Blaine Thomas gives us an inside look at the top incoming freshmen in the state to watch for 2017 including Xzavier Henderson (pictured above) who will run for Columbus High School in Miami.
Kayamo Galloway- the upcoming distance stud is a Freshman from Trinity Prep and he boasts a Seventh Place Finish at the 2016 FHSAA Cross Country Finals and ran a blistering time of 15:46. In his eighth grade year he ran 9:44 in the 3200 meter run and only raced once in track. Trinity Prep will open up at the Highlander Invitational and we can expect to see Galloway start the season off on a fast note.
Austin Miller- On the throws side of things, the freshman from Maclay High School is definitely the new and uprising thrower in Florida. He won the 2016 FLYRA Middle School State Championship in the discus with a throw of 47.03 meters. He also finished in 6th place in the high school Region 1 1A last year as an eighth grader! Expect bigger throws and great competition as Austin will be competing at The 17th Annual Chiles Track and Field Classic this weekend, where the Big Bend's best throwers will be.
Alex Shields- the best newcomer jumper has to be the Freshman from First Academy (Orlando), Alex Shields. Shields won three events at the 2016 FLYRA Middle School State Championship, the long jump, high jump, and the 200 meter hurdles. The multi-talented freshman also was the runner-up in the 100 meter with a time of 11.37. Shields brings a lot to the table and is a superstar in the making who finished third in the Long Jump at the Royals Open on Feb 17th, and will be a star to look out for.
Xzavier Henderson- the best middle distance runner entering high school comes from South Dade Express Track Club and his name is Xzavier Henderson. Henderson will be wearing the Christopher Columbus High School jersey this year and is coming off a year where he won the 800 meter in the 2016 FLYRA Middle School State Championship in a time of 2:05. He also was the runner up in the 400, running a time of 51.02. He started his high school career by participating in the High Jump at the Louie Bing Classic and finishing eighth place. We will see where Henderson is used this year as he will be a crucial addition for Christopher Columbus HS.
Jadan Robinson- the fastest speedster to be on the lookout for is the Jones HS freshman Jadan Robinson. Robinson who competed for Robinsnwood MS won the Orange County MS Championship in the 60 meter and 100 meter. He posted the fastest newcomer 100-meter time of 11.02 and will be hoping to breaking into the 10 second club early into the season. He opened the season at the Carl Friedland Memorial track meet on Feb 17th and ran a time of 11.52 to finish seventh in his high school debut.