Here are the 2023 Taunton Daily Gazette Boys Track and Field All-Scholastics

TAUNTON — Another boys track and field season has come and gone in the Greater Taunton area.

Bridgewater-Raynham went perfect in dual meets on their way to a regular season Southeastern Conference title and a second-place finish at the SEC Championship. Taunton once again put in some strong outings and took home medals at the Hockomock League Championship and MIAA Division I Championship while Bristol-Plymouth and Dighton-Rehoboth had some strong performances.

With the spring season now in the rearview, here's a final look back at the Greater Taunton area boys track and field athletes who stood out among the crowd to earn their spot as 2023 Taunton Daily Gazette Boys Track and Field All-Scholastics.

Athlete of the Year

Kauan Bento, Bridgewater-Raynham

The junior captain and sprinter continued to shine this spring, winning both the 100 meter and 200 meter at the SEC Championship with times of 0:11.22 and 0:22.73 respectively. He set a personal record in the 100 meter at the MIAA Division II Championship as he finished second with a time of 0:10.62 and also had a personal best time of 0:21.98 as he finished third at the Meet of Champions. He took home the top spots in both the 100 meter and 200 meter at both the MSTCA South Shore Twilight meet and MSTCA Coaches Invitational and finished third in the 200 meter at the New England Interscholastic Outdoor Championship with a time of 0:22.32.

An SEC All-Star and Enterprise/Patriot Ledger First Team All-Scholastic, coach Jeff Sousa described Bento as one of the best sprinters in the state due to his "constant effort and diligent training," and he'll once again play a key part of the both the indoor and outdoor track teams as well as the football team during his senior year.

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First Team All-Scholastics

Sam Denis, Taunton

The senior captain and distance runner wrapped up his high school track and field career with some solid outings, including winning the 800 meter with a personal best time of 2:11 in a dual meet against Milford and the two mile in dual meets against King Philip and Franklin with times of 11:04 and 10:32, respectively. He also finished seventh in the two mile at the Hockomock Championship with a personal best time of 10:27.59.

A Hockomock Honorable Mention, Denis was also named a 2022 Taunton Daily Gazette Boys Cross Country All-Scholastic and a 2022-23 Taunton Daily Gazette Boys Indoor Track All-Scholastic and his abilities and leadership will certainly be missed next year as he continues his academic and track career at UMass Lowell.

Malachi Johnson, Taunton

The senior jumper and sprinter, who transferred in from Brockton ahead of the school year, certainly made his mark on the Tigers in his lone track and field season in black and orange, winning the long jump at the MSTCA Coaches Invitational with a personal best distance of 22'2.5". Other notable long jump performances include a third-place finish at the Hockomock Championship with a distance of 21'4.5" and a sixth-place finish at the MIAA Division I Championship with a distance of 21'8.25". He also played a key role in the 4x100 meter relay team that finished fourth at the Hockomock Championship with a time of 0:44.84.

A Hockomock All-Star, Johnson was also named a 2022 Taunton Daily Gazette Football All-Scholastic and his speed and abilities will certainly be missed by the Tigers next year as he continues his academic and football career at UMass Dartmouth.

Dmitrius Shearrion, Taunton

The junior sprinter continued to impress and build on his already strong resume this spring by winning both the 100 and 200 meter at the Hockomock Championship with times of 0:11.29 and 0:22.4 respectively while also playing a key role in the 4x100 meter relay team that finished fourth with a time of 0:44.84. At the MIAA Division I Championship, he finished fifth in the 100 meter with a time of 0:11.12 and sixth in the 200 meter with a time of 0:22.13. He also finished seventh in the 200 meter at the MIAA Meet of Champions with a time of 0:22.22.

A Hockomock All-Star, Shearrion was also named the 2022 Taunton Daily Gazette Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year and the 2022-23 Taunton Daily Gazette Boys Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and is also a key member of the football team. He'll look to continue to grow and develop as an athlete heading into his senior season.

Jonathan Trinh, Taunton

The senior captain and sprinter wrapped up a strong high school track and field career with several solid outings, including a second place finish in the 100 meter with a personal best time of 0:11.34 during a dual meet against King Philip and was a key part of both the 4x100 meter team that finished second at the MSTCA Coaches Invitational with a time of 0:43.7 and fourth at the Hockomock Championship with a time of 0:44.84.

Trinh's leadership and abilities will certainly be missed by the Tigers next year as he continues his academic career at Tufts University.

Cole Bridges, Bridgewater-Raynham

The sophomore distance runner truly carved out his place for the Trojans' this spring, finishing second in the 800 meter at the Ron Wayne Invitational with a personal best time of 2:13.81, second in the mile at the SEC Championship with a time of 4:44.25, seventh in the mile at the MSTCA South Shore Twilight Meet with a time of 4:37.6 and was part of the 4x800 meter relay team with Brian Peters, Ryan Hall and Jack Alves that won the SEC Championship with a time of 9:04.48.

An SEC All-Star, Bridges was also named a 2022-23 Taunton Daily Gazette Swimming All-Scholastic and is a member of the soccer team and will look to continue to grow and improve as an athlete in all three sports over the next two years.

Declan Hetrick, Bridgewater-Raynham

The senior captain and thrower wrapped up his strong high school track and field career with another successful spring, being crowned the SEC champion in the shot put with a personal best throw of 47'10.5" and the discus with a throw of 131'4". He set a personal discus record at the Meet of Champions as he finished 18th with a top distance of 138'7". He also won both shot put and discus at the Ron Wayne Invitational and won the shot put at the MSTCA South Shore Twilight Invitational with a top throw of 45'3".

An SEC All-Star and Enterprise/Patriot Ledger Second Team All-Scholastic, Hetrick was also named a 2022-23 Taunton Daily Gazette Boys Indoor Track All-Scholastic and his talents and leadership will surely be missed by the Trojans next year as he continues his academic and throwing career at Bryant University.

Connor Johnson, Bridgewater-Raynham

The junior captain and hurdler made strides improving on his already impressive track and field resume this spring as he set a new Trojan record in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 0:56.49 as he finished fifth at the Meet of Champions. He also claimed the SEC crown for the 400 meter hurdles as he finished first at the SEC Championship with a time of 0:57.51, won the 400 meter hurdles at the MSTCA South Shore Twilight Meet with a time of 0:57.88 and finished 16th in the 300 meter hurdles with a personal best time of 0:41.48 at the New England Interscholastic Outdoor Championship.

An SEC All-Star and Enterprise/Patriot Ledger First Team All-Scholastic, Johnson was also named a 2022-23 Taunton Daily Gazette Boys Indoor Track All-Scholastic and can be expected to continue to grow and improve as an athlete heading into his senior year.

Wyatt Lee, Bristol-Plymouth

The senior captain and distance runner wrapped up his high school track career in style as he won both the mile and two mile at the Mayflower Athletic Conference Championship with times of 4:40.03 and 10:18.54 respectively. He also set a pair of personal records at the MIAA Division IV Championship as he finished 14th in the mile with a time of 4:35.24 and ninth in the two mile with a time of 9:56.47.

An MAC All-Star, Lee was also named a 2022 Taunton Daily Gazette Boys Cross Country All-Scholastic and his leadership and abilities will certainly be missed by the Craftsmen next year.

Joel DaSilva, Dighton-Rehoboth

The junior decathlete did it all for the Falcons this spring, including a 17th-place finish at the MSTCA South Decathlon where he set personal records in the 100 meter (0:12.22), 400 meter (0:57.25), 1500 meter (5:10.15), shot put (32'7.75"), discus (78'9") and triple jump (36'3.75"). He won the high jump during a dual meet with Somerset Berkley with a height of 5'8" and was part of the 4x100 meter relay team that finished third at the South Coast Conference Championship with a time of 0:45.19.

An SCC All-Star, DaSilva is also an key part of the football and indoor track teams and will look to continue to grow and improve as an athlete heading into his senior year.

Second Team All-Scholastics

Anthony Pettijohn, Taunton

Dan Leet, Bridgewater-Raynham

Braden Erlichmann, Bristol-Plymouth

Nick Ware, Dighton-Rehoboth

Tim Zibrida, Dighton-Rehoboth

Taunton Daily Gazette sports reporter Cameron Merritt can be reached at cmerritt@tauntongazette.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @CamMerritt_News. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to the Taunton Daily Gazette today.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: The 2023 Taunton Daily Gazette Boys Track and Field All-Scholastics