Baldwin rolls to county title

With dominant performances in the 400, 400 Intermediate Hurdles and throwing events, Baldwin claimed its first Nassau Class AAA boys’ track and field spring championship since 2008.

The Bruins crushed the 18-team field with 96 points, 42 better than runner-up Massapequa. Farmingdale was third, Long Beach finished fourth and East Meadow rounded out the top five.

“The kids stepped up really big,” Baldwin coach Joe Mercado said. “We were seeded at the top in some events we won, but other events we finished well above where we were ranked.”

The Bruins swept the 400 meter race and came close to doing the same in the 400 IH. Senior Justin Mahoney (49.0 seconds), junior Kirk Staine (49.3) and senior Jarrek Babb (50.0) finished 1-2-3, respectively, in the 400, while Babb, senior Karl Desil and Kinsey Sheppard placed first, third and fourth in the hurdles.

“When you’re able to sweep an event like we did in the 400, it turns things heavily in your favor and deflates other teams,” Mercado said. “We picked up 24 points in 50 seconds.”

The 400 came on the heels of the Shot Put, which saw Baldwin gobble up 14 points with senior Ieshawn Johnson finishing runner-up and junior Nathaniel Smith placing third. Johnson also won the discus, which is his bread-and-butter, and he’s ranked No. 1 in the event heading into the state meet this Friday and Saturday at Caledonia-Mumford High School.

“We introduced Ieshawn to discus only last year and he has a legitimate shot to win the state title,” Mercado said. “He’s been working closely with assistant coach Rich Carroll and has become more consistent in every step. He can throw 145 feet without spinning.”

Johnson’s discus heave of 179-3 at the state qualifier meet June 1 at Westbury High School was 24 feet longer than the next-best throw. He was third in the county in the discus last spring. “He’s a natural,” Mercado said. “The main difference between this year and last year is his consistency.”