Coming into the year, Cranston’s D.J. Principe set a goal to win the Rhode Island state championship.

Goals are nice, but they aren’t always attainable. Two weeks ago, at the Class A Championships, Principe – a La Salle Academy sophomore – took first place and realized out that his goal was within reach.

On Sunday, Principe made it a reality.

Running at Ponaganset High School in cold, blustery conditions at the state championship meet, Principe got off to a fast start and blew away the competition, winning the race by over 14 seconds with a time of 15:37.17.

Hendricken’s Tom Grizzetti took second place with a time of 15:51.21.

The Cranston native was the first of seven La Salle runners to cross the finish line in the top 11, giving the Rams the team championship by a wide 25-47 margin over six-time defending champion Bishop Hendricken.

It all started with Principe, who became the first sophomore to win the boys’ title since Cumberland’s Jerry Bonner who did it in 1998.

“It’s amazing,” Principe said. “From the very beginning I knew I had a shot at it. I knew if I went out there and did my thing that the opportunity would be there and it would be a great one.”

The outcome was never in doubt. Principe led the top group right from the gun and extended his lead through the woods until he came around the final straightaway.

He never relaxed, but in the home stretch he had a solid inkling that he was going to be crossing the line first.

“At the top of the hill, one of our parents said I had about a 50-100-meter lead and from there I knew it’s my race to lose,” Principe said. “The last 1k is where I really like to run strong. And if nothing happened I knew from there I had really good shot at it.”

As he finished the race, a smile widened on Principe’s face and didn’t leave for quite a while, as he recognized the magnitude of his accomplishment.

Not only had he finished first, but he led the Rams to their first team title since 1983.

“Coming down that last straightaway I knew I had it and I couldn’t keep the smile off my face,” Principe said.

The victory marked a meteoric rise for Principe, who was a fixture at the top of the middle school cross country scene before arriving at La Salle last year and finishing fourth in the state.

This season, despite the frigid conditions on Sunday, he took nearly 20 seconds off his state time from a year ago.

“Last year was a great year, but coming in I knew I had a lot to improve on,” Principe said. “I knew this year I was going to be primarily running up at the front of the pack. Getting used to that, taking control of the race was something to adjust to. But that’s always been my thing.”

The next step for Principe is the New England Cross Country Championship, which will be held at Wickham Park in Manchester, Conn. on Saturday at 11:30 a.m.

Principe and his La Salle teammates should both be in the running for the top spot.

“I know there are some great kids out there in New England,” Principe said. “I’m definitely going to go out there and try to give them a run for their money. Once again, the main goal going into New Englands is for the team to win.”

Cranston girls compete

One girl from both Cranston East and Cranston West competed in Sunday’s state meet, and they each finished within the top 90.

West sophomore Francesca Laurenza was the top city finisher with an 83rd-place showing, while East sophomore Shayna Cousineau took 87th place.

La Salle swept the day, as it won the girls’ state title as well as the boys’. The Rams put five runners in the top 13, finishing with 39 points. Barrington took second with 95 points.

The Eagles also had the top overall finisher, as junior Emma McMillan won the individual title for the third consecutive year. Her time was 17:47.87.