Bulldogs sweep Mansfield in historic week for CHS track

By Mike Berger

Canton High’s outdoor track teams had a fantastic week as the girls clinched their first Hockomock title in 43 years; the boys improved their record to 3-2; and both teams had strong representation at the MSTCA Coaches Invitational held in Braintree this past weekend.

Lauren Raffetto (left) and Chloe Dubuisson (right) were honored as the “Outstanding Female Runner” and “Outstanding Female Athlete” at the MSTCA Invitational.

The girls team punctuated its undefeated dual meet season (5-0) with a 94-42 away victory over a strong Mansfield team last Tuesday. “I could not be prouder of the effort, determination, selflessness, and energy that the team brought not only against Mansfield but in every dual meet this season,” said a jubilant head coach Anna Amico afterwards. “In a league where every team can win on any given day, this title was hard fought and well earned … I can’t think of a better group to make history, and they are just getting started!”

Canton had several double winners to power the victory over the Hornets, with junior Lauren Raffetto prevailing in the mile and 800 meters (new school record); senior Chloe Dubuisson winning both the 100 and 200 meters; Natalie Mallei winning the 100- and 400-meter hurdles; and sophomore Aida Sfeir sweeping the triple and long jumps.

Other top performers included Grace Martinek, who took first in the 400m, second in the triple jump, and third in both the 200m and long jump; Laurisa Sindor, who won the high jump and placed third in the triple jump; and Luran Slotnick, who finished first in the javelin and third in the discus.

Addy Azar added a pair of runner-up finishes in the mile and 200m; Izzy Holland placed second in the two-mile and javelin; and Nyomi Faulk placed second and third in the discus and shot put, respectively. Also placing in the top three were Madeline Driscoll and Karimi Nyaga, who ran second and third in the 400m, and Kaia Gatlin and Mallei, who followed Sindor to help the Bulldogs sweep the high jump.

The Canton girls also had a fantastic day at the MSTCA Coaches Invitational, led by Dubuisson, who won both hurdles events and was named the meet’s “Outstanding Female Athlete,” and Raffetto, who broke her own school record — and nearly broke the meet record — in the 800m and was chosen as the “Outstanding Female Runner” of the meet. Raffetto’s performance came just one day after she recorded a huge PR in the mile at the Bay State Running Elite Scholastic Meet at UMass Lowell, placing third overall and tops in Massachusetts with a blazing time of 4:50.34.

Both Raffetto and Dubuisson were also part of the winning 4×400 relay team at the MSTCA meet, teaming with Azar and Martinek to smash their own school record with a time of 4:00.94. Azar also competed in the 800 and placed third with a new personal-best time, while the CHS team of Elena Silva, Lexi Piazza, Driscoll and Holland took third in the 4×800 relay.

Also reaching the podium at the coaches invitational were Sfeir in the triple jump (5th) and long jump (8th); Faulk in the discus (PR 5th); Holland in the two-mile (6th); and Mallei in the 400 hurdles (PR 8th).

CHS boys earn big win over Hornets

The Canton boys team also made history of its own last week, taking down league powerhouse Mansfield for the first time in at least a quarter century.

Senior JJ Faulk was the star of the meet, securing individual victories in three separate events: the 100-meter dash, 200m, and triple jump with a career-best mark of 41’1.5”.

Canton’s Joshua Saint-Vil also had a superlative day, setting a new school record in the long jump (22’8”), placing second behind Faulk in the 100m, and leading a sweep of the high jump in front of teammates Jonathan Brathwaite and John Martinek.

Martinek also scored a victory in the 110-meter hurdles, while teammate Tommy Oliver finished second in that event as well as two others: the 400 hurdles (PR) and triple jump. Declan Monahan won the 400-meter run, and Tristan Grant took second in both the mile and two-mile.

To clinch the victory over the Hornets, the Bulldogs needed to win one of the relay events, and they pulled it off behind the quartet of Avery Gibson, Sony Chery, AJ Jamison and Dre Johnson in the 4×100. “Crossing the line well over a second ahead of the competition, their dominant performance served as the definitive exclamation point on a historic meet for the Bulldogs,” noted head coach Brian Gotsell. “This was a total-team effort. Everyone from every event group did what they needed to do to secure this victory. I am at a loss for words to describe how proud I am of this crew. This was an excellent end to the regular season, and I cannot wait to see what this team does as we enter the championship portion of our season.”

At Saturday’s MSTCA Coaches Invitational, Faulk led the way with top-five finishes in both the 100- and 200-meter races. He also narrowly missed the podium in the long jump, finishing ninth overall.

In the relay events, both the 4×800 team of Riley Swearingen, Sam Siegal, Grant and Minh Hong and the 4×400 team of Dalton Wong, Oliver, Morrel Mondesir and Monahan posted new season-best times en route to placing third and fourth, respectively, while the 4×100 team of Johnson, Jamison, Chery and Gibson also recorded a new PR to finish 10th overall.

Other top performers included Saint-Vil in the long jump (14th), Monahan in the 400m (15th), and Oliver in the 400 hurdles (PR 16th). Also representing Canton were Chery and Gibson in the 100m and 200m, Hong and Grant in the 800m, Matthew Joyce in the 400 hurdles, and Martinek in the 110 hurdles.

“It was a great day for the team,” said Gotsell. “We had several outstanding individual performances, but we also showed our depth in the relays, with all three relay teams posting personal-best times. We’re peaking at the right time, and I’m excited to see this group carry this momentum into the Hockomock Championship.”

Share This Post

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=134100