Anna Connors admitted to some concern about how an injury to her left quadriceps would affect her performance at the Class A outdoor track and field championships.
The junior sprinter had pulled out of the 200-meter dash at last weekend’s Penobscot Valley Conference championships, and even with physical therapy during the days leading up to states there was no certainty of what her lingering injury would tolerate.
She found out early Saturday afternoon on her home track, with her win in the 100-meter dash the first of her three victories that propelled the Bangor High School girls to their second straight state crown.
“There definitely was [doubt] at the beginning of the week,” said Connors, who had secured one first and two second-place finishes at the 2021 state meet. “I wasn’t quite sure what was wrong but I worked through it and I was here today.
“It was very mental, but even from doing the [100] prelim I knew I could get through the day and it was going to feel fine.”
Connors added victories in the 200 and 400 before opting not to compete in the meet’s final event, the 4×400 relay, as coach Alan Mosca’s Rams already had clinched the team victory.
“It did get a little tight at the end so I decided not to do that and focus on the New England’s next weekend and the nationals as well,” she said.
Bangor also got event victories from senior Megan Randall in the 3,200 and junior Julia Bassi in the shot put en route to scoring 97 points, well ahead of runner-up Gorham (69). Bonny Eagle of Standish (69), Edward Little of Auburn (56) and Scarborough (43) rounded out the top five in the first high school track and field state championship meet held in the Queen City in more than two decades at the new Cameron Stadium.
“To win something like this in Bangor, it’s really special,” Mosca said.
Connors had her upper left leg wrapped as she began the meet with the 100, first putting up the top preliminary-round time of 12.35 seconds and later edging Gorham’s Emma Green by three-hundredths of a second in the final with her winning time of 12.21.
“That was a tone-setter for Anna, and I think it helped carry her through the day,” Mosca said. “She’s talented in everything she does, but the 400 and 200 are right in her wheelhouse. Getting through the 100 was huge for her.”
Connors later carved out more comfortable victories in the 200 (25.10) and the 400 (56.01) as Bangor continued to build momentum and its lead in what had been projected to be a close battle for the top spot with Gorham.
“Anna’s a special kid,” Mosca said. “That was one of the toughest things I’ve seen a kid do in a long time. She just has a mental toughness to her that carries her through.
“What Anna did also boosted everyone else, but they knew they still had to do their jobs to help take the pressure off.”
Bassi secured a personal record in the shot put by 11 inches with a best of 37-0 ¼ on her third throw of the finals to win the event by more than a foot.
“I was very surprised,” she said. “Last week I fouled around a 37 so I knew I had it in me, but I was just worried about fouling again.”
Randall began her day by anchoring teammates Jenna Elkadi, Katie McCarthy and Sadie Harrow to a third-place finish in the 4×800 relay, then set a seven-second personal record while finishing third in the 1,600 and raced to a 28-second victory in the 3,200 with a time of 11:02.41.
Other individual scoring finishers for the Rams were McCarthy’s second place in the discus, Anika Noack’s tie for second in the pole vault, a fourth by Bridget Frazier in the 1,600 race walk, fifths by Lillian Rice in the high jump and Nora Marasco in the pole vault, a sixth by Callie Tennett in the 400 and sevenths from Harrow in the 3,200, Emma McNeil in the javelin and shot put and Abby Quinn in the discus.
Bangor’s other two relay teams also contributed to the victory, with the 4×400 tandem of Tennett, Julia Smallwood, Maddie Cyr and Evelyn Humbert finishing fourth and the 4×100 grouping of Cyr, Smallwood, Samantha Erb and Madeline Thai placing seventh.
Connors was one of three multi-event winners in the girls’ meet. Delaney Hesler of Bonny Eagle won the 800 (2:18.93) and 1,600 (4:56.26), while Makenna Drouin of Edward Little swept the 100 hurdles (15.56) and 300 hurdles (44.95).
The girls’ meet also featured two new state records, with Alyvia Caruso of Gorham winning the long jump with a best of 18-5 ½ while Gorham’s 4×100 relay team of Green, Sydney Connolly, Ashley Connelly and Maddie Michaud knocked 0.41 seconds off the previous best in that event with a time of 49.15.
Brewer High School senior Ainsley Reid won the girls’ pole vault with a best of 9 feet, 3 inches.
Scarborough cruised to its third straight Class A boys state title, outscoring runner-up Cheverus of Portland 89-63, with Bonny Eagle (55), Gorham (54.2) and Oxford Hills of South Paris (39.2) rounding out the top five.
The victorious Red Storm won six events, including two each from Nicholas Connolly and Jayden Flaker. Connolly won both the shot put (57-0) and discus (153-0) while Flaker swept the 110 high hurdles (14.52) and 300 low hurdles (39.25).
Scarborough’s Zach Barry outlasted Hampden Academy senior Abbott Valentine to win the 1,600 in 4:20.21, while teammate Toby Martin won the pole vault at 13 feet.
Cheverus captured the meet’s final event, the boys’ 4×400 relay, to secure second place, with Frank Morang pacing the Stags with victories in the long (22-10 ¼) and triple jumps (43-3 ¼).
Senior Andrew Farr of Gorham matched Connors’ day by sweeping the boys’ sprints. He used a fast start to win a highly anticipated 100-meter dash against Morang and Bonny Eagle’s Aidan Walcott in 11.03 against a slight headwind, then followed up with victories in the 400 (49.06) and 200 (22.41).
Bangor finished eighth in the boys standings with 38 points, led by senior Daniel McCarthy’s victory in the 800 in 1:56.80.
Valentine’s runner-up finishes in the 1,600 and to Mount Ararat’s Grady Satterfield in the 3,200 helped Hampden Academy finish 10th in the 24-school field with 25 points.
Falmouth’s 4×100 relay team of Charlie Adams, Will Addison, Andrew Christie and Finn Caxton-Smith set a Class A state record with its time of 42.96.