Southampton’s Jesse Scanlon and Sebastian Pereira represented their team at the indoor track state championships over the weekend, with Scanlon competing in the long jump and Pereira in the triple jump.The Mariner pair both failed to reach their personal best marks in those events, for different reasons. Scanlon has been battling an ankle injury all year, and he felt it on Saturday at Cornell University in Ithaca, according to head coach Tony Dottin. Scanlon, a senior, failed to make the top six and earn All-State status, finishing with a leap of 20 feet 7 inches, not near his best mark of 22 feet 2 inches.“His ankle was really bothering him,” Dottin said on Monday. “He was able to use it, but only in limited fashion.”It was the first appearance at indoor states for Scanlon, but he should be a standout for the spring track season as well, in a variety of events—including the long jump, triple jump and 110-meter hurdles—and is a favorite to get to states in multiple events at the end of the season, before he embarks on a collegiate soccer career. Practice for outdoor track started on Monday, but Dottin said he expected Scanlon to miss roughly three weeks, including the team’s first league meet of the season, to allow his ankle to heal.Pereira, meanwhile, was affected by both nerves and troublesome footwear in his first trip to states. Pereira finished 10th overall in the triple jump, two spots out of making the finals, with a mark of 43 feet 7 inches, far off his previous best mark of 45 feet 4 inches.“He just made some rookies mistakes,” Dottin said of Pereira, a sophomore. Dottin added that Pereira had switched to a new pair of shoes for the meet, after replacing a pair he’d owned for two years that were not in great condition. “He just wasn’t used to them, so it threw him off,” Dottin said.Pereira will get a much-needed break before turning his attention to the outdoor season. Dottin said any athletes who had been participating in a winter sport that just wrapped up would be given a break. That group includes not only Scanlon and Pereira, but also Elijah Wingfield, Timmy Alejo, Andre Franklin, Gene Scott and Avory Johnson, who all played on the Southampton boys basketball team this year. The Mariners won the Long Island Class B Championship and were stopped short of making the New York State Final Four on Saturday after a loss to Marlboro in the Southeast Regional Final. Dottin said those players will get a week off before lacing up their track shoes.Dottin added that Pereira and Scanlon did qualify for one final indoor track meet, the prestigious New Balance Nationals, set for Saturday at the Armory Track and Field Center in Manhattan. While Scanlon’s ankle is still a concern, Dottin said he’d leave it up to the senior to decide whether or not to compete in that meet.
Cailin Riley on Mar 7, 2016