By Michael Letendre

NEW BRITAIN – The Class L boys track and field championships from Willow Brook Park in New Britain was an excellent outing for the program at Bristol Central.

And the Rams made an impressive fourth place finish among a very tough field.

The event was won by Xavier of Middletown – a school of choice – zipping up 116 points to seize the championship.

Hillhouse (68 points) was the runner up, Amity (65) placed third while Central and Simsbury (50) each tallied fifty points – tying for fourth place.

The Rams had several athletes finish among the top five, instantly qualifying for the CIAC State Open event on Monday. 

The day in New Britain was owed by Central senior Tre Blair as the standout athlete won the Class L title in both the long and high jumps.

“It felt amazing,” said Blair of the event. “It was just everything I could have dreamed of.”

Blair, already Central’s school record holder in the triple jump, won the championship behind a leap of 46 feet, 2.5 inches.

“He broke his own school record,” said Central coach Tamara Stafford-Kirk. “Everyone was chasing him from there.”

He ended up holding off another Blair, Micah Blair of Amity.

That Blair finished in second place with a make of 45 feet, 10.75 inches.

Jayson Burchell took third place (45-10), but all the athletes ended up finishing behind the Rams’ All-State performer.

“It was amazing,” said Stafford-Kirk of Blair’s performance. “He’s been trending that way all season but to step up in the big meets, Tre is the type of kid who always wants a challenge. He was seeded number two in the long jump but was like, ‘I’m going to take this.’ The other kid [Micah Blair] passed a couple jumps thinking maybe Tre wasn’t going to jump as far as he did. Tre took advantage of that and in the triple, he’s just been so dominant.”

“It’s just a great thing to watch.”

And then in the long jump, Blair was the only person to clear 22 feet.

Blair made a leap of 22 feet, 2.25 inches, becoming a dual championship at the Class L tilt.

“Tre is a pronominal young man,” said Central assistant coach Tyrell Holmes. “This young man, when I first came here, he was a leader right away [and] filled a role that I was looking for. I was looking for a jumping leader, the person I can call on with the younger guys who leads by example. This year, it came to fruition because when I say that every time, I needed something explained [or] I needed something shown, he led by example.”

“And it shows given where he’s at and I couldn’t be more pound of this young man.”

Not far behind Blair in the jumping events was teammate Anthony Paulino, a talented junior who easily improved throughout the campaign. 

Paulino earned third place in the long jump, hitting the mark at 21 feet, 3.75 inches.

No other junior finished higher than Paulino.

In the triple jump, Paulino hit a jump of 42 feet and three-quarter inches to secure fifth place.

“He’s got a lot of room to go so we’re excited about that,” said Stafford-Kirk of Paulino. “Athletes like Anthony make it easier for me to sleep at night when I have to think about losing athletes like Tre and Frankie Porrini. We’ve got some great young talent and I think we’re going to be a force to be reckoned with net year.”

But the leapers weren’t the only ones who advanced to the State Open showcase.

Junior Logan Jackson made a top-five placing in the 110 meter hurdles, making a finish of 15.51 seconds.

“Logan Jackson has become an awesome hurdler and it’s been so fun to watch his progression,” said Stafford-Kirk.

And in the javelin, junior Wyatt Gibson made a successful toss of 142 feet, six inches.

And what would the State Open be without senior standout Frankie Porrini in one of the distance events?

Porrini ran in the 1600 meters, seizing fifth place overall with a finish under 4:20.

He tallied a time of 4:19.59 to keep his postseason march going.

That’s a tremendous grouping that will travel back to New Britain for another day of track and field action.

“Frankie Porrini dipped under 4:20 in the 1600 which was super exciting,” said Stafford-Kirk of Porrini.

Central had several other performances that just missed the mark in terms of State Open qualification.

Junior Aengus Repeta was a mere three feet away from a top-five showing in the discus, making a throw of 131 feet, two feet while in the pole vault, the Rams had two athletes that cleared 11 feet.

Jude Browning and Kenny Whitford, two slick juniors, took seventh and eighth place, respectively, over a very competitive event in the pole vault.

Porrini was back at it in the 3200 meters, placing eighth in a time of 9:45.71 while the 4×800 meter relay team also accomplished a top-eight showing.

The grouping of Julieen Lopez, Isaiah Fabrizio, Chris Roy, and Porrini ended the tough event with a time of 8:26.42 for eighth place.

The Open

Central has a legitimate chance to bring a little more postseason hardware home.

And Blair has more to show the competition before the completion of his scholastic career.

“I still have more in store for the Open and the Nationals,” said Blair. “I just want to put on a show.”

And Stafford-Kirk knows that what winning the Open event means to Blair.

“It’s fun. It’s been really exciting and especially going into the State Open,” said Stafford Kirk of Blair. “Being a Class L champion is a huge deal but winning the Open, the entire state, that’s what he wants. He’s not going to be satisfied until he has that.”

“We’re looking forward to the next few weeks with that, hopefully, the New England’s and then the Nationals.”

The future of the program is in good hands

Stafford-Kirk knows that her rebuilding team is going to be in tremendous shape come next season with all its returning talent.

“Junior throwers Wyatt Gibson and Aengus Repeta killed it out there as well,” said Stafford-Kirk. “With the juniors who scored today along with Rowan Hennessey and a strong sophomore class including Julieen Lopez, Isaiah Fabrizio, Aiden Georgakopoulos, Tristian Toussaint, Tashawn Cauley, Nate Davis, and Will Postell, we look to pick up strong next year.”

Bristol Central Boys Track & Field – Class L Championship

from Willow Brook Park, New Britain

Champion: Xavier (Middletown) – 116 points

Runner-up: Hillhouse – 68 points

The rest of the Top 5: Amity (third place, 65 points), Bristol Central (fourth, 50) and Simsbury (fourth, 50).

Individual Results – Bristol Central

Tre Blair Class L Champion long jump and triple jump! 

Long jump

*First Place – Tre Blair (State champion), 22 feet, 2.25 inches

*Anthony Paulino (Third place), 21 feet, 3.75 inches

Triple jump

First Place – Tre Blair (State champion), 46 feet, 2.5 inches 

*Anthony Paulino (Fifth place), 42 feet, 0.75 inches

110 Hurdles

*Fifth Place – Logan Jackson, 15:51seconds

1600 Meters

*Fifth Place – Frankie Porrini, 4:19.59

Javelin 

*Fifth Place – Wyatt Gibson, 142 feet, six inches

Discus 

*Sixth Place -Aengus Repeta, 131 feet, two inches

Pole Vault 

*Seventh Place – Jude Browning, 11 feet

*Eighth Place – Kenny Whitford, 11 feet

4×800 Meter Relay

*Eighth Place – Julieen Lopez, Isaiah Fabrizio, Chris Roy, Frankie Porrini (8:26.42).

3200 Meters

*Eighth Place – Frankie Porrini, 9:45.71