Holy Trinity's Josiah Brown races to victories in 100 and 200 meters at Catholic championships

Holy Trinity’s Josiah Brown’s football talents are known far and wide — so much so that college coaches are coming from far and wide for a chance to retain him upon his graduation next June. Georgia’s Kirby Smart literally helicoptered onto the Holy Trinity football field in January to woo the wide receiver and defensive back.

But, Brown’s exploits around a football field (where most track meets usually occur) are also impressive. And, now, he’s healthy enough to show them.

Brown, who missed most of the indoor season with a hamstring injury suffered around Christmas, is one of the top sprinters in the state, and ran towards an impressive post-season debut Saturday. The junior won the 100 meters in 11.54 seconds and the 200 in 23.17 at the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA league track and field championships in wet weather at St. Anthony’s High School in South Huntington.

“It’s tough conditions out here, but I still had to execute my phases,” Brown said after winning the 100. “I held my drive phase longer than usual, so I could build up more speed in the rain. I just held my top-end speed well.”

Despite missing most of the indoor season, Brown held the top time in the state in the 55 for over a month after shutting things down until spring. Only state champion Jadon Spain of James I. O’Neill in Highland Falls ran faster than Brown last winter.

The rest of the state had three months to beat a sidelined Brown, who ran only four indoor meets, and ultimately only one sprinter could do it.  That bodes well for a healthy rest of the season. Right now, Brown is tied for the seventh-fastest time in the state in the 100 (10.75) and has the sixth fastest in the 200 (21.89), according to milesplit.com.

Conditions on Saturday weren’t conducive to faster times, but Brown is itching for them.

“I don’t like losing,” Brown said. “I started [the outdoor] season not as good as I wanted to. The injury was holding me back a little bit. But, I’ve been working hard. I’m getting back to my normal self.”

St. Anthony’s won the boy’s team championship with 104.2 points. Chaminade was second with 72.6. It was the Friar’s 14th consecutive league title, coach Tim Dearie said.

 St. Anthony’s Aidan Brancaccio won the 2,000 meter steeplechase in 6:34.24 and Jack Morelli won the 1,600 in 4:25.42.

The 4X800 meters team of Hunter Wilson, Gabe Wigutow, Jeremy Paredes and Morelli won in 8:34.51.

In the field, St. Anthony’s Nicholas Clancy flew 19 feet, 3 ¼ inches to win the long jump and teammate Matthew Lourenco won the high jump (5-6) and pole vault (13-0).