Score 97 points; runner-up Triton with 85
Published February 13, 2020
THE NRHS boys’ indoor track and field team repeated as Cape Ann League Open champions on Feb. 4. (Courtesy Photo)
BOSTON — On Tuesday, Feb. 4, the North Reading boys’ indoor track and field team accomplished one of their season goals as they won the Cape Ann League Open Meet title for the second year in a row. The Hornets scored 97 points, besting second place finisher Triton (85 points) and third place finisher Amesbury (70 points).
Anchored by six first-place finishes in 13 overall events, the Hornets absolutely had their best meet of the season.
“This is quite an amazing accomplishment for our program. The boys wanted to repeat as CAL Open Champions and it was a primary focus of ours throughout the season. I can’t say enough good things about our coaching staff of Sotirios Pintzopoulos, Kirsten MacLellan, Andrew Falanga, Joe Davis, Tom Ledoux and Josh Rocco. They are excellent in their disciplines and helped our team prepare to compete every single practice and every single meet. The whole team stepped up today, every single one, regardless if they scored points or not. Many were able to achieve season bests and it led to accomplishing our team goal. I am extremely proud to work with this entire group and that they were able to accomplish this feat, as it rewards all the hard work and dedication to the task at hand,” said head coach Ryan Spinney.
The First place finishers and Cape Ann League Open champions, were led by league MVP Billy Lord, who won three individual events (55 Meter Dash, 55 Meter Hurdles and High Jump), Will Carpenter (Shot Put), Joey Frammartino (Long Jump) and Jack Murphy (600 Meter Run).
Lord had one of the most impressive league championship meets in history as he set two school and Cape Ann League meet records in the dash and hurdles as he hit 6.46 in the 55 meter dash and 7.52 in the 55 meter hurdles. To top off his day, Lord was the top finisher in the High Jump as his 6’2” jump was the best in the field.
“What Billy accomplished today was one of the most incredible feats I have ever seen at a track meet,” stated Spinney. “To set school and league bests in the two fastest events, within a few minutes of one another by the way, and then complete the trifecta of wins with his high jump performance, is a true testament to his dedication to be the best he can possibly be. He was the unanimously voted league MVP and CAL Open Performer of the Meet, both prestigious honors in their own right. Many of the other coaches in the league, as well as other competitors, came to congratulate him as they knew how impressive and special his performance was. I’m so incredibly proud of him and his accomplishments,” said Spinney.
Senior co-captain Will Carpenter continued his domination in the Shot Put as his toss of 45’ 6” was over three feet better than the next competitor at the meet.
“Will is the quiet, steady leader for our throws program and he absolutely deserves the recognition as league champion,” stated Spinney. “He has worked so hard to be one of the best throwers in the league, and it is so fitting he won the event by as much as he did. Truly an accomplishment that was well deserved.”
Senior Joey Frammartino entered into the first place parade as he took home the victory in the Long Jump, with a 1 inch win over Ben Ayotte from Amesbury. Frammartino’s jump of 20’ 2.5” places him in the top 10 all time in NRHS history as well. Not bad for someone who had been working on the event for roughly three weeks.
“Credit to coach Pintzopoulos to convince Joey to give the event a try,” said Spinney. “Joey is an incredible athlete and competitor and Pintz was able to get him to channel that energy in such a short amount of time to become a very capable jumper. Such a great accomplishment for a talented young man,” said Spinney.
Junior Co-Captain Jack Murphy had the grittiest race of the day in the 600. Murphy, who was seeded first in the event based on time, was in a battle with the field at the 300 meter mark when he made the decision to push the pedal to the floor and give it everything he could. That decision paid off as he was able to hold off the field in a personal best time of 1:26.49 and a league champion status in the event.
“Jack Murphy is a true competitor, no one could ever tell me differently,” said Spinney. “We talked strategy before this race and he knew it would take all he had to beat this talented field. He used every last drop of energy and took home the victory by mere hundredths of a second. Very few can push themselves to the absolute brink when they need to, Jack Murphy is one who can. What a performance!”
A number of second places increased the Hornets’ total as well. This included Cam Chinchillo (High Jump), Grayson Budny (55 Meter Dash) and the 4×200 relay team. The 4×200 team comprised of Budny, Frammartino, senior co-captain Brendan Witts and junior Ryan Good ran a solid 1:35.54 to grab silver in the event.
Chinchillo, a senior co-captain, continued his impressive campaign with a leap of 6’ 0” to take the silver.
“Cam is a special athlete and he certainly needs to be recognized as a major factor in our team success,” stated Spinney. “He is constantly performing at a high level regardless of the event, whether it is the hurdles, high jump or long jump. Without Cam, we don’t achieve the level of team success we have been able to this season. He is an all-star athlete and a great young man,” said Spinney.
Junior Grayson Budny took home silver honors in the 55 Meter Dash with his 6.72 time in the final.
“Grayson is one talented young man. He is only a junior and already has established himself as an elite sprinter and jumper in our league. He works so hard every day and takes the sport very seriously. He is a force to be reckoned with and will be for a long time to come,” said Spinney.
The 4×400 Meter Relay team of Good, junior Kyle Rabbitt, junior Garrett Butler and Murphy took third place for the Hornets as they ran a solid time of 3:57.80. Chipping in a with 4th place finish included Chinchillo in the 55 Meter Hurdles (8.32), a time that qualified him for the state meet in mid-February. Frammartino also snagged a tie for 5th place in the 55 Meter Dash with a personal best of 6.84, a state qualifying time. Rounding out the scoring for the Hornets was Chinchillo as he took 6th place in the Long Jump with a leap of 19’ 6.”
This back-to-back Open victory was quite an accomplishment for the program and now they are focusing their hopes on challenging for the Division 4 State Championship on Saturday, Feb. 15 at the Reggie Lewis Center.
