MIDDLETOWN – Having won a state championship in cross country in the fall, Baldwinsville boys track and field distance runner Solomon Holden-Bettes wanted the same at the conclusion of his senior.
He got his wish – twice over.
Both by himself, and then with his 4×800 relay teammates, Holden-Betts gave Bees fans double the reason to celebrate during last Saturday’s New York State Public High School Athletic Association championships at Middletown High School.
The time of nine minutes, 24.48 seconds by Holden-Betts going into the final of the 3,000-meter steeplechase was the quickest in the state by more than three seconds going into the state meet.
That margin was small compared to what Holden-Betts here. Pushed by Brewster’s Patrick Ford in the opening section, Holden-Betts started to open a margin with about 1,000 meters to go.
And the distance between Holden-Betts and his challengers kept growing until, at the finish line, Holden-Betts crossed in a school-record 9:07.53, beating the previous season mark by nearly 17 seconds and almost 10 seconds ahead of the race runner-up, Mount Sinai’s Jesse-Joe Augustine, who posted 9:17.42
Later in the day, B’ville found itself in the 4×800 relay, where it was sixth-seeded at 7:55.51 going into the meet.
Logan Hayes started in 1:59.71, putting the Bees in fourth. Jack McAllister took his turn and had a 1:57.76 leg which, combined with the third leg of 1:58.63 from Jeff Ragonese, left the Bees in second behind Northport going to the anchor leg.
But it was Holden-Betts running that anchor and he proceeded to go 1:52.60, zipping past the 1:55.48 from Northport’s Brandon Cruz and going to the finish line in 7:48.72 to beat Northport’s 7:50.27, set a school record and earn both the state and Federation titles.
Also running at 3,200 meters, Holden-Betts, who had gone 9:27.58 during the season, roared to 9:10.23 and earned a third medal in the state meet, finishing fifth as Monroe-Woodbury’s Collin Gilstrap (9:04.72) took it.
Yet another medal came in the Division I portion of the 4×400 relay where Hayes and McAllister, this time joined by Kaleb Paul and Evan Smith, got to fourth place in 3:22.32, not that far from Washingtonville’s winning 3:20.55.
In the girls NYSPHSAA Division I meet, B’ville’s Sydney McKenney looked to improve upon her school record of 11 feet in the pole vault, but only topped 10 feet. Pine Bush’s Ella Galloway won as the only athlete to clear 12’6.
