WATERTOWN — Both the Frontier League boys and girls track and field championships will come down to a photo finish.
The Watertown boys, the defending boys league meet champions, and Beaver River girls are leading by slim margins after the first day of competition Monday at Watertown High School. The Frontier League will be finalized after the running of the boys and girls steeplechase at 4 p.m. today at Carthage. Watertown’s track currently doesn’t have the water pit to conduct steeplechase.
Watertown compiled 154 points while regular season “A” Division champion Indian River was second with 139 in the boys event. South Lewis is third with 102 while Carthage (80) and South Jefferson (44) round out the top five. South Lewis junior Collin Stafford is the favorite in the 3,000 meter steeplechase.
The girls competition is much tighter with Beaver River leading last year’s league meet champions, South Jefferson, by 141.50 points to 139. Lowville is third with 94 and South Lewis (89) and Indian River (40.50 finish out the top five. Falcons junior Brynn Bernard is listed as the top seed in the 2,000 steeplechase. Both the Beavers and the Spartans have two runners each listed in the top 10 seeds for the event.
Camiren Collins posted wins in the 100, 200 and 400 hurdles while 2022 state qualifier Donaven Turner won the 400 and was part of the winning 1,600 relay with Nathan Clukey, Marcus Cole and Tafarhi Brown for the Cyclones. Jaden Collins took first in the discus and Geremiah Ademola-Sadipe got the victory in the high jump for Watertown.
Indian River’s Joey Raap (110 hurdles), Davin Dewaine (shot put) and Timothy Hardy (triple jump) helped the Warriors to second place and an outside shot of completing the league and regular season sweep.
South Lewis standout Collin Stafford was a three-time winner after showing his prowess in the distance races. Stafford earned wins in the 1,600, 3,200 and was part of the winning 3,200 relay with Mitchell Domagala, Aiden Sampson and MacCoy Maciejko. Domagala was also a multiple winner by taking first in the pole vault.
Carthage senior Jhamel Lankford was the other multiple-event winner on the boys side with victories in the long jump and being the anchor leg of the 400 relay with James Gibbons, Mikhail Bolton and Trenton Walker.
The Beavers have a slim edge thanks to Madison Abbott and Lauren Brandt, who were two-time winners for Beaver River. Abbott was victorious in the 400 and Brandt got the win in the 800. The two were part of the winning 1,600 relay with Naomi Roggie and Elena Dickinson. Anna Roggie was first in the 100 hurdles and Hannah Roggie got the win in the shot put.
South Jefferson was spurred on by Chloe Abbott and Kennady Billman, who were each multiple-event winners. Billman, a Belleville Henderson student, swept the sprint events of the 100 and 200 and won the long jump. Abbott won the triple jump and teamed up with Billman, Lily Gaede and Lillian Cota on the first-place 400 relay. Emily Belcher placed first in the discus for the Spartans.
South Lewis had two multi-event winners with Brynn Bernard getting victories in the 1,500 and 3,000 while Shelby Becraft racked up wins in the 400 hurdles and pole vault for the Falcons.
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