Top 20 Moments of 2015/16: (#7) Perretta Wins State 800 & 1600 for Third Straight Year


Photo by Ethan Rissell

We have been spending the last month or so counting down the top 20 moments of the 2015-2016 year in Pennsylvania track and field and cross country. Yesterday, we focused on the incredible post-states effort by Downingtown West's Aislinn Devlin in cross country. Today, we go back to the track where we watched Beaver Falls' Domenic Perretta complete a historic state double for the third straight year.

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Photo by Don Rich

If you've done it once, you can do it twice. But can you do it a third time?

That was the question for Beaver Falls' star middle distance runner Domenic Perretta headed into May's state championship. Perretta won the AA 1600 meters and 800 meters at the PIAA State Championships as a sophomore and again as a junior. His times indicated that he was in better shape as a senior headed into states, but you still have to go out and race.

"I don't think people realize how hard it is," Perretta said of the 1600/800 double at states in an interview after the District 7 Championships. There are prelims in both events to get through on Friday, and then of course both finals on Saturday. It's no easy task, even for Perretta.

But the senior made it happen on Saturday. First, he took the 1600 meter win in 4:17.62. In turned out he was just warming up. The 800 meters went out fast, thanks to a qucik early pace set by Harbor Creek's Dan Kuhn. Neumann Goretti's Kamil Jihad and Mount Carmel's David Fletcher have Perretta a good run into the final lap. But down the stretch, it was all Perretta. He powered down the final 800 meters and finished in 1:50.10, a PIAA AA meet record.

Photo by Don Rich

PTXC's Phil Grove recounted Perretta's big day after the state meet. Read his story HERE.

No Pennsylvania athlete has ever won two events at states in three consecutive seasons until then. Like Candy Young before him, Perretta became another Beaver Falls athlete immortalized in Pennsylvania track and field history.

Perretta never got a true crack at the 800 meter all-time state record, but it would have been interesting to see what he could have done in the right race with fresh legs. I suppose we'll have to follow him closely at Penn State next year in that case.

Watch Perretta's interview from states below: