Titans trying to leave their mark

The seniors on the Nashua High School North boys track team will leave quite a legacy.

The only question that remains is what that memory will recall. Will it be of a champion? Or will it be of a runner-up?

“We talk about it every day,” North hurdler Eric Muite said. “It’s something we think about and it’s basically what encourages us to push ourselves to become better athletes.”

The Titans have had some pretty good athletes the last two years, good enough that North finished third in Class L during the indoor season before losing to Bishop Guertin by one point in the outdoor season when this group was juniors.

But those two shortcomings, along with two runner-up finishes for the seniors that have been on the football team, have the Titans itching for another shot at a title before their time is up.

“It would be pretty satisfying because we’ve all worked hard for it,” North’s Jahmar Gathright said. “Just to experience winning would be good for all of us.”

North took a step in the right direction on Sunday, finishing first overall in a six-team meet that included Division I favorites Merrimack and Bishop Guertin. Those two also tied for the indoor title a year ago.

“Merrimack has come on strong the last couple of weeks,” North coach Nate Burns said. “We started out really good. Merrimack has closed the gap a little bit. I’m real nervous about BG, with all the distance guys that they have.

“But I think these guys are willing to work. We’ve talked about what we need to accomplish over the next three weeks. I think they’re ready to rise to the occasion.”

Burns is confident in his group of sprinters, which includes Muite, Gathright and Andre Williams, but it’s the distance events and the relays that could lead to trouble for the Titans.

“We have a lot of work to do in our relays,” Burns said. “We need to keep things going in the hurdles and the (55-meter) dash. The 300 as well, get maybe one or two more guys qualified as well. Get a big push out of our distance guys, and same with the shot put. We’ve got to get more consistency there.”

But even if they don’t, the Titans are strong enough in other events. Muite will be tough to beat in the 55 hurdles, while Williams and Gathright could place in the other sprints. All three could end up being a part of one, or both, of the 4x160 and 4x400 relay teams. Gathright has also been among the top long jumpers in the state this year, and he could pick up points in the high jump as well.

“Now I know how to work to get on top and my goal is to stay on top and keep working hard,” Gathright said of the long jump. “Long jump I’ve been working at since my sophomore year and to finally be at the top is good. I don’t want to lose that. If I can finish on top and get points for my team, that’d be great.”

The Titans are counting down the days until the Division I meet, which is Feb. 6 at 3:30 p.m. at Dartmouth College, and they believe they are ready to take the next step.

“Our team is looking pretty good right now and we’re working pretty hard,” Muite said. “As a group, we put up enough effort to make our team successful. We’ve come short unfortunately, but we have two more chances. I’m very excited.”