Our All-Scholastic teams for the spring sports season are coming out soon.
But before we get there, we need help from our readers.
Much like we did for the fall and winter sports seasons, our readers will have a say in who our Players of the Year are in all the spring sports. We’ve cut down the list of the best of the best into an even more elite group (no easy task). We limited each school to a maximum of one candidate.
Vote for our Patriot Ledger/Enterprise High School Boys Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. Reader votes will make up 20% of the tally, with our four staff reporters (Eric McHugh, Jason Snow, Ryan Vermette and Chris McDaniel) making up the rest of the vote.
Voting will conclude on Monday, July 6.
The poll
The candidates
Nicholas Askjaer, Cohasset
Junior made almost a clean sweep of the postseason in the shot put and discus. He finished first in the shot put at New Balance Nationals (64 feet 1 inch), New Englands (season-best 65-2), the MIAA Meet of Champions (61-7), the Div. 6 state championships (61-1.75) and the South Shore League championships (59-9.25). In the discus he was fifth at nationals (season-best 196-6), took second at New Englands (183-1) and won at the MOC (187-1), Div. 6 states (182-4) and the SSL championships (180-5).
Aiden Calcano da Silva, Abington
Junior was the 400-meter hurdle champion at both the MIAA Meet of Champions (:51.61) and Div. 6 states (:53.79). He was third in the 400m hurdles at New Balance Nationals (:51.96). The South Shore League Tobin Division MVP was runner-up in the 300m hurdles at New Englands (:37.52) and also starred in the 110m hurdles, taking second at the MOC (:14.43). He was runner-up (to his brother Nathan) in the 400m at Div. 6 states (:49.20). He and Nathan teamed with Naz Paulding and Lucas de Oliveira to set a New England 4x400m record (3:15.01). They also won the MOC in a then-state-record 3:16.06.
Mitchell Callender, Oliver Ames
Junior was runner-up in the shot put at New Balance Nationals (season-best 62-8.5), the New England championships (62-5) and the MIAA Meet of Champions (61-5.25). At the Div. 3 state championships he won both the shot put (59-10) and discus (147-11). His career-best discus throw (a winning launch of 171-10) came on May 16 at the MSTCA Shore Invitational. He also set a career best in the javelin this spring, throwing 167-10 at the MSTCA Warrior Invitational on April 23.
JJ Faulk, Canton
Senior showcased his versatility at the MIAA Meet of Champions with top-16 finishes in three individual events — he was 15th in the long jump (21-5.75) and 100m (:11.08) and was 16th in the 200m (:22.29). At the Div. 3 state championships he was runner-up in the long jump (school-record 22-8.5), fourth in the 100m (:10.86) and eighth in the 200m (:22.30). The University of Rhode Island commit also holds school records in the 200m (:22.06), 4x100m relay (:43.85) and long jump relay (59-6).
Jiai Gonzalez, Blue Hills
Senior was runner-up in the 400m at the MIAA Meet of Champions in a school-record :47.77. He finished fourth at the New England championships in :47.83 and was the Div. 5 state champ in :49.36. He also won titles in that event at the small-school state vocational championships (:48.44) and the Mayflower Athletic Conference championships (:49.83). He placed 37th at New Balance Nationals (:48.49). He’s the school record-holder in the 200m as well.
Ian McNeil, Duxbury
Senior had a legendary day at the Div. 4 state championships, winning both the 100m (:10.79) and 200m (:21.98) while setting school records in each event. He also ran on the seventh-place 4x100m relay (:44.79) at Div. 4 states. At the MIAA Meet of Champions he finished 11th in the 200m in :22.24. At the Patriot League championship meet he also claimed both the 100m (:11.23) and 200m (:22.40); he was undefeated in both events during the dual-meet season.
Jarred Mighty, Brockton
Senior was the Big 3 Boys Track Athlete of the Year after starring in the 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles and the 4x400m relay. His fastest 400m hurdles time of :53.25 (set at the MSTCA Shore Invitational on May 16) was a career best and ranked No. 2 in the state this spring. His best 110m time of :14.86 (set at the same MSTCA meet) ranked No. 14 in the state. He ran a career-best :11.61 in the 100m during the preliminary heat at the Ron Wayne Speed Jamboree at Brockton’s Rocky Marciano Stadium on April 21.
Dylan Priest, Cardinal Spellman
Senior hurdler had a big day at the Div. 5 state championships, finishing second in the 110m hurdles (PR :15.11) and third in the 400m hurdles (:56.85). At the MIAA Meet of Champions he was 10th in the 400m hurdles (:55.84) and 27th in the 110m hurdles (:15.54). He ran on the eighth-place 4x400m relay team (3:33.84) at Div. 5 states. Also won the Catholic Central League crown in the 400m in :51.16.
Jonah Stephens Roye, Milton
Sophomore was the Div. 3 state champ in both the 110m hurdles (:14.81) and the 400m hurdles (:54.36 — the fastest time ever by a sophomore in the state). At the New England championships he was fourth in the 300m hurdles (:38.70) and eighth in the 110m hurdles (PR :14.68). At the MIAA Meet of Champions he was second in the 400m hurdles (:54.64) and 10th in the 110m hurdles (:14.79). He captured the Bay State Conference 110m hurdles title in :14.91.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Vote for South Shore High School Boys Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year
About the Author
