By Michael Hoffer
Local athletes had strong performances at the Class A and B state championship meets Monday.
At the Class A meet, held at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham, the Cheverus boys had 33 points to place sixth. Scarborough won the title with 56. Portland placed 10th with 20.33 points. Deering had eight points and tied Lewiston for 18th place.
On the girls’ side, Scarborough won a fifth successive crown with 77 points. Cheverus was eighth with 29, but had a freshman win two events. Deering finished in a three-way tie for 15th with 4 points. Portland did not score.
At the Class B girls’ meet at Bates College in Lewiston, McAuley had 17 points to tie Orono for ninth. Waterville won the crown with 67.
SUBHEAD-Record-setting relay and a double-champion
The lone local first place showing in the Class A boys’ meet came from Cheverus’ talented 3,200 relay team. Junior Taylor Dundas, senior Josh Reali, sophomore Jack Terwilliger and senior Andrew Snyder had a time of 8:19.05.
Individually, Snyder was runner-up in the 800 (2:05.36) and Terwilliger was second in the two-mile (9:57.53). Junior John White finished fourth in the shot put (48 feet, 10.5 inches) and Dundas came in fifth in the mile (4:42.55).
Portland featured standout sophomore Imadhi Zagon, who was runner-up in both the high jump (6-2) and the long jump (21-7), and also placed fifth in the 200 (23.75 seconds). Senior Nate Buck was seventh in the 800 (2:08.24) and senior Peter Olfasen finished in a three-way tie for seventh in the high jump (5-6)
For Deering, Sam Balzano placed sixth in the 55 (6.85). Seth Neuts finished sixth in the mile (4:44.15). Renaldo Lowry came in seventh in the 200 (23.92). Michael Tifiano placed seventh in the 55 hurdles (8.25).
The Rams’ 3,200 relay team (Charlie Dupee, Matt Kalicky, Neuts and Jeremy Turner) was sixth (8:50.17).
In the girls’ meet, Cheverus was led by freshman Fiona Hendry, who captured both the mile (5:10.99) and the two-mile (11:40.34). Sophomore Caroline Summa was runner-up in the high jump (5-2) and placed seventh in the 200 (27.49).
Three-quarters of Deering’s points came from its relays. The 800 team, featuring Fiona Densmore, Georgia Hutchins, Delaney Loring and Brooke Durgin, was sixth in 1:53.98). The Rams 3,200 relay squad (Natalie Mitchell, Jane Farrell, Katie Donlan and Veronica Mitchell) came in seventh (10:50.36). The other point came from Angela Balzano, who placed seventh in the high jump (4-10).
SUBHEAD-Long tossing Lion
McAuley sophomore Allina Verrillo had a very busy day and night Monday. Verrillo and her girls’ basketball teammates lost in the Western Class A quarterfinals to Deering, but first, she came in second in Class B in the shot put with a throw of 36-6 3/4. Junior Lauren Fecteau had a third-place finish in the mile (5:32.03) and placed fifth in the two-mile (12:18.00).
SUBHEAD-New Englands
The indoor track season has one final stop for select local athletes. On March 6, the New England championships will be contested in Boston.

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net

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Portland’s Imadhi Zagon showed his form as he raced toward a fifth-place finish in the 200 at Monday’s Class A state meet. (Brandon McKenney photo)