Beverly's Norris bursts to the fore
FALL RIVER - Down the stretch of the 800-meter run at yesterday's State Track Coaches Association Invitational at Durfee High School, Beverly's Brenden Norris heard someone in the crowd cheering on his competition. However, the Dartmouth College-bound runner ended up being the one more encouraged by the fan's words.
"I heard someone yelling at the guy behind me to end strong and aim for second place," he said. "That's when I knew I had it won."
Norris, the 14th seed entering the race, won the event easily, finishing in 1 minute 57.81 seconds. The senior held the lead for the duration, bursting to a quick advantage at the start and holding it. The only view he had of his competition came when he gave a quick glance as he crossed the finish line.
"I had just given everything I had down the last leg and I wanted to see how good I really did," Norris said. "It was one of those races where I wished I had rearview mirrors to see the rest."
The meet was held under soggy, breezy conditions, but Woburn's Chris Martin was one of the few unfazed by the elements.
After tying for the day's best long jump, he joined his teammates in the 4 x 100 relay, helping to set a school record with a time of 43.81 seconds. That was .12 seconds quicker than second-place Newton North and just short of the meet record of 43.10. Martin walked away with the award for best overall performance.
"I was focused mostly on my form and execution in both events," Martin said. "Our hard work really paid off today."
Westborough's Ryan Ruffing walked away with best runner honors after winning a competitive 200-meter dash. With none of the participants distancing themselves from a tight pack down the stretch, Ruffing lurched forward. That gave him just enough of a boost to beat Dartmouth's Jordan Todman, 22.40 to 22.46. The top six finishers were separated by less than a second.
"It was a loaded field and pretty cluttered the whole race," said Ruffing, who is headed to George Washington University on a soccer scholarship. "It was definitely the closest race I've ever been in, but also the most fun. It was an emotional rush."
Brockton's Carlos Montrond entered the mile as the 12th seed. Montrond found himself in a tight race with Newton North's Seb Putzeys, but he turned on the afterburners to pull away and win in 4:24.72.
"I knew I had him down the last stretch," Montrond said.
Durfee's Ronnie Thomas won the high jump for the second year in a row with a leap of 6-2.
In the 4 x 800 relay, Franklin edged Xaverian, 8:14.21 to 8:14.29.
