Sean is unlike any athlete I have had the pleasure of coaching in a long time. He always knows what needs to be done, regardless if it’s a meet, practice, workout, or whatever.”

Evan Denard, boys' head coach

PORTSMOUTH — Sean Gray set a new Portsmouth High School record on the state meet course when he came in second place among 141 boys at Saturday’s R.I. Cross Country Championship at Ponaganset High School.

His friend and rival, Marshall Vernon of La Salle Academy, won the 5K race in a time of 15:00.75, with Gray finishing second in 15:11.82. Gray’s time was also the fourth-fastest of all time on the course. 

Both runners finished far ahead of the pack, with the third-place finisher more than 30 seconds behind Gray. 

Both Gray and Vernon will be seniors next year, so their fierce high school rivalry will continue for another year.

“I planned to pick it up on the downhill of the second mile and did that,” Gray said after the race. “I wanted to get separated from Marshall there but he stuck to me there. I felt great and hit the end of the uphills hard, to plan. I felt good but when Marshall decided to start his kick with 1K left, I couldn’t find another gear. I split my first and second mile exactly how I wanted and felt great, but I couldn’t find another gear for the final kilometer.”

Although he didn’t win, Gray said he learned from the experience. “I now know that I need to either tire out the competition or leave enough to out kick them for next week and going forward,” he said, referring to the New England Championship meet to be held this Saturday at Wickham Park in Connecticut.

“I’m ready to go out and win New Englands. I’m hungry for a win and I’m prepared to give everything I have for it. With five guys in this race at 15:00 or faster, this could be the fastest and most interesting race in New England’s history,” he said.

Head coach Evan Denard said Gray’s performance was impressive, especially since he’s still a junior. “Sean is unlike any athlete I have had the pleasure of coaching in a long time. He always knows what needs to be done, regardless if it’s a meet, practice, workout, or whatever. And his self-awareness is remarkable. When we do interval workouts, he’s able to hit the same time every time. With his skill set and his motivation, I wouldn’t be surprised if his name is in conversations on the national level next year,” Denard said.

The PHS boys placed sixth out of 18 teams, with 156 points and an average course time of 16:51. It was the highest-ever team finish for Portsmouth and the first time the boys’ team has qualified for the New England Championship. Bishop Hendricken won the boys’ title with 64 points and a course average of 16:20.

On the girls’ side, Portsmouth senior Allie Kaul came in fourth place among 155 runners with a time of 18:40.34 — the fourth-best ever among PHS girls. The winner was Pilgrim’s Keaney Bayha, who clocked a time of 18:19.23. 

“My goal this whole season has been to get First Team All State (top seven), but honestly I thought this was a stretch,” said Kaul. “I struggle a lot with my confidence when racing at bigger meets, so I really did not want to overthink anything going into this meet. I just wanted to keep my mind clear and that’s exactly what I did. I’m extremely proud of myself because I locked in and never once let down mentally, believing I deserve to be in the top five the whole race. I just kept my eyes on the next person ahead of me. Going through the first mile, I was scared I was going too fast, but I felt really good and I just maintained my strength and confidence for the rest of the race.”

Like Gray, she looks forward to the New England meet this weekend. “Being in the top 20 at least is definitely my goal,” said Kaul, who will attend Holy Cross next year. “Hopefully I can stay in this top five range for Rhode Islanders competing here, too. I want to work this course especially since it has a lot of good hills to prepare for the Nike Regionals course in New York the following week.”

Added the girls’ head coach Rebecca Braman, “Allie is the type of athlete that every coach wishes to have. She has a remarkable work ethic, is dedicated to improvement, she carries herself with grace, and truly embodies what it means to be a student-athlete. She is an amazing leader on the team, and works hard to build relationships with the younger runners. I am thrilled for her to compete at the collegiate level. She has tremendous potential, and will truly be an asset to the team at Holy Cross.”

The Patriots finished eighth out of 21 teams among the girls, with 297 points and a course average of 21:31. Cumberland won the title, with 34 points and an average time of 18:58.

Portsmouth results

Here are the results for all the PHS runners who competed on Saturday:

Boys

2. Sean Gray, 15:11.82

25. Patrick Orbon, 16:49.82

43. Chris Vachon, 17:23.02

44. Caiden McHale, 17:23.92

49. Jack Marston, 17:29.07

81. Drew Forch, 18:15.58

120. Tim Spooner, 19:16.2

Girls

4. Allie Kaull, 18:40.34

53. Eleni Drosinos, 21:20.04

73. Reilly Porado, 21:57.08

79. Hanalei Streuli, 22:09.46

117. Mairin Cooney, 23:30.35

123. Sara Higgins, 24:03.83

124. Addie Dalton, 24:08.24