AVON, May 1 – The Avon High boys and girls track teams are each undefeated at 3-0 but the stiffer challenges lay ahead.
Neither team was really challenged in victories over East Windsor and Somers. Last Friday, Plainville pressed the Falcons a bit but the boys team prevailed, 94-65 and the girls team outlasted the Blue Devils, 81-69.
A meet at Ellington along with Enfield will be good test for the Falcons earlier on Tuesday. The Ellington boys were second in the league in 2008 and 2007 and won five straight league titles from 2001-05. A more significant challenge is next week when the Falcons squads travel to Tolland to face the Eagles, who have won the last four NCCC girls titles and the last two boys championships.
Avon has a strong group of runners led by junior Claire Smith, who won a Class M in the 3,200 as a freshman, Emily Kelly (400, 800). Titi VanRiel (200, 400), John Drago (distance), Eric Stevens (800) and Tim Buell.
There are plenty of athletes on the squad and head coach Al Daddario and his staff are trying to spread out the wealth to earn points in the sport’s 18 events.
In the win over Plainville, Brandon Burciaga won the shot put and javelin and took third in the discus while Stevens swept the high jump, 800 and 1,600 meters. It was his first races ever in the 800 and 1,600.
On the girls side, Tracey Bembong won the long jump, was second in the triple jump and third in the high jump. VanRiel won the 400 and participated in the winning 4×400 and 4×800 squads. Kelly (800) and Smith (1,600) each won an individual event and ran on a winning relay.
The Falcons took a small team to Coginchaug’s Blue Devil Invitational on Saturday and did well. The girls finished fourth in the 10-team field while the boys took sixth.
Kalli Veldman, VanRiel, Kelly and Smith won the 4×800 meter relay in 10:09.9 while Catherine Martin (200), VanRiel (400) and Kelly (800) each won individual events. Smith was second in the 3,200.
Other top five finishes came from Madv Loughlin (fifth, 100 hurdles), Bembong (fourth, long jump) and Ariana Lafrance (fourth, triple jump).
For the boys, Drago had a whopping 16-second victory in the 3,200 meters with his winning time of 9:57.8 while the Avon 4×800 team of Bobbie Davies, Jeff Wang, Drew Montano and Tim Buell finished second.
Top five finishers for the boys included Tim Buell (fourth, 1,600), Dave Doebler (fourth, 200), D.J. Wendler (fifth, long jump), Chris Rendeiro (fourth, pole vault and triple jump), Nick Sauerbrunn (fifth, pole vault), Mitch McPhearson (fifth, discus), Robert Carver (fourth, javelin) and Mitch McPhearson (fifth, javelin).
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