SHS will see many wins this year in spring track and field. Stoughton’s best shot put and discuss thrower, Jason Laferte, threw the discuss an amazing 122’ feet, and the shot put 42’7”. He predicted that the Stoughton Track team should have a winning average “of about .500.”

“Our strongest events are the throwing events, 100m, 200m, 1 mile, and 2 mile,” said Laferte.

Laferte said that the team, “needs work in the triple jump, long jump, and high jump.”

Large contributors to the track team will be Matt Graupen in the one and two mile races.

He said, “Stoughton’s long distance team is very young and up and coming.”

Matt decisively added that the track team will, “Pull off at least 5 or 6 (wins), maybe more. We just have a lot of talent.”

Graupen has won many 2 mile races, and he described his strategy as depending on his opponent.

“If my opponent is good, I will draft off him and try to beat him at the end. If it’s someone that is not too good, I’ll just beat him from the beginning.”

Ryan LaCasse is the fastest sprinter in the Hockomock league.

“We should win some meets against some of the weaker teams such as Canton, Franklin, and Foxboro,” said LaCasse, who has an optimistic view about this year’s sprinters.

In the hurdle events, the boys are the strongest in years. Brandon Phillips has improved immensely from last year and is being counted on to place consistently in either the 300m hurdles or the 110m hurdles. Newcomer Jamaal Rawls-Payton has shown a great deal of talent and will improve as the season progresses.

For the girls, Eileen and Erika Barber have been valuable in medium to long distance races and Leslie Young is the girls’ best shot-put thrower.

Amanda Shepard, the talented high jumper, said, “It’s hard to tell how many wins we’re going to have just at the season’s beginning, but I have confidence in the team. The whole team is dedicated and works hard so I feel that this will be a great season.”

She was optimistic about this year’s jumpers. “They seem to be excited to try this event, and I’m confident in their natural ability.”

Other bright spots have been the underclassmen, such as Brian Dos Reis and Matt Bernstein, who went to states during indoor track for sprinting. Dos Reis will most likely do the 200 and 400m, while Bernstein should do the 100m.