Laxmen notch three more wins

Next up: Winthrop at home then trip to Lexington

BY JOE McCONNELL

It was three more wins for the Marblehead High boys lacrosse team (11-0 in the Northeastern Conference, 13-0 overall) as they continued to cruise toward a top seed in the Division 2 state tournament.

One of those victories was against Bedford, New Hampsure on May 10. They are a formidable opponent north of the border that will certainly help in the overall state power rankings. Marblehead is currently ranked 15th.

The Granite State club is coached by former Marblehead assistant Drew Boudreau, who was a member of coach John Wilkens’ staff in 2021.

The Magicians had to stage a late comeback against their out-of-state visitors to beat them, 8-7. They were trailing, 6-4, before outscoring Bedford, 4-1 to pull out the close win.

“(Bedford) is a very good, athletic team,” said Wilkens. “It was certainly a gritty win for us but something we need to get ready for the state tournament.” progress since the start of the season, and it will be exciting to see how the postseason goes for her.”

Boys discus

Firestone, who has been sidelined with an injury, returned by winning this event with a throw of 92-11.

“Graham has an extraordinary baseline talent, but his investment in improving — even while injured — is what will make him an incredibly successful thrower over the next few years,” Raimo said.

Alexander (69-3) Humphreys finished ninth. Tucker Crane (67-0.5) was 10th and Grady Norfleet (62-8) 14th.

Girls javelin

Sierra Leinberry (78-9) snatched second place after winning the tiebreaker over his Swampscott counterpart.

Mia Mabry (52-11) ended up 10th, Addison Rotigliano (46-5.5, personal best) 12th, Julie Caix (45-11) 13th and Ellie Payson (36-1) 16th.

Boys javelin

Firestone (118-5) came in second with a throw of 118-

5. Phineas Jakiouis (106-0) narrowly missed the podium. Humphreys (98-8) was 12th,

Colin Hart (82-5) 15th and Tucker Crane (64-2.5) 18th.

Boys 400-meter hurdles

Marc Grazado, in a herculean effort while making his debut, came in first with a time of 67.59. He was followed by Nate Jendrysik (12th, 74.73) and Quinn Scheib (16th, 79.17).

Girls 2-mile

Marri O’Connell (12:40.85) won the 2-mile after completing a perfectly executed race.

“Marri went into the meet knowing that she would be tripling her running experience by competing in the 2-mile, mile and 4x800, which is a herculean feat,” said coach William Herlihy. “Her goal was to win the 2-mile, while retaining as much energy as possible, and she nailed it in this race. She took an early 6-meter lead before settling into a comfortable pace, and then on lap seven opened up the gap by about 30 meters to cruise to victory in the final lap, racing like a seasoned veteran while also showcasing her maturity and coachability on top of her already impressive work ethic and talent.”

Boys two-mile Jonah Potach ended up seventh with a time of 12:10.97.

“It’s not the result Jonah expected or wanted, but for a young runner the experience of racing can be as valuable as running your best time,” Herlihy said. “Knowing Jonah, he will use this as motivation to bounce back in the next couple of weeks. He then would go on to run a leg in the 4x800 relay, which is a challenging double.”

Girls 100/110-meter hurdles

Elise Burchfield, who won the 55-meter hurdles during the indoor Freshman-Sophomore NEC Meet, defended her title, while running a new personal best time of 17.8.

Campbell Crane (21.33) finished ninth. Sierra Leinberry (21.56) was 11th, and Addison Rotigliano (22:11) ran away from her heat to finish 12th overall.

Boys 100/110-meter hurdles Grazado was a double winner in the hurdles after claiming this title with a new personal best time of 18.62, well below his goal of 19.0.

Elian Colon (22.30) was sixth to earn a big point for the team. His 22 points in this meet led the way for the boys team.