Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Fall 2019 | Page 11

FIRST TO THE TAPE:
Mia-Claire Kezal ’22 Captures Class A State Championship
An old adage states:
“It is not where you start that matters; it is where you finish.”
hornton Academy girls outdoor track
and field standout, Mia-Claire Kezal
’22, can attest to this maxim. On June
1, the 800-meter specialist competed in
her first Class A state championship meet
at Lewiston High School. The daughter
of Kevin Kezal, Thornton Academy head
football coach and dean, emerged from
that race as the top performer in a field that
featured 23 athletes. Defying the predictions
of pundits, she placed herself on the map
as one of Maine’s elite middle-distance
competitors.
T
At the Southwestern Maine Activities
Association (SMAA) championships the
previous week, the talented freshman
entered the 800-meter race as the second
seed behind South Portland High School
star, Anna Folley. She closely followed Folley
for most of the race, eventually finishing
third; only 4.3 seconds separated the top six
runners in the field!
The following week at Lewiston, Mia-Claire
once again found herself in a familiar
position, trailing Folley through the final
turn. With 50 meters remaining, she found
a burst of energy that propelled her to the
tape and earned her a gold medal. Her
performance of 2:18.82 shaved over 3.5
seconds off her previous career-best and
helped her edge her South Portland rival
by only 0.27 seconds.
In addition to gaining the top spot on the
state championship podium for her event,
Mia-Claire’s accomplishment earned her a
berth in the New England Interscholastic
Outdoor Track and Field Championships
the following week at Thornton Academy.
She became the first Golden Trojan athlete
to win an outdoor track and field state
championship at 800 meters since TA Hall
of Famer Derrick Martin ’92 did during his
senior year. Congratulations Mia-Claire!
Story by Gary Stevens · Photos Courtesy of Amanda Kezal
Athletic Conference. Overall, the Golden Trojans outscored
competition by a margin of 104-6 in nine contests—its
pitching staff even recorded six shutout victories!
Led by coach Corey Jones, TAMS featured a balanced attack
that included contributions from up and down the line-up.
Mason LeBlanc proved to be the program’s pitching ace,
while Chase Morrow sparkled with his glove on defense.
Will Palmer and Owen Critchley anchored a batting order
that averaged more than 11 runs per contest. Highlights of
the season included a 6-2 victory over crosstown rival Saco
Middle School and an 8-inning, 4-3 thriller at Scarborough.
Coach Jones cites the team’s overall commitment to
excellence and an esprit de corps as being the keys to the
team’s success. “It was evident from the beginning of the
season that the players on this team were passionate about
baseball and committed to giving everything they had to the
game and their teammates.” Jones adds, “I was struck by the
level of camaraderie these players developed. They were truly
invested in building each other up to become the best athletes
they could be.”
The roster for the 2019 edition of TAMS baseball included:
Derek Bedard, Braden Camire, Dillon Clark, Mason Collins,
Owen Critchley, Brady Kezal, Josh Kopetski, Justin LaBelle,
Mason LeBlanc, Chase Morrow, Will Palmer, Cole Purvis,
and Andrew Thibodeau.
Story by Gary Stevens · Photo Courtesy of Bruce Haskell Photography
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