GORHAM — The York and Falmouth indoor track teams — both boys’ and girls’ — are always tough to beat. Poland and St. Dominic Academy got a front-row seat to see that Friday night in a Western Maine Conference meet at the University of Southern Maine Field House.
The York boys edged out Falmouth in the team standings, 208-196. Poland was third with an even 100 points. Falmouth won the girls’ meet, beating runner-up York 194-140. Poland finished in fifth, with 51 points, and St. Dom’s accumulated 10 points to finish in ninth.
“We did great tonight, lots of personal bests,” Poland coach Rick Kramer said. “We look at the season as a training ground for the Western Maine Conference meet. The Western Maine Conference meet is a big school/little school meet, so we’re in the little school division. In all, we held our own with all the smaller schools. We know that Falmouth is incredibly fast this year. They’re going to do a great job when it comes to states and everything.”
The Knights were led on the boys’ side by junior division sprinter Joseph Kaczynski, who took first place in both the 55- and 400-meter dashes.
“That was huge for him. Personal best in both,” Kramer said. “I think that he can go a lot faster. He’s young.”
Kaczynski won the 55 in a time of 7.17 seconds, beating teammate Ben Bernier by .04 seconds, and captured the 400 in 57.03 seconds. Bernier won the junior 200-meter dash with a winning time of 24.58 seconds. The pair helped the Knights’ senior division 800-meter relay team finish second.
Sam Walker was another junior Knight to pick up some points, finishing third in the high jump and fourth in the 55 hurdles, while also helping Poland’s junior 800-meter relay team place third.
Also for the Knights, Gabe Crosby and Quinn Ferguson finished third and fourth, respectively, in the junior shot put.
York’s win on the boys’ side came on the backs of just two event wins — Grant Long in the junior shot put and Spencer Goulette in the senior 400 — but the Wildcats scored points in seemingly every event.
Leah Desjardins performed well for the Poland girls — runner-up finishes in both the 55 and 200 — while overcoming some adversity.
“She’s finally healthy,” Kramer said of Desjardins. “Well, she’s not totally healthy, but she’s much better than she has been. She came on a little bit.”
Desjardins was also on the Knights’ third-place finish in the senior 800-meter relay.
Kiana Kelley helped out Poland’s cause with a third-place showing in the junior high jump and fourth-place finish in the pole vault.
All of the Saints’ points came from Ella Brown, who took third in the mile and fifth in the two-mile. The St. Dom’s boys didn’t score any points, but Diego Villamarin had top-10 placings in both the mile and two-mile runs.
Falmouth’s dominance on the girls’ side came via wins in eight different events.
wkramlich@sunjournal.com.
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