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Loss to Avon hampers Canton’s title hopes in track

CANTON, May 3 – It’s looking unlikely that Canton will come up with a triple crown of league titles this year. The Warriors have already won the NCCC cross country and indoor track titles this year.

But an eight-point loss to Avon about 10 days ago, 78-70, handed the Canton boys track and field team (4-2, 3-2 NCCC) its second loss of the year putting a crimp in its outdoor track title hopes. Teams earn two points for each NCCC dual meet victory and one point for each team they beat the NCCC championship meet on May 25 in Enfield.

Avon and Granby, which beat Canton in April, would have to lose at least one meet and then fade badly at the league championship meet.

But Canton pushed Avon in its dual meet that also included Suffield, which Canton beat, 86-63.

Mike LeDuc swept the 1,600 and 3,200 meter races while Connor Smyth won the javelin and Bryan Lochner took the long jump. David Kucia grabbed both hurdles races. Canton’s 4×400 team (David Kucia, Jon Melite, Lochner, Kevin Kurnat) also prevailed.

Avon’s big advantage came by sweeping pole vaulting since Canton had no entries in that event since they have no track facilities.

The Warriors turned in some fine performances at the Greater Hartford Invitational on Saturday. The 4×800 relay (LeDuc, Nick Chekas, Melite, Kurnat) finished fifth while the 4×400 relay was ninth. Smyth was seventh in the discus and seventh in the javelin with a school-record throw of 152 feet in the javelin, breaking his own mark by nearly seven feet.

Kucia was ninth in the 110 hurdles, only a few seconds shy of qualifying for the finals, and ninth in the triple jump.

GIRLS TRACK: Individual stars shine
CANTON, May 3 – Canton (0-6, 0-5 NCCC) has a small squad that will struggle in dual meets but there are some talented individuals. Lucy Mentzer is the only senior on the team and a sprinter. She is joined by sophomore Katie Talbot, Jamie Haberern, junior Jesse Chance (800, 1600) and Camila Rich (hurdles).Freshman Anna Waite and junior Erica Mola are doing well in shot, discus and javelin. Waite and Mola were first and second in the discus against Avon.

SOFTBALL: Canton climbs over .500

CANTON, May 3 – The Warriors (4-3, 4-2 NCCC) climbed over the .500 mark for the first time this year with a pair of victories last week, beating Somers, 2-1 and rolling past Windsor Locks, 18-3 in six innings. Stephanie Gauthier was three-for-five with three runs and three RBI against Locks.

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Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 40 years. He was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.

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