Records are meant to be broken, and Peabody High track coach Fernando Braz knows that better than anybody.
He and his younger brother Helder Braz were members of the school record-setting distance medley relay team in 1980. Now the Tanner coach has the pleasure of seeing four of his male runners on this year's indoor track team break that record and win the distance medley relay at the Division 1 State Relays.
The foursome shattered the old mark of 10:50.1 with a blistering fast time of 10:36.46. Helder's son, Evan Braz (a Salem News cross country all-star) ran the 1200, junior Jake Freedman did the 400, and junior T.J. D'Amato was the 800 man. Senior Nick Christensen, the Salem New Runner of the Year for cross country, closed the deal with a come-from-behind blazing fast mile.
The record setting 1980 team of Helder Braz (1200), Bruce MacGregor (400), Mark Sheridan (800) and Fernando Braz (mile) were too quick for anybody for 31 years until this current crop of running stars broke their mark.
"I'm very proud of their accomplishment," said coach Braz. "The 1980 and 2011 individuals have similar personalities and characteristics. Both squads exhibit passion for the sport, the will to work hard, and all thrived with the opportunity to compete against the best the sport had to offer. Personally, it is very satisfying to be involved, although in a different capacity, and watch hard work pay off."
Evan Braz ran a strong first leg and Freedman kept up the pace before D'Amato took over with the Tanners in third place (but right behind the second place team). Christensen turned in the performance of his illustrious career with a personal best time of 4:19 to overtake the runners ahead of him to win.
"Breaking that record was a nice accomplishment for us," said Christensen. "Coach Braz was really happy for us; he knew we had the potential to break his old record. We all work very hard and are out there running in all kinds of weather; we were out today in the snow.
"We want to finish up strong, and we have one more relay at the Elite Meet next month at Reggie Lewis Center (in Boston), where all divisions of the State Relays compete against each other. We're looking forward to that meet as well as the states."
D'Amato said he had complete confidence in Christensen's ability to run a strong anchor leg to get the win.
"I was right there with the guy in second place, neck and neck," said D'Amato, a Salem News cross country all-star. "Nick is a great anchor and I knew if I gave it to him in a position to reel it in, he'd do it. At the time the Lowell runner had quite a bit of a lead because their 800 runner was very strong, but I had all the confidence in the world in Nick to do what he does best — win races.
"I was looking at the clock all the way and knew we had a shot at the record. Nick had the right strategy, staying patient until he made his move. We'd like to win the Elite Meet, but we know we'll be up against some really strong teams like Mansfield, Lowell and Andover."
Braz knows there is still much work to be done by his unbeaten squad before the big meets at the end of the season.
"The expectation is for each individual — as it is for the entire team body — to improve from last year at the state meet," said Braz. "If that scenario is to happen, the staff and athletes will need to elevate their commitment and hard work. We're not there yet, but it's an exciting challenge for all of us."
The big record board in the Veterans' Memorial Fieldhouse at Peabody High will have to be adjusted to include this record breaking performance.
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Brendan Oliver, the Pingree School quarterback who ran the no-huddle offense so successfully for the two-time Prep School Bowl champions, received a nice honor recently when he was named Sylvan Street Grille and North Shore 104.9 Small School Player of the Year.
Each week during the football season one athlete was selected, and Oliver was chosen for the week of October 16. The Danvers resident led his team to a 37-9 win over Pomfret Academy, completing 22 passes to seven different receivers for 385 yards and four TDs that week. He also had a huge game on defense, intercepting a pass and running it back 40 yards for another score.
Oliver and Large School Player of the Year Gloucester running back Jordan Shairs were chosen Players of the Year. It marked the first time any Pingree School player has ever been selected Player of the Week. Pingree started a football program just five years ago, and has enjoyed tremendous success ever since under coach Chris Powers.
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Jean DePlacido is a part-time writer and columnist for The Salem News. Contact her at jmdeplacido@aol.com.
