Eighth-grader Patrick Shea wins 3,200 meters for Shoreham-Wading River
Patrick Shea doesn’t know what he’s missing. And, in this thoroughly unorthodox winter track season, that might be a good thing.
Shea, an eighth grader at Albert G. Prodell Middle School in Shoreham and the youngest member of the Shoreham-Wading River high school track and field team, has never run a race indoors. That gives him a unique distinction – having more winter track wins than indoor races run.
"It’s definitely weird," said Shea. "It’s really cold sometimes and the wind is blowing a lot, so it’s harder to run. But, still just as fun."
Shea, who said he joined the track team this year because middle school basketball was cancelled, won the 3,200 meters in 11 minutes, 52 seconds in Shoreham-Wading River’s 65-45 win over host Miller Place Saturday.
"I was hoping [I would win] when I got older," said Shea. "I was kind of scared because I lost by a good amount last week, so I wasn’t sure I was going to win this week. But, I was able to do it."
Shea trailed Miller Place’s Ryan Michalski until the final straightaway, when he turned on the jets and motored home for his first win. Michalski was second in 11:53. Shea, who has picked up racing strategy quickly, let his opponent set the pace early and took control late.
"I basically just followed the slip stream and ran behind him the entire time and took the lead in the last 100 meters," Shea said
Elsewhere, Shea’s teammate Alex Barrett won three events. Barrett cleared six feet, two inches to win the high jump, flew 41 feet, four inches to take the triple jump, and ran the anchor leg of the 4X200 meter relay that won in 1:45. The two jumping events were competed as ‘virtual events’ earlier in the week – that is, athletes do those events at their own schools and trade marks to see whose were superior.
This meant Barrett had to wait virtually the entire meet Saturday to get on the track. When he finally got going, Barrett finished the 4x2 in 26.2 seconds.
"I just tried to save my energy for the last 100 meters and bring it home for my team," Barrett said.
Blake Wehr, Dylan Burnham-Classen, and Wesley O’Reilly put Barrett in a winning position. Wehr, who also cleared 6-2 in the high jump, led off with a 26.8 second split.
"I think I got off to a little bit of a shaky start. That was actually the first thing I told my teammates when I got back, but I think I finished very strong," Wehr said. "I was conscious of that. I’ve always been a kid that has a late kick."
Tyler Hawks won the 55-meter hurdles in a personal-best 8.9 seconds.
'We have to do better' Newsday high school sports editor Gregg Sarra talks about a bench-clearing, parent-involved incident at a Half Hollow Hills West basketball game.
'We have to do better' Newsday high school sports editor Gregg Sarra talks about a bench-clearing, parent-involved incident at a Half Hollow Hills West basketball game.
