Proving once again his tremendous all-around athletic skills, Oneida boys track and field senior Mike Rabbitt provided a grand finale to his high school career.
During this weekend’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship meet at Vestal High School near Binghamton, Rabbitt outlasted teammate Eric Riley and the rest of the field to win the Division II (small school) state title in the pentathlon – and very nearly won the overall prize.
On Friday, Rabbitt went 15.13 seconds in the 110-meter high hurdles, cleared 5 feet 11 1/2 inches in the high jump and threw the shot put 37 feet 1 inch. Moving to Saturday, Rabbitt sailed past 20 feet in the long jump and, to close the event, ran 1,500 meters in 4:41.49.
That added up to 3,367 points, beating all Division II foes and second overall behind West Babylon’s Lionel Fontaine, who prevailed with 3,645 points.
Riley would finish second to Rabbitt on the Division II side in the pentathlon with 3,250 points, as he went faster in the 1,500 (4:30.80) and did better in the high jump (6 feet 2 inches) than Rabbitt.
As the only Vernon Verona Sherrill athlete in the state meet, Matt Femia took 13th place in Division I (large schools) with a time of 50.36 seconds. Webster Schroeder’s Brycen Spartling won with 46.81 seconds.
On the girls Division II side, Canastota running star Allison Lasnicki posted a time of 10:57.17, near the back of the overall field but 12th on the small-school side.
