KINGSTON -- After a nagging knee injury hurt his chances of a possible title in the high jump at last week’s class meet,  Woonsocket High senior Chris Penso didn’t exactly do the necessary preparation for Sunday’s R.I. Interscholastic League Indoor Track and Field Championships.
“He worked on his steps, but actual jumps he did none whatsoever,” said WHS head coach George Briggs, about his star leaper, who suffers from tendonitis. “His knee really bothered him.”
Competing against one of the strongest fields in the event in quite some time, the odds didn’t look too favorable for Penso to capture his first title on the indoor surface. But with a courageous and gutsy performance, the determined Villa Novan did just that, leaping to a school record of 6 feet, 6 inches. Chariho sophomore Innocent Jacob and defending champion Scott Capista of Bishop Hendricken tied for second at 6-4, while Woonsocket’s Wesley DeChristofaro tied for fourth with Rogers’ Steve Perry with a height of 6-2.
Penso, who is the defending outdoor titlist, earned the Villa Novans their first indoor high jump crown.
“This was really unbelievable,” Briggs said. “All week long he didn’t practice at all, but did he come through in the clutch against some really good competition. That was a strong field. Capista from Hendricken and Perry from Rogers both pushed him. He came through like a champion.”
After clearing 6-4 on his first attempt, Penso achieved his winning height on his final jump. He was third in the Class A Championship last Friday.
“I’m surprised he jumped so well,” Briggs said, “but he came through.”
Although it was pushed to the end, Bishop Hendricken  earned its 15th straight team title, holding off second-place Westerly, 83-75. Woonsocket was the top area squad, finishing eighth in the field with 18 points.
Besides Penso, the Villa Novans also had a school-record effort from junior Geoff Phaneuf in the 300-meter dash. Phaneuf placed fourth in the event with an outstanding time of 37.28 seconds. Cumberland’s Brandon Aikens was sixth at 37.47. Aikens was also sixth in the 55 dash where he clocked a time of 6.77.
Phaneuf’s time in the 300 broke the old school record of 37.5, set by Kawanna Abney in 1993. The event was won by top seed Ken Olivieri, who blitzed around the oval in 35.96.
“It was a very strong field,” Briggs said. “The quality of track and field in Rhode Island is much improved from what it has been.”
Among other local athletes, St. Raphael Academy junior Richard Casiello was third in the shot put with a toss of 47-6 ½.  Ponaganset’s Matt Macedo was sixth in the 1,500 with a time of 4:14.8 and the Cumberland foursome of Aikens, Brian Ferreri, Justin Gaudette and Josh Robison combined for a time of 1:37.6 to take sixth in the 4x200 relay.