Sports

Pair of Blue Waves crowned champions at league track finals

Riverhead crowned two champions at the League I Track and Field Championships at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood Saturday night. Though the Blue Waves competed in just about every event, two athletes shined through to take home gold medals.

Dwayne Morgan was the first to cross the finish line in the 55-meter hurdles, and Kobe Boyle out-jumped all competitors to earn gold in the high jump. Both athletes are fairly new to their respective events, just reaching their full potential, and have a higher ceiling to continue to grow and get stronger.

Morgan was more of a middle-distance specialist until last year, but he always kept an admiring eye on 2023 graduate Angelo Confort practicing the 55-meter hurdles. 

“It looked fun, so I wanted to try it,” Morgan said. “It’s not just a full out sprint like the other events. There’s so much technique involved in the hurdles. It gives me so much more to try to improve and perfect from the jump to the get off to the finish.”

Confort posted his personal record and won the 55-meter hurdles in the Large Schools championship in 2023 with a time of 7.85. In Saturday’s League I championship, Morgan nearly matched that mark, crossing the finish line with a time of 7.87, his personal best, in the preliminary heat.

“This is a perfect example of how the older guys inspire the younger ones,” Riverhead track coach Steve Gevinksi said. “Because we all train together as a team, the seniors have a huge impact on the younger guys on the team. Morgan has only been doing the hurdles for a year now and just because he was inspired by Angelo, look at where he is now, winning the event.”

Morgan was disappointed with his performance in the event at the North Shore Holiday Classic late last month, where he posted an 8.3 in the preliminary heat and an 8.6 in the finals. He focused on improving his technique ahead of the county meet.

“I knocked into the last hurdle in the final,” Morgan said. “But I was running about an 8.1 regularly so I was really disappointed in myself. I promised myself that next meet I was going to break eight seconds. And I did it today with the 7.87.”

Getting to sub-eight seconds pushes a hurdler into elite territory, and a few simple fixes propelled Morgan to the podium.

“I took a really fast first step,” Morgan said. “I usually start with the right foot and then switch to my left foot. So this time I started with my left foot so I could take a fast step with my right foot which got me a half of a step closer to the hurdle. I’ve been really locked in this week in practice, practicing inside and outside and even in the hallways. I just felt it. I knew I was going to do really good today.”

Riverhead junior Kobe Boyle was the only competitor to clear the 5-foot-8 bar in Saturday’s League I high jump final. (Credit: Bill Landon)

Boyle joined the track program as a freshman and wasn’t able to clear the 5-foot bar, regularly topping out at 4-foot-8-inches. But with hard work and training, Boyle, now a junior, has become one of the best high jumpers in the league and was the only competitor to clear 5-foot-8-inches on Saturday.

“Ever since I hit 5 feet my sophomore year, it got me hungry to do more and push myself harder,” Boyle said. “I’m not satisfied with the win today. I was trying to get over 5-foot-10-inches but just couldn’t get it today. But I’m close.”

The 5-foot-8 jump matched Morgan’s highest on the season and he’s become confident in his ability to clear that mark after hitting on his first attempt Saturday.

“Most of the success in high jumping is in the approach,” Boyle said. “You have to first and foremost have faith, run fast and run hard. You let the momentum carry your body over the bar, and your form takes care of the rest.”

Coming into the event, there were a handful of other jumpers who had also hit 5-foot-8 as their personal record over the course of the season. The competition didn’t bother Boyle. He welcomed it.

“I keep it always as an independent mentality,” Boyle said. “I really don’t care what the others are doing or how high they’re jumping. I feel like I’m surrounded by all my peers and friends. We’re all here to motivate each other. The biggest thing I can do for those around me is to keep pushing and improving myself.” 

Riverhead will next compete in the Large School Suffolk County championships before trying to qualify some athletes for states.

“These two guys have worked hard and put in the effort to become the best,” Gevinski said. “They bought into the training and realized how hard they have to work to get results. I’m super proud of them both. But they still have so much to grow. I expect big things out of them. With their mentalities, the sky’s the limit.”