Awad holds off Saavedra to take 3,200

For a while it looked like Chaminade's Thomas Awad was going to cruise to an easy win Saturday in the 3,200 meters at the St. Anthony's Invitational.

Not so fast.

Awad made a sudden move with about 1,200 meters to go and took a commanding lead.

That advantage didn't last and Awad needed every ounce of strength to hold off Sachem East's Alex Saavedra for a first-place finish in 9 minutes, 23.73 seconds.

Eastport-South Manor's Ben Tuttle finished third in 9:24.61.

"I let it go [early] and made a move to try and shock the field a little bit," Awad said. "It did until they started coming back."

Awad, a junior, didn't panic down the final stretch, despite feeling the footsteps of Saavedra, who took second in 9:24.2.

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"I got caught, but I had a little bit left," Awad said.

It was a bold move for Awad, who ran against a field that included many of Long Island's best.

Whitman's Zachary Cammer, Calhoun James Panetta, St. John the Baptist's Brandon Camenzuli, and Connetquot's Zach Krause and Tyler Murtha all competed.

"I've been running against a lot of the kids from the Northeast and across the country," Awad said. "So I'm used to racing against big fields and strong runners."

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Longwood's Joe Fuller was also in the race of his life, but like Awad held on at the end.

The senior middle-distance specialist took first in the 800 in a school-record time of 1:53.85, edging Archbishop Molloy's Patrick Cooney (1:54.02).

Fuller talked about his strategy in the 800.

"In the beginning you have to come out fast, because it's easy to get boxed in," Fuller said. "And the last 100 meters . . . That's where you show your strength."

Bay Shore's Kadesh Roberts was a double winner as he took the 110 high hurdles in 14.95 and the 400 hurdles in 54.29.

Teammate Dayne Savory took first in the 100 in a career-best time of 10.93 seconds, barley holding off Elmont's Jaquan Smith, who finished in 10.98.

St. Anthony's Michael Brunoforte continued his strong junior season with a first-place finish in the pole vault (14 feet).

Uniondale's Glen Forsythe won the long jump on Friday night with a career-best leap of 23 feet, 11 inches, beating out Herricks' Balingit Bryce (22-63/4).

Riverhead's Treval Hatcher (46-6) held off Brentwood's Dorrell Lumsden (45-8) to win the triple jump. Kings Park's Brandon Reynolds took the shot put (53-5) ahead of Smithtown West's Fred Walter (51-111/2).

University of Indiana-bound Owen Skeete held off Northport's Tim Odin (4:19.13) and Chaminade's Matt Woop (4:19.55) in the 400 in 4:18.85, while teammate Hugh O'Brien won the discus in 158-3.