Spring track is a great showcase for the state's high school athletes

I went to the RIIL Central Division Track and Field Championships for the purposes of getting photos for a future story and left with a little more — an appreciation for the sport.

It really started  as I noticed that there were football players everywhere. There were All-State linemen in the throwing pits, All-State running backs and defensive backs in sprints and All-State wide receivers competing in the jumping events.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise. Athleticism travels and if you’re athletic, you should be competing for your school.

Classical’s Marquis Buchanan was out there. He was the Gatorade Rhode Island Football Player of the Year and is competing in track for the first time. His lack of technique didn’t stop him from winning the long jump with a leap of 21 feet, 4.5 inches. He also won the high jump, clearing 6-2. Buchanan tried to clear 6-4 and failed because he wasn’t arching his back and leaning backward — which should make him terrifying if he figures it out before the state meet on June 4.

Two of the more intriguing individuals competing were Hendricken’s NaeShaun Montgomery and Mount Pleasant’s David Rodriguez. The two freshmen have multiple Division I football offers. Both take part in track for the same purpose — to help with their off-field training.

Rodriguez said he hopes to be a part of the Kilties’ 4x400 relay team at the state meet. He finished a solid fifth in the high jump, clearing 5-feet-8.

Montgomery finished fifth in the hurdles and was third in the triple jump. He could be in contention for a medal at the state meet but said he wasn’t 100 percent sure if he’ll be in Rhode Island. He’s moving to Florida to complete his schooling to help with his football recruiting.

Mount Pleasant’s Denzel Perry was a demon in the Kilties’ defensive backfield and won the 200 meters. Hendricken second-team All-State linemen Bless Nyannah and Alex Morin went 1-2 in the shot put. They’ll give it a go at the state meet against Woonsocket’s Tarik Robinson-O’Hagan — who could have been an All-Stater at defensive end if he played full time for the Villa Novans last fall instead of balancing that with his track commitments. That seemed to work out OK for the University of Mississippi-bound senior.

Track doesn’t draw crowds or attention like football, but if you’re a football player — or any athlete, for that matter — and you don’t have a spring sport (or winter for that matter), track provides an opportunity you just can’t find in individual workouts. This is daily training for players to work on speed and strength and, almost more importantly, an opportunity to compete. That’s only going to make you better on the field.

It’s not just football. Basketball players grinding on the AAU circuit in the spring are missing a golden opportunity. There’s Division I track talent on Rhode Island hardwood, but too many get stuck chasing D-I hoop dreams that don’t always materialize.

You can dunk? Why aren’t you trying the high jump or long jump? When you watch Buchanan, you can’t help but wonder what could have been had he started with track as a freshman. He’d probably own a state record or two and who knows where it would have led.

Clearly, football worked out for Buchanan — he’s headed to the University of Rhode Island in the fall — and basketball was a nice backup option. But there are plenty of basketball players who don’t realize the opportunities they’re missing out on by not giving this sport a try.

I’m not going to pretend like I’m the world’s biggest track guy, but it’s not hard to appreciate the sport for what it is. Athletes doing athlete things is always entertaining to watch, especially on June 4. That’s when we’ll get to see the state’s best athletes compete at the RIIL State Championship Meet.

And hopefully next year, more will try to join them.

Offer up

Last week told you about some of the state's football stars who were picking up Division I offers. This week was basketball's turn.

Most hoopers go the prep-school route before picking up offers from D-I colleges, but two RIIL players received their first on Thursday. Sacred Heart University offered East Providence's Trey Rezendes and La Salle's Kelvin Odih on Thursday afternoon.

It's the first D-I scholarship offer for both players. Rezendes is a 5-foot-11 sophomore point guard with absurd quickness, terrific passing skills and a strong scoring sense. Odih, a sophomore, is a developing 6-4 big man who's aggressive around the rim on both sides of the court and has a solid outside shot.

What does the future hold for both players? More offers are certain to come over the next two years, but we'll have to wait and see if these two will make an Erickson Bans-esque leap from the RIIL to the NCAA or go the prep route.

‘No’ problems

You don’t see many seven-inning no-hitters in Division I baseball, but we saw two in three days last week.

It’s been a tough season for the Moses Brown baseball team, but on May 12 the Quakers had a highlight performance from ace Aidan Aggarwal. The junior threw a no-no in a 4-0 win over East Providence, finishing one batter away from a perfect game.

Three days later, it was Portsmouth’s Cam Ruggieri’s turn. The freshman struck out six and walked one in his no-hitter as the Patriots took down Barrington, 5-0.

Postseason has arrived

The first champions of the spring sports season are scheduled to be crowned on Sunday provided the RIIL Boys Tennis Singles and Doubles Championship Tournament goes off without a hitch (the forecast looks good).

Team championships are also set to begin Monday and Tuesday with preliminary rounds — if necessary — before the quarterfinals at the end of the week. The team championships matches are set for June 4.

On Tuesday, the best girls in Rhode Island will compete for the state golf crown at Warwick Country Club. Bay View’s Brooke Brennan graduated last spring, so there will be a new champion this season.

La Salle freshman Olivia Williams leads all girls who’ve played more than one round in scoring from the red tees, followed by Moses Brown junior Kylie Eaton — who was last year’s runner up — and Barrington freshman Lily Dessel.

Also, keep an eye out for Ponaganset’s Gianna Papa. The freshman has played every match this season from the white tees and finds herself in the top 20 in scoring for players with more than three rounds.

A lax approach to title games

Speaking of the postseason, it’s absurd that the boys and girls lacrosse championships won’t be held until May 28 and 29.

There’s a handful of games that need to be played on Monday and Tuesday but if push came to shove and the RIIL set the finals for the last weekend of May, everything could have been wrapped up last weekend.

Why does this matter?

On more than one occasion I’ve written that the RIIL needs to be more aware of when it schedules finals so we don’t get three sports playing championships in one day. As it stands now, June 4 will have the boys and girls track championships, four boys lacrosse title games, four tennis championship matches and Game 2 of the D-III title series.

Lacrosse could have easily slid to May 28 and 29, leaving track on June 4 and tennis on June 5.

Is part of this take is a selfish desire on my part to see everything? Absolutely. I want to cover every championship game possible and with the scheduling, it’s not going to happen.

But it’s not just about coverage. Giving sports their own day also means these kids might get a 30-second package on local TV instead of a 10-second blip.

With participation numbers dropping, why not actually give sports a chance at more publicity instead of less? Maybe next fall the RIIL can take a serious look at this instead of just using the excuse of “that’s when the venue was available” and really try to grasp how good it would be for their own brand.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Spring track and field is a great cross-over sport for football, basketball players