Bishop Guertin's Matt Giardina turns the corner on his last lap of his state record run to victory in the 3200 at the Division I Championships Saturday at Portsmouth High School. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

PORTSMOUTH – A near local record-breaker, two stunning upsets by the same athlete, and great individual performances marked Saturday’s Division I Boys Outdoor Track and Field championships.

The stories of the day? Nashua South’s Elyza Mercado getting the best of heavy favorite Darius Smith of Nashua North not once but twice, winning the shot put and discus. It was also a repeat triumph for Bishop Guertin’s Matt Giardina, as he ran a 9:22.77 time to win the 3200 meter run, betterng his time in winning the race in 2023 (9:24.11). He was on a Division record pace heading into the last lap.

And the Nashua South relay teams, as the Panthers captured both the 4×800 and 4×400 relays en route to a third place finish with 71 points, just 10 out of second behind Pinkerton, while Bedford dominated with 104 points.

Also locally, Nashua North was seventh with 25 points whle BG (11) took 13th. Alvrne was 15th and Merrimack 19th.

“The kids were working hard all day long, we were scoring in multiple events, and it’s been years since we’ve done that,” South coach Doug Booth said. “The kids really wanted to race hard and compete hard.”

The shocker was Mercado, who some felt may have had a shot in the discus but it seemed like Smith was the one in the shot put. Nope.

“He works hard,” Booth said. “A really hard worker, in the weight room, every day, he’s there to work.”

Mercado tossed a 148-1 in the discus, ahead of Smith’s second place

138-3. He also tossed a 49-7.5 in the shot put, while Smith was at 49.05.

“I really anticipated in coming in the top three in discus and shot, but I really didn’t think I was going to take first place and beat Darius,” Mercado, a senior, said. “I’ve known him to be the top thrower in New Hampshire.”

How did he do it?

“In the heat of the moment, you get all pumped up, and you get a high,” he said, noting this was his best day ever in the sport.

The Panthers made hay in the relays with two victories. First,the foursome of Daniel and Andrew Byrne, Micah Allard and Camdon Brien captured the 4×800 in 8:09.92. To end the meet, and cement the Panthers in third, Barion Perry anchored South to a runaway in the 4×400 in 3:29.09. His relay mates were Micah Allard, Revin Olsen and Sergio Lopez.

Marcell Perry, Michael Menezes, Tim Stavely and Ethan Schnyer teamed up for a second in the 4×100 relay in 42.78.

Why is Elyza Mercado smiling? Because Saturday he captured both the shot put and discus for Nashua South in the Division I Championships at Portsmouth HS. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Schnyer’s good day continued with a second in the 200 in 22.49 seconds.

Barion Perry was third in the 400 in 50.86 and Dante Castellano was the same in the 3200 in 9:34.45. Preston Bois was sixth in the triple jump, while South’s Ethan Schnyer was fifth in the 100 dash.

Besides Smith’s two seconds, North’s Luke Peters was fifth in the long jump. The Titans’ 4×100 foursome of Jaden Pena, Jordan Toribio, Peters and Kyle D’Silva was sixth.

Alvirne’s Shawn Boudreau was fourth in the discus while fellow Bronco Joey Marcotte took fifth in the 300 hurdles.

Besides Giardina’s big run in the 3200, Guertin’s Carson Fischer was sixth in the same race.

Merrimack’s Ben Basoli, Austin Cassetty, Jordan Sugianto and Owen Forrest were fifth in the 4×800.

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