Satisfield's excellence in 2 sports for Barrington leaves him with decisions to make

Satisfield’s excellence in 2 sports for Barrington leaves him with decisions to make

Posted by author February 17, 2025 Sports

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PROVIDENCE — Caleb Satisfield sounded like he still had energy to burn Saturday afternoon.That was no small statement after his previous 16 hours or so. He took a few minutes at Providence Career & Technical Academy to reflect on his budding two-sport stardom, with basketball now sharing a stage alongside track and field.

Satisfield helped drive Barrington to victory over North Providence on the hardwood Friday night. He was back early Saturday with gold in the high jump and silver in the long jump while the Eagles closed runner-up to La Salle at the Interscholastic League indoor state meet.

“It’s definitely a good time for me,” Satisfield said. “I knew this day was going to come. I know there are better days going forward. I’m looking forward to that, but I’ve got to do what I need to do now to win.”

Satisfield netted 16 of his game-high 30 points in the fourth quarter of a 64-50 win against the Cougars, a rematch of a state tournament meeting last year. The junior shooting guard knocked down four 3-pointers in the final eight minutes and extended the momentum Barrington will carry into both the Division I and state playoffs. It’s been a breakout season for Satisfield, who leaves the weekend averaging more than 17 points per game.

“When it’s basketball, that’s my only focus — just winning the game,” Satisfield said. “With track, the same thing applies.”

Satisfield didn’t have much turnaround time before the high jump led off the state meet the following morning at 9:30 a.m. He was up early and on the way downtown with his teammates some 90 minutes before checking in. Satisfield cleared 6 feet, 6 inches to top Portsmouth standout Aidan Chen and give the Eagles a chunk of their 111.5 team points.

“Just preparing yourself for greatness, I guess,” Satisfield said. “Getting my day started at 6 a.m. knowing I had to be there at 8. I had a healthy breakfast. I guess it was just being awake.”

Satisfield made it a 1-2 finish with Patrick Trainor later in the day, closing second in the long jump. That gave Barrington another 18 team points and a comfortable margin over Bishop Hendricken in third place. La Salle was the only team that kept the Eagles from repeating, collecting 124 points.

Satisfield added track and field to basketball through a school program in eighth grade. He cleared 5-6 in the high jump and was immediately hooked, determined to continue into high school with a Barrington team that swept indoor and outdoor crowns in 2023-24. The league has allowed dual participation for the better part of the last decade, and Satisfield is one of several athletes in this academic year who will take advantage.

“I’ve just improved,” Satisfield said. “My teammates have supported me through that.”

There could come a time when Satisfield will be forced to decide between his two winter sports. He’s qualified in two events for the New England championships, which are set for March 1 in Boston. The Eagles could have a basketball postseason game that day, which would set up an interesting — and welcome — dilemma.

“I’m not sure,” Satisfield said. “I’m going to have to talk to one of my coaches about that. I’m just looking forward to whatever is coming.”

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25