It came down the relays, and Northampton shined at the Reggie Lewis Center.
The Blue Devils were locked in a duel with Wakefield at the state Division 4 boys indoor track and field championships Thursday.
The teams were tied entering the final event — the 4×400-meter relay. Hamp was the top seed with the Warriors No. 2.
The Devils had more in the tank.
The foursome of Cole Lavalle, Patrick Quinlan, Ethan Cooper and Nik Smith won in 3 minutes, 27.3 seconds to deliver a championship.
“It was pretty good,” Hamp coach Brandon Palmer said. “Me and (assistant coach) Angus (Fisher) had an idea it would come down to the 4×4 and we made sure to have the right team on the track.”
Hamp finished with 67 points. It was the second title in three years for the Blue Devils.
Wakefield, which was fifth in the relay in 3:35, had 61 points.
“The kids (from elsewhere in the state) do big things in Boston,” Palmer said. “I didn’t know what to expect.”
The Blue Devils led by two points with the 4×800 and 4×400 remaining.
It appeared Wakefield had the edge despite trailing. The Warriors were seeded first in the 4×800, while Hamp was ninth.
But the Blue Devils team of Ethan Milsark, Bobby Innes-Gold, Nick Peterson and Ben Gordon-Sniffen improved by 16 seconds to place second in 8:21.08. Wakefield won in 8:18.57, but was now tied with Hamp entering the final event.
Milsark, Peterson and Innes-Gold were running fresh for the relay. Milsark (2-mile) and Peterson (mile) were scratched from their individual events, while the 4×800 was Innes-Gold’s only event.
“It was the right setup with the right guys,” Palmer said. “It took some magic and a little luck but they were in the situation to make something happen.”
Northampton’s 4×200 relay of Jasiah Tudryn, Ethan Salem, Lavalle and Quinlan opened with a second-place finish in 1:33.88 (school record). Wakefield was third in 1:34.53.
“They lifted us up,” Palmer added.
Northampton took home two top individual honors.
Smith won the 300 in 35.56 seconds. He was also second in the 55 dash in 6.48 seconds.
Ben Gordon-Sniffen won the 1,000 by a hair over Wakefield’s Adam Roberto. Gordon-Sniffen won in 2:35.38, about a half-second quicker than Roberto (2:35.85).
Cooper was second in the 600 (1:24.26) and Lavalle was fourth in the 300 (36.77).
“We knew it was going to be one of those days where the individuals would show up,” Palmer said.
A fourth-place finish by Anna Stiles, Gretchen Savenson, Mairead Blatner and Scarlet Sands Bliss in the 4×800 (9:58.99) propelled the Blue Devils into sixth place with 19 points.
Milton won (95) followed by Tewksbury (74).
Sands Bliss was also fourth in the 600 (1:40.91).
Evelyn Burke was sixth in the 2-mile in 11:35.09.
Picking up seventh places were Savenson (600, 1:42.82) and Hazel Ethier (long jump, 16 feet, 5¾ inches).
Finishing eighth for the Blue Devils were Mary Yount (mile, 5:20.92) and Emma Harder (55, 7.74).