Boys’ gymnastics, 9-0, won the 2018 MIAA State Championship at North on Friday with 182.60 points. Coach Bill Martin praised the team’s performance and claimed that they “really dominated” their competition.
The combined North and South team beat Attleboro, Braintree, Burlington, and Lowell to take home the trophy for the fourth consecutive year.
“Our first two guys can match their first two guys, and our next two guys were better than their other two guys,” Martin said. “It’s team depth, really.”
Several teammates were injured, causing others to practice new events, according to junior Steven Tan, a captain along with junior Michael Mitelman. Tan labeled the result as “extremely rewarding” despite the circumstances.
In the floor event, North freshman Matthew Hassan placed first with 9.35 points, South junior Sam Arber claimed second place with 9.30 points, and North senior Avery Wright finished sixth with 8.75 points.
In the pommel horse exercise, Arber won with 7.9 points, while South senior Vincent Campagna and Hassan took 6th and 5th, leading the team to claim three of the top six spots again.
The joint team also took the last three places in the parallel bars competition, from the combined efforts of Arber, sophomore Jake Forbes, and Hassan, respectively.
In the high bar, Hassan placed 4th with 7.9 points, Forbes took 5th with 7.8 points, and Arber grabbed 6th place.
The Newton boys claimed 3rd and 5th place in the vault event with Arber and Hassan respectively, and Arber, Forbes, and Hassan placed 2nd, 5th, and 6th in the rings event.
Overall, Arber finished in 3rd place with 49.35 cumulative points, Hassan captured 4th place with 47.50 total points, and Forbes took 6th place in the all-around scoring with 45.1 points.
Martin commended Forbes and Hassan, the “kids” of the team for their contribution. He added that gymnasts like Forbes and Hassan have come and really helped them build their program to where it is now.
Tan referenced his coaches and teammates as the driving forces behind the team’s success. They “gave each other great feedback throughout the season,” he said.