Ledyard - Someone approached Rich Kosta following one of the most strange and controversial 4x400-meter relay races in the history of the Eastern Connecticut Conference championship meet on Saturday and said, "Funny way for it to end."To which the Fitch High School boys' track and field coach replied: "I don't think it's over."After more than a quarter century around the sport, Kosta's hunch was right.Eventual champion Fitch and seven-time defending meet champion Norwich Free Academy were in a dead heat at the time and the final event of the day would decide the title.On the anchor leg, Bacon Academy led Fitch, with NFA running third. NFA's Tim Pearson ran into Fitch's Jeff Matzdorff about 50 meters into the leg, sending him to the ground. The Falcons didn't finish the race, while NFA was second.But officials ruled that Pearson ran up the back of Matzdorff and disqualified the Wildcats.NFA coach Jemal Davis immediately protested the decision with meet director Dave Tetlow and officials. But the ruling was upheld.The Fitch foursome of Chris Keating, Mike Bond, Nick Mugavero and Matzdorff were allowed to re-run the race by themselves, and their time was good enough for second place, allowing the Falcons to put an end to NFA's seven-year run, 131-123.The NFA girls won their second consecutive title 173-118 over second-place East Lyme."You want it to finish on the track, to be determined on the track and, from our perspective, it wasn't," NFA coach Jemal Davis said. "Obviously, Fitch will say that it was."Matzdorff was just happy to get another chance to run."My first three teammates are the ones that had to run the race twice," he said. "They're the ones that really had to put their heart in it. I was fresh. They were the ones that had to run two 400s in a row. When I got knocked down, I was ridiculously angry, so I was happy to have another chance to run."Fitch senior Josh Porizky completed a distance double, winning both the 1,600 and the 3,200."The whole day was just amazing," he said.Cory Calamari won the high jump and was second in the pole vault, while Porizky, James Shirvell, Chris Keating and Mugavero won the 4x800. Shirvell won the 800.Fitch's win came just five days after a 103-47 dual meet loss to NFA at home."We talked about coming back from that," Kosta said. "(NFA) had a little misfortune in the beginning of the meet. When that happened, it gave us an opportunity and we took advantage of it. I'm sure (NFA) will be thinking about it for the next year. They're a great team, a great program and Jemal's a great coach. They'll be back, but we'll be there, too."NFA also dropped the baton in the 4x100 and didn't place in that event."(The 4x4 call) was the wrong call and I have the right to say that and protest it," Davis said. "If you lose, you hate to lose it like this, but it gives us incentive and we realize we've got some things we need to work on."Ledyard's Sam Saccomano (110 hurdles, 300 hurdles) and Bacon Academy's Amir Lowen (100, 200) were each double-winners in the boys' meet.NFA's second consecutive girls' win was never in jeopardy. Its victory was highlighted by Kim Johnson, who set a meet record and tied the state record in the pole vault by vaulting 11 feet, 6 inches. She also won the high jump and was third in the 100 hurdles."The East Lyme meet (from the regular season) was huge," Johnson said. "And then Fitch wasn't as huge, but you still get nervous. I get so nervous the whole time. When I got here, I just felt completely free. Then it kind of hits you that it's the ECCs and it's the same exact feeling. It's like, 'Oh yeah, there's other people out there.'"NFA dominated on the track, winning the 4x400 and the 4x800 while finishing second in the 4x100. It won every event from the 400 up, with Cassy Hunter winning both the 800 and the 1,600.Fitch's Marissa Lowe won the 100 hurdles and the 300 hurdles and finished second in the triple jump, while Ledyard's Wahnetah Carty won the 100 and the long jump.O.POOLE@THEDAY.COM