by Jacob Gurvis
Boys’ indoor track, 5-0, has started off the season very successfully according to coach Jim Blackburn.
“It’s early in the season, but everyone is doing well,” said Blackburn.
This school has a long history of success in track, and so far this season has been no different. Senior Gabe Montague, a captain with seniors Nick Fofana, Jackson King, and Mike Schlichting, is optimistic about this year’s squad, and believes that the Tigers will continue to perform strongly.
“The team is doing everything well enough right now,” said Montague. “We’ve been winning all of our dual meets and plan to keep winning them throughout the rest of the season. The biggest danger is having people get injured but so far we haven’t had much of that.”
Resurrecting the team’s past success in relays is one necessity for the Tigers, according to Montague.
“Our relays probably need the most improvement right now, looking ahead to the divisional and state championships. In the past our relays have traditionally scored us a lot of points in the championship meets, but this year will be tough because of injuries and absences,” he said.
The Tigers have high expectations for this season, as both Blackburn and Montague noted state-level success as the team’s main goal.
“Our goals are to win the Bay State Conference title and finish our seventeenth consecutive undefeated season,” said Blackburn. “We also want to be in the running for the State Championship.”
Montague echoed Blackburn’s goals, saying that winning the All-State and staying undefeated are the team’s objectives.
“A lot of winning the All-State meet comes down to our coaches strategizing which athletes are placed in which events. To accomplish this on the athlete’s end, we have to race hard not just at the end of the season when it really counts, but throughout the season to show potential our potential in events so that we can be placed in the right event in the championships,” he said.
“Our other goal is to continue our undefeated streak in dual meets that has lasted over a decade. The best way for us to accomplish this is to make sure everyone keeps showing up to the meets healthy,” said Montague.
Blackburn named Montague, Nick Fofana, and Mike Schlichting as the runners who are performing especially well. He said they are “excelling at their events.”
Montague also said that Fofana has been performing extremely well for the team. “Nick is still our number one point contributor, and he’s the best in the league in multiple events,” he said.
According to Blackburn, Montague has the fastest mile time in the country with an impressive 4:15 mark.
