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08/08/2021 12:00 AMWith only 14 athletes on the roster, Head Coach Jim Vicario had no idea what was in store for the East Haven boys’ outdoor track and field team in the 2021 spring season. However, Coach Vicario quickly found out that he had a dedicated collection of Yellowjackets who were committed to being the best they could be in each event and every meet.
“It was really hard to judge how things were. We really had low numbers,” Vicario said. “We tried to move on from that point and get the best that we can out of the guys we have. We were going to train as hard as we can and see how far we could go.”
East Haven finished with a record of 2-3 during its dual-meet season, notching victories over Career and Hamden. In an effort to maximize the Yellowjackets’ point-scoring ability, Coach Vicario asked every athlete on the team to compete in four or five events. It was a daunting task for the Easties, but Vicario said that everyone on the squad was up for it and tried their hardest no matter the challenge.
“What we tried to do was maximize our ability to score points. All the guys basically were doing four or five events. We tried to stretch them out as far as we could,” said Vicario. “It was a great effort on the kids’ part. They worked hard and they did the best that they could. It’s all you can ask for.”
When the regular season was complete, East Haven competed at the SCC West Sectional Championship and finished in seventh place. Senior David Amatruda finished third in the 200 (23.37) and placed fourth in the 100 (11.24) the Easties. Senior captain Radames Figueroa claimed fourth place for both the 110 hurdles (17.04) and 300 hurdles (44.85). Sophomore Dom Salato finished fifth in the high jump (5-0).
East Haven followed up its performance at sectionals by participating in the SCC Championship, finishing in 14th place. Figueroa placed fifth in the 110 hurdles (16.77) and took sixth in the 300 hurdles (43.97) for the Yellowjackets. Salato finished fifth in the javelin (144-1) and came in sixth place in the triple jump (40-9.5).
“We were going to try and take individuals as far as they could go,” Vicario said of his team’s approach at SCCs. “We had a few guys this year do pretty well and qualify for the state meet. It was pretty good.”
East Haven went on to record a sixth-place finish at the Class MM State Championship with 51 points scored. Coach Vicario said that Easties’ solid performance at states opened everyone’s eyes to just how much talent was on the squad. Vicario was impressed that East Haven finished in sixth place, especially considering the team’s lack of depth.
Figueroa took second place in the 110 hurdles (16.35), and Amatruda finished third in the 200 (23.47) to lead the Yellowjackets. Salato finished third in the javelin (144-5) and was fifth in the triple jump (39-4.75).
The Easties finished up their season by sending a few athletes to compete at the State Open. Figueroa finished 16th in the preliminaries of the 110 hurdles (16.24) for East Haven. Amatruda finished 17th in the prelims of the 200 (23.61), while Salato was 19th in the triple jump (38-9.75) and 21st in the javelin (134-5).
Figueroa served as East Haven’s senior captain this season. Coach Vicario said that Figueroa always led by example and set a great precedent for the younger members of the team through his work ethic.
“He was able to set an example in practice. We always try to emphasize that it’s your actions that count—not your words,” said Vicario. “He did a great job. He worked hard. That set the tone for other guys on the team. Younger guys saw what being successful is all about.”
Salato was named East Haven’s Most Valuable Player for the season and will be one of the key athletes returning next year. Vicario is hoping that Salato and other members of the team will reach out to their classmates and encourage some more people to join the track and field program.
“Hopefully, we can try and get more guys to come out. We try to tell the football players that there’s nothing like supplementing football with track,” Vicario said. ‘Same thing with basketball players. If you come with us in the spring, you’re going to be a much-better basketball player in the fall. We try to convince them that there’s a lot of merit in track and field.”
East Haven’s roster for the 2021 season also featured seniors Mekhi Franklin and Dhruv Patel; juniors Ethar Al-Hawari, Joe Esposito, and Justin Hernandez; sophomores Niyel Cornelius, Caleb Kaiser, and Jason Toth; and freshmen Rich Ackom-Brew, Antonio Consiglio, and Eric Tapia.
As his club looks to add more numbers for the 2022 campaign, Coach Vicario is focusing on both team and individual success at East Haven. Vicario wants to see more athletes qualify for next year’s SCC and state meets.
“We always hope to have a winning record. In track and field, it’s a team sport, but there’s a big individual component,” said Vicario said. “The goal is always to have guys qualify first for the SCC and next the state meet. If you make state standards, you’ve worked hard and performed well.”