Chester, Vt.
No doubt others were thinking the same thing as they filed toward the parking lot.
It was the second straight spring in which the Terriers, deep and talented with close to double the amount of athletes as their in-division rivals, won girls and boys titles in the same season, powered by 12 victories in a combined 36 events for a total 321 points. Thetford Academy’s boys (116.66) and Oxbow’s talented girls (97), each settled for second place.
“We don’t have as big of a school,” Oxbow co-coach Emily Willems said. “We just don’t have the numbers to draw from. Which is frustrating.”
Added Cook: “We don’t have the numbers to fill the depth and have multiple places. But individually, the competition is good.”
The Terriers’ D.J. Snide, in particular, walked away the undisputed top male athlete in D-III with victories in all four of his events: the 110 hurdles (15.61 seconds), the 100 (11.27), the 300 hurdles (42.61) and the triple jump (40 feet, 9 inches). For Windsor High track and field coach Patrick Gordon, Snide’s imminent graduation could open things up next spring.
“Looking at who other schools are losing, it seems wide open next year,” Gordon said. “Bellows Falls is losing probably one of the greatest you’ll ever see in this region (Snide).”
Until then, Thetford, Oxbow, Woodstock and Windsor will have to wait until the winds in D-III turn in their favor.
The Panther boys, who finished second last year as well and have finished out of the top two only once (2014) in the last 13 seasons, showed plenty of resilience against speedy sprinters from Bellows Falls and Woodstock. Dylan Thorburn, a junior, won the 800 in 2 minutes, 6.10 seconds, 2 seconds ahead of Peoples’ Sampson Alley. Noah Stommel finished third (2:10.13) and Clifford Ranson placed fourth (2:10.54) to give the Panthers valuable points late in Saturday’s meet.
“We always have a lot of kids,” said Thetford co-coach Joel Breakstone. “There’s a lot of excitement, and there’s a good culture of kids who want to to do it. We’re able to keep plugging in. I think in track, more than a lot of sports, you need numbers. You need to be able to fill in all the events. We’ve got enough kids to try and get points here, there and everywhere.”
Thorburn also anchored Thetford’s winning 4×400 relay team (3:42.33) — with Ransom, Mitchell Higgins and Stommel — which beat Oxbow’s winning time from a year ago by 2 seconds. The Panthers’ 4×800 quartet also finished first (9:00.36), and distance runner Malcolm Silver-Van Meter took second behind Montpelier’s Matt Hynes in the 1,500 (4:17.43) and the 3,000 (9:42.08).
Thetford’s Meaggie Balch won the 3,000 (11:13.98) and was second behind Oxbow’s Izzy Giesing in the 800 (2:28.80) and the 1,500 (4:59.41).
Thetford’s throwers stood out as well, as junior Danielle Robinson, in her first year throwing, won the shot put (28-10). Senior Caleb Davidson took second behind experienced Bellows Falls thrower Reno Tuttle in the shot put (44-1.75) and the discus (116-5).
“(Davidson and Tuttle) will have another fight at New Englands next week,” Breakstone said. “That’ll be good.”
Oxbow senior Jon Puffer was the O’s big winner, with victories in the 400 (52.97) and pole vault (11-0) and a second-place finish in the 300 hurdles (44.15), 2 seconds behind Snide.
“We’re going to miss him,” Willems said. “He worked hard today.”
But perhaps no male athlete had a more up-and-down afternoon than speedy Woodstock sprinter Bill Wood.
Wood, a senior and a four-event competitor for the Wasps, got up limping from a long jump attempt early in Saturday’s meet. He was soon hunched over holding his left knee, surrounded by coaches and trainers. He then went on to win the long jump by 2 feet, struggled in the 100 finals (fifth place, 12.09) and the 400 (third, 54.07), then came back to win the 200 (23.41) by beating his event-winning time from last spring.
Woodstock’s boys finished fifth with 42 points, mostly thanks to Wood. Its girls team finished fourth with 63 points behind Bellows Falls (144), Oxbow (97) and Thetford (94) with another solid states performance from senior Anna Dieffenbach, who won the 100 hurdles (17.12), long jump (15-11) and high jump (4-10) and took third in the 300 hurdles (51.12).
Grace Vollers also had a solid day, finishing second in the javelin (113-10) and helping the Wasps’ 4×800 relay team place third (11:14.09).
The Olympians’ Izzy Giesing was once again the star of Saturday’s female events, winning the 400 (59.13), 800 (2:21.02), 1,500 (4:51.93) and helping the O’s 4×400 team win by 17 seconds (4:18.63) over Bellows Falls.
“We came in second with 11 girls and then fourth with eight boys,” Willems said. “Lana Wood, a freshman, added four feet to her shot put today and finished third. That was a surprise.”
Windsor’s Vincent Moeykens was one of the Yellowjackets’ top finishers on Saturday, placing second behind Snide in the 100 (11.64). Tanner Wright finished second in the javelin (131-7), and Anika Abrahamsen placed third in the 400 (1:03.04).
Gordon, who finished up his second year at the helm with Windsor, said he was pleased with the way his team performed after moving to D-III from D-II between seasons. While Windsor’s numbers are still low by team-score standards, Gordon said a lower division was still the right move, in hindsight.
“I think we could have done some damage in D-II, but it would have been the same mentality that I went into it with last year: We’re a group of mercenaries here for ourselves and ruining days,” Gordon said. “I think we ended up costing somebody second place because we stole points away that they needed. That would have been the same goal if we were in D-II. (Being in D-III) broadens the goal. Honestly, it makes it more fun.
“I need 10 more people and we’ll be ready to go in D-III next year.”
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.