By STEVE MAZZONE

Sports writer

 PROVIDENCE - For the past three years Smithfield High senior Colleen Brague has had the unfortunate luck of having to compete in the javelin against nationally-ranked and four-time state champion Leigh Petranoff.
With the Cranston West phenom gone to graduation and with a bit more parity in the field, Brague finally got her opportunity to shine on Saturday afternoon.
Overcoming a tough challenge from Elizabeth Peterson of Middletown, Brague copped individual gold at the RIIL Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Brown University with a season-best toss of 127 feet,  4 inches.
“(Petranoff) has always been exceptional,” said Brague, who finished second in the event as a freshman and was third the last two years. “I realized this was the year to come in first if I ever was going to do it. I realized it was my last high school meet and I just wanted to go out with a bang. I have been working on this the last four years, and today everything seem to click. I was consistently improving on each throw and I felt good and I was ready for it.”
The Sentinel standout’s victory produced an area sweep in the javelin as No. 1 seed Nick Keeling of Ponaganset topped the boys’ competition with a personal-best heave of 192-9. The  wins didn’t stop there for local athletes as a handful more earned individual gold. Among that list was Woonsocket’s Wesley DeChristofaro taking the  long jump, East Providence’s Erin Carmone breaking the tape in the 3,000-meter run and Central Falls’ Aliede Fernandes capturing the shot put.
As for Brague, she couldn’t have had a better finish to her high school career, considering she had to deal with a nagging shoulder injury in early May.
“I had inflamed my shoulder and I took a week off and went to physical therapy twice a week,” she said. “I kept throwing the last two meets.  I have been doing OK, but not where I want to be. It wasn’t until this meet that I PR’d for the season.”
Brague has three of her throws surpass 120 feet and had her winning heave on her fifth throw. She was more than four feet further than Peterson, who took the runner-up spot with a 122-7 effort. Peterson was just four inches behind Brague before her winning toss.
“I definitely breathed a sigh of relief when I tossed it,” she said. “I really can‘t believe I won. I’m still kind of shaky, but it‘s great.”
Keeling, who was a the overwhelming favorite in the javelin with his best of 188 feet, just over 15 feet further than teammate John-Marc Gelsomino, actually could have won the event if he just stopped after his initial throw. Competing in the second flight, the talented Chieftain uncorked a toss of 184 on his first attempt..
Keeling improved on that effort by four feet on his third throw and then put the appropriate close to the event by twice cracking 190 feet in the finals
 “I figured something was going to happen,” he said. “I figured someone was going to try and catch me so I figured I had to throw farther than that.”
The gifted Chieftain, a star running back on the school’s football team, had a little added motivation in the event. He was trying to eclipse his older brother Jake Keeling’s school record. The elder Keeling, a former state champion, holds the mark at 206 feet.
“He was just trash talking to me the whole time so I was trying to catch him,“ he said. “He’s got our school record so I was trying to get that, but I still have another year.”
The Warriors’ Fernandes made it back-to-back state crowns with her win in the shot put. She also copped the event in the indoor state championship where she beat Woonsocket senior Britney Lawson to take the medal. Fernandes heaved the metal ball a distance of 39-3 ¼ to beat Lawson again. Lawson was second at 37-3 ¾.
“I felt really confident,” she said. “The first throw I threw 39 feet.”
Lawson, the top-ranked thrower in the hammer, missed competing in that meet. She arrived too late to Brown after taking her SAT’s at Woonsocket in the morning.  
“She came back very nicely (in the shot),” said WHS coach George Briggs. “I had her and (hurdler) Damian Pietrus in the car with me after SAT’s. I thought for sure she was going to go ballistic, but she just took it in stride. She said I missed the hammer throw, what times the shot? I said the shot’s in 20 minutes.”
Wesley DeChristofaro, a junior for the Villa Novans, had a PB of nearly a half a foot with his win in the long jump, taking the event with a leap of 21-5. East Providence ’s Manny Gomes was fifth at 20-10. DeChristofaro also placed fourth in the triple jump with a distance of 41-9 ½. He was just behind teammate Jessue Charette, who placed third at 41-10.
DeChristofaro was ranked fourth in the triple jump prior to the competition.
“It just goes to show that anything can happen in the state meet,” Briggs said. “Personally I think he’s one of the better, all-around jumpers in the state. He certainly came through today..”
The Townies’ Carmone improved on her top-seed time in the 3,000 by more than six seconds, winning the race with a time 10:12.55. Smithfield’s Katie Meinertz was sixth with a 10:57.90 clocking.
Lincoln’s Sam Carlson had a courageous effort in the 800 where he placed second behind Westerly’s Andrew Springer. Springer, who finished out, without argument, one of the greatest high school careers in R.I. history with victories in four events on Saturday, captured the two-lapper with a time of 1:56.26. Springer also copped the 1,500, 3,000 and was the anchor leg on the Bulldogs’ victorious 4x800 relay.
With a strong kick down the backstretch, Carlson claimed the runner-up spot in the 800 with a time of 1:57.86.
“The start of the race was very violent,” he said. “Everybody  wanted to get out and there were a lot of elbows. We were all fighting for the same spot. I got out where I wanted to be. I just stuck in the race. I didn’t go out too fast. When I was coming around the second curve and I saw I had more, I could kind of tell the guys were dying and was thinking maybe I can get it. After I passed them and I was still going on I was like I definitely can get it now.”
“The wind on the backstretch helped a lot. I definitely felt good, and this is my last race so I gave it my all.”
In the team competition, Westerly won the boys’ title, defeating Mount Pleasant, 69-50. Woonsocket was best among area squads, taking sixth with 35 points.  South Kingstown earned the girls’ plaque with a 104-81.5 win over second-place finisher La Salle. Smithfield placed sixth among the 26 schools with 35 points.
***
RIIL State Outdoor Track Championships
At Brown University

Boys results
Team standings - 1. Westerly, 69; 2. Mount Pleasant, 50; 3. Bishop Hendricken, 48; 6. Woonsocket, 35; 12. Ponaganset, 22; 17. Cumberland, 14; 19. Tie, Toll Gate, Lincoln, 9; 21. East Providence, 8; 24. Tiem Pilgrim, Central Falls, St. Raphael, 4
Top local placements  
Javelin - 1. Nick Keeling, P, 192-9; 4. John-Marc Gelsomino, P, 176-9.
LJ - 1. Wesley DeChristofaro, W, 21-5; 5. Manny Gomes, EP, 20-10.
4x100 - 4. Woonsocket (Sean Ceccofiglio, Jessie Charette, Carlos Ortiz, Geoff Phaneuf) 43.93; 5.East Providence, 44.16.
Hammer - 5. Dave Linback, C, 178-8.
1,500 -  6. Matt Macedo, P, 4:08.0.
HJ - 4. Steve Vazquez, CF, 5-10; 5. Dylan Faucher, C, 5-10; 6. Sam Carlson, L, 5-10.
110HH - 6. Ceccofiglio, W, 15.83.
400 - 4. Ryan Bellamy, EP, 51.64.
TJ - 3. Jessie Charette, W, 41-10; 4. DeChristofaro, W, 41-9 ½.
Shot - 4. Richard Casillo, SRA, 47-2 ¼.
300IH - 4. Ceccofiglio, W, 41.37; 5. Justin Gaudette, W, 41.61.
100 - 3. Carlos Ortiz, W, 11.13; 4. Brandon Aikens, C, 11.22.
800 - 2. Sam Carlson, L, 1:57.86.
200 - 4. Aikens, C, 22.64; 6. Keeling, P, 22.92.

Girls’ results
Team standings - 1. South Kingstown, 104; 2. La Salle, 81.5; 6. Smithfield, 35; 10. Central Falls, 11; 14. Tie, Woonsocket, St. Raphael, Middletown, 8; 19. Lincoln, 6; 22. Tie, Cumberland, Classical, 4. 26. Mount St. Charles, 1
Top local placements
Shot - 1. Aliede Fernandes, CF, 39-3 ¼; 2. Britney Lawson, W, 37-3 ¾; 4. Emily Trudeau, C, 34-11; 5. Amanda  Clark, S, 34-6 ½; 6. Georgia Elgar, S, 34-1 ½.
4x100 - 6. Smithfield (Rachel Valerio, Michelle Krol, Nicole Ricci, Kim Ezeama) 50.99.
400 - 6. Brianne Mastaj, MSC, 59.76.
Javelin - 1. Colleen Brague, S, 127-4; 2. Elizabeth Peterson, M, 122-9; 6. Georgia Elgar, S, 101-5.
100 - 6. Ezeama, S, 12.82.
HJ - 3. Erin Flood, S, 5-1; 4. Ariana Lefebvre, L, 5-1.
TJ - 3. Ezeama, S, 35-9.
3,000 - 1. Erin Carmone, EP, 10:12.55; 6. Katie Mienertz, S, 10:57.29.