BOSTON – They couldn’t believe it.

The Northampton boys 4x400 meter relay team came into the MIAA Division 3 Indoor Track & Field Championships without a dream of winning a state title. Their best time on the year was 3 minutes, 36.17 seconds, which placed them just outside the seeded heat containing the top-six qualifiers.

But on Saturday afternoon, the Blue Devil boys shocked the state with the biggest upset of the day, improving their personal best by over seven seconds and winning the 4x400 title with a time of 3:29.07.

When Juan Jose Adams Causton, Davis Wheat, Roan Dunkerley and Ryland Breen walked to the podium to collect their medals, it still hadn’t set in.

“Oh my god,” Breen, the team’s anchor leg runner said. “We’re state champions.”

After the Blue Devils won their heat, they knew they had put up a great time. But they still had to wait for the final heat containing the top-six teams. 

Melrose, the No. 2 seed, came across the line atop the seeded heat, which would usually guarantee a win. 

But Northampton was 0.58 seconds faster. The Blue Devils were the only relay team to win a state title Saturday from outside a seeded heat – the other five winners were all top-three seeds and four of them were the No. 1 seed. 

“When it mattered, we really put it out there,” Dunkerley said. “That’s how you know we’re dogs.”

Adams Causton gave the team’s second leg runner, Wheat, an advantage as he made the first handoff. But Amherst was close behind.

“We were in the lead,” Wheat said. “And about 150 [meters] in I could hear the footsteps behind me so I turned on the gas, and then I could hear the cheering get farther and farther behind me so I knew I was making progress.”

He handed the baton to Dunkerley, running track for the first time this season.

“I just die with 100 meters to go,” Dunkerley said. “But I hear our crowd and I see my boy Ryland, and I’m like ‘I gotta bring it home.’”

Breen got off to an excellent anchor start and grew the Northampton lead substantially. As he hit the latter half of the 400, he could hear the Northampton section of the crowd cheering for him.

“I was feeling so good I almost smiled,” Breen said. “…when I came to the home stretch I was like ‘am I gonna fade or am I gonna go for it?’ And I gave everything I got.”

Even when they stood on the podium, gold medals around their necks, it still didn’t feel real. It might take a while for this one to set in for all involved, Adams Causton included.

“I’m still trying to process this,” he said.

Amherst boys win 4x800 state title, ‘Canes secure medals in shot put, boys 600

The top seed in the 4x800 meter relay, Amherst led from start to finish to cruise to a state title. The Hurricanes were the top qualifier by five seconds and were racing to see if they could improve their seed for the All-State meet.

“I knew the race would be against ourselves,” third-leg runner Miguel Pinero-Jacome said.

Nico Lisle gave the relay a sizable lead after the first leg and Kyle Yanko and Miguel Pinero-Jacome widened the advantage in the second and third legs. By the time David Pinero-Jacome got the baton for the anchor leg, the title was all but decided, and he easily reached the finish line in first place.

The Hurricanes didn’t improve their time for the All-State meet, but took home the state title nonetheless.

In the 600, three of the six runners in the seeded heat hailed from Amherst – Lisle and the Pinero-Jacome brothers. Lisle finished third, Miguel in fifth and David ended up placing 23rd after slowing down in the final 100 meters.

The three have been pushing each other all season long, and they never know who’ll come out on top in practice competition, Lisle said.

Logan Alfandari, seeded second in the boys shot put, secured a bronze medal on Saturday with a throw of 50 feet, 6.5 inches. He was disappointed in his result, but also said he’s been treating the indoor season as a developmental period for the outdoor campaign to come. 

He’s been waking up at 4:45 a.m. to get a 6 a.m. workout in before school starts. Then, after a day of classes, he gets back in the gym until sunset. 

He said he’s going to try to break 60 feet this spring.

Amherst’s Angel Hernandez finished in first place in the boys shot put wheelchair competition. His best throw was 10 feet, ½ inch.

The Hurricane boys finished the day fifth out of 30 teams.

More hardware for Northampton

The Northampton girls 4x800 relay squad was seeded ninth on Saturday, but out-performed that seed with a fifth-place finish.

The team was made up of Camilla Brewer, Odessa Gianesin, Malia Silver and Charlotte Shimpach.

Silver brought home the anchor leg.

“There was this girl in front of me and my coach was saying ‘catch her, catch her,’” Silver said. “And so I kept my eyes on her and got past her in the end.”

Silver also took home a medal in the 1 mile with an eighth place finish.

In addition to his win in the 4x400 relay at the end of the afternoon, Breen picked up two medals in the morning. He placed seventh in the 55 and fifth in the 300.

He started slow in the 55 and wasn’t able to top the PR he made at the PVIAC Championships. 

But in the 300, he PR’d by 0.25 seconds and was thrilled with his run.

“The 300 is my event, man,” Breen said. “It was designed for me and I was designed for it.”

Blue Devil senior Theodore King-Pollet placed fourth in the boys 2 mile and missed out on his PR by nine seconds.

The Northampton boys placed seventh in the team competition and the girls placed 20th.

Holyoke girls send runners, relays to states

In the 600, Holyoke’s Siobhan Armstrong finished 17th.

Holyoke placed 20th in the 4x200 relay and 21st in the 4x400.