by Blake Krantz
Boys’ outdoor track has started the season with a perfect record of 4-0. Senior Carter Harrison, a captain with seniors Liam McDade and John Sava and junior Jared Prior, is “confident that the team is on track to another perfect season.”
McDade had the same opinion, saying that “it’s a tradition for the North track team to try and keep a perfect record,” and that it “was important to start off the season well because it sets a good tone for the rest of the season.”
McDade credited the early success to the team’s “amazing coaching staff and good work ethic.”
For the Tigers, this early success has came in spite of a “shaky start” for many as a result of the poor weather, according to Prior.
As Prior put it, the “inclement transition from winter to spring” was difficult for the team and others in the state, but the Tigers have been able to quickly “regain their focus.”
In the past few weeks, the Tigers have had strong victories against Weymouth and Brookline, winning 91-45 and 105-31, respectively.
According to Harrison, the snow “severely [affected] the competitive season,” with many athletic directors being forced to try to “remove or compact” many meets in the first month of the schedule.
When asked about the abnormal start to the year, coach Jim Blackburn explained that the team “didn’t miss any practices” like many others did, as the Tigers had the benefit of the indoor facility to train in.
Looking forward, Blackburn said that “as always,” the team “hopes to win the league title,” which he said will largely depend upon beating Needham May 20th.
Prior also emphasized the importance of the meet against Needham, who he said looks “comparable” to the Tigers “in almost every event.”
Following Needham, Prior said that the team’s focus will shift to the Conference Championships and Divisionals, where the team “hopes to have some athletes qualify for the All-State meet.”
According to McDade, the throwers will also look to break the discus state relay record May 17th.
These will not be easy tasks for the Tigers, who will need “a lot of the newer members of the team to step up and perform,” according to Prior.
Harrison had similar thoughts on the second half of the season, saying that “a lot of runners and throwers who normally score second or third are quickly improving,” and are now a “force to be reckoned with” in the state.
The team next faces Needham May 20.