Track update: Small Berwick contingent scores at state

Berwick High School did not bring a big contingent to the state track and field meet Friday, but the competitors they did bring all finished in the top four of their competition in Class 3A, including a state champion and a third-place finish.
“I thought it was really good,” Berwick coach Paul Gilder said of his group. “It was quality.”
Junior Ilaria Sabatini led the squad as she won the 800-meter dash with a time of 2:20.37.
“She worked hard,” Gilder said. “She asked what I wanted to do. She did it, so you couldn’t ask for any more than that, and she was just real pleasant.”
Sabatini, a foreign exchange student from Rome, said she never thought she would win a state title in track when she came to America, because America is strong in track at the Olympics.
“I thought, ‘oh my gosh, I will be the last one’” finishing in the meets before she started running here, Sabatini said. She said that winning a state title is one of the things she would remember about her time here.
Sabatini finished fourth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 1:01.84.
“Ilaria, in the 400, to come back after the 800 (meter run), it is tough,” Gilder said. “If it would have been on the Saturday when there’s 3A, 4A, 5A, just a little bit more rest, she probably would have been on the podium.”
Sabatini was the Division II indoor state runner-up in the 800 meter run.
Meanwhile, senior Darby Frickey finished third in the 3,200-meter run with a time of 10:05.93.
“For Darby to be on the podium, I know that was a special thing,” Gilder said. “It really was.”
Frickey said it was a “great accomplishment” to place third in the 3,200-meter run at state.
“It was my first time placing at the state level in cross country or track, and I achieved a fast time of 10:05 that would win many Class 3A 3,200 (meter) races,” he said.
Berwick’s third competitor, junior Brett Bearb, finished fourth in the javelin with a throw of 160 feet, 8 inches.
“He’s coming back,” Gilder said. “He’s got another year.”
This year, Berwick set six school records. Frickey broke the 3,200-meter run mark with a time of 9:55.11. The previous mark was owned by J.J. Falcon who had set the mark in 1976 with a time of 9:57.1
Meanwhile, Sabatini broke the 400- and 800-meter school records this year. Sabatini broke Lauren Cantrell’s 2019 mark of 2:25.7 set in 2019. Sabatini set a new record in the event multiple times this year, the most recent time at the state meet where she ran a 2:20.37 mark.
Sabatini also set the 400-meter dash mark with a time of 59.35, breaking the mark of Becky Scarbrough. Scarbrough’s mark of 1:02.83 had been the state record since 1988.
The Lady Panthers’ 4x400-meter relay of Kate Williams, Sabatini, Arianna Jones and Ashlyn Fitter broke the school record with a time of 4:25.31. They beat the record of 4:28.53 set in 2003 by Catherine Guidry, Yasmine Johnson, Jordan Sinitere and Kayla Goulas.
The Lady Panthers also broke a school record in the 4x800-meter relay with a time of 12:55.15. The team was comprised of Evalyn Blanc, Grace Campbell, Abby Williams and Abbie Dupuis. They broke the school mark of 12:56.65 that was set in 2019.
This season, Berwick finished no lower than third in any of their meets on the boys’ side, and the girls finished no lower than third in any meet. Berwick’s boys won the Snooks Relays, the St. Mary Parish Relays and the Tri-City Relays, while its girls squad won the St. Mary Parish Relays and the Tri-City Relays.
Bearb won the district title in the javelin, while Dane Grow won the district title in the high jump. Sabatini won the district titles in the 400-meter dash and 800-meter run. Sabatini also was the district track MVP.
Central Catholic
Central Catholic’s lone competitor at the state meet placed in both of her events in Class 1A Thursday.
Freshman Ava Claire Calais was the state runner-up in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 48.64, while she finished third in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 16.7.
“I thought I did pretty well, probably could have pushed myself more, but I feel like I did really well and placed well,” Calais said.
Calais’ time in the 300-meter hurdles set a school record.
“That’s a real big accomplishment. I’m very proud of her,” Central Catholic coach David Fuhrer said of Calais’ performances at state, adding that she works hard and is coachable.
Fuhrer said that Calais suffered an ankle injury in warmups for the 100-meter hurdles at regionals and still advanced. While he said the injury wasn’t severe, he said they were cautious in their approach to preps for the state meet.
She also competed in the indoor state track and field meet this year.
As for the rest of the team this outdoor season, Fuhrer said his team did well and towards the conclusion of the season, he said that much of the team set personal records like they are expected. He said they had a young team this year.
Patterson
The Patterson Lumb-erjacks had one competitor at the state meet this year that finished sixth in the long jump.
Senior Dedrick Gant finished sixth with a leap of 21 feet, 7.25 inches in his first year of jumping.
“So for him to qualify and make it to the state meet that was huge, so we’re proud of him, we’re happy for him, and we’re hoping that he continues on after high school, going on to college and continuing to jump,” Patterson coach Travis Darnell said.
Even more impressive, he didn’t join the team until the middle of the outdoor season because he played basketball.
Gant’s personal record was set at regionals where he jumped 22 feet, 3.75 inches.
This season, the Lumberjacks also had a district champion in the shot put in Christian Johnson and in the discus in Christopher Phillips.
“We had a ton of kids who made it out to the regional meet, and we’re young,” Darnell said. “Most of those kids are sophomores and juniors, and we have a few freshmen in there, too, so we’re really looking forward to having a pretty good team next year."