will have to scrap and claw for their points this winter.
Walton feels that the talent is there and that it will come together eventually.
“We have some good talent, we have five to six girls who are on the borderline of breaking through,” Walton said. “We’ll be right in the thick of things.
Bangor only had four individual winners Wednesday but they spread out their points enough to distance themselves from the Coyotes.
The Ram winners were Jennie Lucy in the 800 (2:29.74), Cole Theriault in the shot put (28-5.25), Robin Treadwell in the high jump (4-10) and Brittany Chapman in the 200 (28.77).
The Rams also captured both relays.
Walton said that there is still plenty of work to do, and that the next three weeks will be critical.
“We need to work on pole vault. Our triple jump is good, but we’ve got to increase it at least a foot and a half,” he said.
“The next three weeks we have to run with power, and make no mental mistakes,” Walton added.
Chapman added a third in the 60 while Kendra Lenz was second in the 60 and third in the 200. Catie Zielinski added a pair of second-place efforts in the long and triple jumps.
Old Town’s Ashleigh Madden, a former mid-distance specialist who was moved to the sprinting events this winter, continued a strong start to her junior season.
Madden won both the 60 (7.90) and 400 (1:05.60) and anchored the 4×200 team, which finished second.
Classmate Hilary Maxim cruised to her second victory in the mile in as many weeks in 5:38.70 while Eliza Tibbits was second. Tibbits ran to victory in the 2 mile in 12:29.78.
Hampden’s Ashley Gott picked up a pair of individual victories, taking the long jump with a leap of 15-7.25 and triple jump in 31-4.75.
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