Two Riverhead relay teams win league titles
LEAGUE III CHAMPIONSHIP
Before the start of the League III Championship Saturday afternoon, Riverhead coach Sal Loverde talked to his team about coming to compete, rather than simply coming to run.
The message got through.
Behind first-place finishes from both the 4 x 400 and 4 x 800-meter relay teams, the Blue Waves tallied 72 points to finish second at Suffolk Community College in Brentwood. In a compact meet, the Blue Waves’ athletes were tasked with competing in multiple events over a short period of time.
In the end, eight Blue Waves finished in the top six in events. And all four members of the winning 4 x 4 relay team also scored in individual events.
The top individual finish was by senior Marcus Moore, who won the triple jump with a top mark of 42 feet 1 inch.
Huntington won the overall league title with 119 points.
The Blue Waves’ 4 x 4 relay team consisted of seniors Dan Czelatka, Davion Porter, Moore and junior Jacob Robinson. The team ran 3:42.71 to finish ahead of Hauppauge (3:44.21).
It was the first league title for Riverhead in the 4 x 4 since before the 2006 season, which is as far back as results go on Just In Time racing.
Porter had a big day, placing in two other events. He was third in the high jump, clearing 5-08 and fifth in the 600 in 1:30.21.
Czelatka was a surprise in the 600. Running the event for the first time, he finished second while running in a slower heat. He finished in 1:30.0.
In the long jump, sophomore Curtis Flippen placed second with a season best mark of 20-11 3/4. Robinson ran the 300 and placed fourth in :38.3.
Sophomore Troy Trent placed fourth in the shot put with a top mark of 43-11 1/2. In the 1,000, junior Nick Cunha ran 2:51.7 for third place.
Senior Travis Wooten had one of the busiest days of anyone, running the 3,200, 1,600 and 4 x 800. He was fifth in both the 3,200 (10:21.08) and 1,600 (4:57.41).
He helped lead the 4 x 800 team to a title as well. The group, which featured Cunha, freshman Eric Cunha and sophomore Ryan DiResta, ran 9:04.63.
It has also been since at least before the 2006 season since Riverhead last won a league title in the 4 x 8.
