Boy's: H. Brian Landes Apple Blossom Invitational

Posted: April 29, 2013
By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — On Saturday, Handley track and field coach Mike McKiernan wanted to see what would happen if he loaded up his 4x400-meter relay team with all of his best athletes.

With a second-place finish in 3 minutes, 31.17 seconds, it worked out pretty well. But it’s a testament to the entire Judges team that even though they were saving their best for the last event, Handley had already practically clinched the team title by that point.

Though the Judges did not win any of the 16 events, Handley captured its first team title since 2006 at the 45th annual H. Brian Landes Apple Blossom Invitational with 55.5 points, 9.5 more than second-place Loudoun County and St. Albans (both 46) Saturday at James Wood’s Kelican Stadium in the 19-school boys’ field.

“We just pushed harder than normal,” said Handley sophomore Justin Washington, who had three top-three finishes on the track, including one as the Judges’ 4x400 anchor leg. “Our coaches told us to not give up, just push through it, and we got it.”

Washington had some trouble catching his breath as he spoke, which was appropriate. McKiernan knew his athletes were tired by the end of the day, and Washington’s breathless words were an example of Handley giving everything it had Saturday.

Washington (second in the 400 in 49.77, third in the 200 in 22.98) didn’t run last Saturday at Handley because of knee tendonitis, and fellow sophomore Dontae Mauck (second in the long jump with a mark of 20 feet, 2 ½ inches, second in the triple jump, 40-9, fourth in the 100 in 11.45, fifth in the 200 in 23.46) had yet to run in the 4x400 this season.

But combined with Stuart Carper (sixth in the 400 in 52.44) and Jarett Cestaro, the Judges — who led by 4.5 points over Briar Woods, which finished fourth, and 5.5 over James Wood, which finished fifth with 42 points, heading into the 4x400 — improved on their season-best by five seconds Saturday to take second in that event to Loudoun County.

There was plenty of other things for McKiernan to be impressed with too, including the 4x100 team managing fifth place without the services of Mauck and Washington, Mauck’s jumping performances, and junior Jordan Dowrey’s personal-bests in taking third in the shot put (44-10 ½) and fifth in the discus (127-7).

“Justin and Dontae are our two stars, but we score in a lot of places and we score in a lot of events,” McKiernan said.

Following Handley and James Wood among local schools were Millbrook and Sherando, which tied for seventh with 30 points, and Clarke County, which tied for 12th with 22.

The James Wood boys were led by two individual winners in junior Matt Vitagliano (triple jump, 41-0) and senior Danny Aldstadt (3,200, 9:47.61).

Vitagliano actually only attempted one jump to win the triple jump, because that’s all he can handle right now.

Three weeks ago at Strasburg’s invitational meet, Vitagliano suffered what he calls a right heel contusion after landing awkwardly on one of his first jumps, and Saturday at James Wood was his first attempt since at jumping.

Given that Vitagliano had jumped a promising 42-3 ½ three days prior to the Strasburg meet, it’s been understandably difficult not having much of an opportunity to build on that success.

“My main goal was to qualify for regions today, but that didn’t happen,” said Vitagliano, who added that his one jump Saturday definitely hurt. “I didn’t expect to win, but it’s nice winning it. My goal is to be healthy as I can for districts.”

If he is, James Wood coach Matt Stegmaier said Vitagliano is definitely capable of some big things.

“The technique, that kid’s textbook,” Stegmaier said. “We’ve been at meets where coaches have told their kids to watch how Matt jumps. It’s tough for him to get workouts in because of his injury, but his technique’s going to pull him through. He toughs it out, and that’s all we can ask of him.”

After a slow early pace, Aldstadt took off and established a sizeable lead for himself for the second half of the 3,200, and he wound up winning by six seconds over Millbrook‘s Tyler Cox-Philyaw. But Aldstadt was more pleased with what he did in the 1,600, because he took third with a state-qualifying time of 4:27.12.

After previously playing soccer in the spring, Aldstadt — a two-time state qualifier in cross country — couldn’t be happier to be giving track a go in his final high school year.

“The team aspect with everyone is great, and watching different events, I’m enjoying it,” he said. “It took a little while to get used to it as far as strategy for running my races, but as the season has gone on I’ve been able to race with faster guys and pace myself off of that.”

James Wood was also led by Owen Bales (second in the 100 hurdles) and Trent McCarty (third in the discus).

Justin Neff, who placed second in Group AA last year in the discus, won Saturday with a mark of 150-5 in that event.

Though it was Neff’s first throw that stood up as the winning throw, he enjoyed the fact that he couldn’t relax at all during the competition. Levi Moreland of Hampshire (W.Va.) had a seed mark of 157-4, just behind Neff’s 157-8. Moreland’s best throw Saturday was 148-8.

“I had some competition today, and I was able to overcome it and prosper and come out first,” he said. “I’m pretty happy with the way I’m throwing this season. At practices, I’m seeing more progress, and at meets my lowest throws seem to be 150 now, and I just seem to be climbing up the ladder.”

Millbrook was also led by Connor Faint (second in the 300 hurdles).

Sherando was led by Chris Smith (second in the high jump, third in the long jump, third in the triple jump), its 4x800 team (third) and Seth Chewey (fourth in the 800).

Clarke County was led by Zach Campbell (second in the 800 and 1,600) and Chris Collins (third in the 300 hurdles).

Loudoun County’s Patrick Joseph, who earned the Otis “Snag” Sargent Award for being the top male performer last week at Handley after setting a meet record in the 800 that had stood since 1985, picked up male MVP honors again Saturday by running a 1:54.83 in the 800 that broke the meet’s oldest record (1:54.9 in 1980). Joseph took third in the mile at the Penn Relays Friday with a 4:07.88.

James Wood is donating a dollar for every admission ticket and program sold Saturday to One Fund Boston, a charity set up by Boston Mayor Tom Menino and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to help those affected by the bombings at the Boston Marathon.

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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