Photo by: Sue Moss
The Panthers finished the year 3-2.
It was a winning campaign this winter for the Whitman-Hanson Regional High boys’ indoor track team.
The Panthers finished the season 3-2, which included league wins over Duxbury and Silver Lake.
“The high point was the excitement we experienced with seeing our athletes get better and being competitive within the league,” said first-year W-H indoor track head coach Stephen Schlicting. “Having three wins and losing a fourth by only two points fueled excitement and a feeling that no challenge was insurmountable.”
Junior Theo Kamperides picked up where he left off in the cross-country season, earning league all-star status once again. He set a school record in the 5k at 15:52.61, before capping the year by setting a personal record in the 2-mile run at the Div. 3 state indoor track meet with a time of 10:06.32.
“Theo Kamperides was outstanding this winter,” Schlicting said.
Kamperides was one of a bevy of veterans to impress Schlicting this winter.
“Many had career personal records,” the coach explained. “Our top scorers, with one exception, were all returners. Graham Stewart, Theo Kamperides, Jake Caterer, Brandon Hager, Liam Cafferty, Chris Blackman, Pat Bui, Dyllan Burns and Nathan Tassey scored the majority of our points. They all pushed themselves, and set the example for newer teammates.”
Blackman, Cafferty, Hager and Tassey led the way in the distance events, which Schlicting coined as the team’s strength.
“They were dependable, hard workers who excelled on the track and set a great example in practice,” Schlicting said.
“We had some younger distance athletes in Gordon Johnson and James Molito who will make an impact in the future. Cullen Poth was our Rookie of the Year, winning shot put in four of the five dual meets. We had some great performances from Seniors Pat Bui, Dyllan Burns and Matt Avery in our middle-distance races. We had some younger athletes who will be scorers in the future in Jacob Donovan, Mike King, Ryan Smith and Sean Kelly.”
Schlicting said he has a simple message to his athletes with the hopes of carrying this momentum into the spring.
“Build on what you have done this winter,” he said. “Bring a friend, we are interested in anyone willing to learn, listen and challenge themselves to get better. We especially welcome freshman athletes or those who may be on the bench or not an important part of another sport. No one sits in track and field — everyone plays.”