Nature Coast Tech Continues District Dominance with Cross-Trained Athletes


On-Site Coverage

The Nature Coast Tech Sharks have been dominant at the district level for the better part of the last decade. NCT coaches Nikki Pierce and Rudy Story cross-train their athletes in other sports. It's not an uncommon occurance in high school sports but Pierce and Story take it to a new level. Pierce is coach of the state runner-up girls weightlifting team. Sam Troudt won a state weightlifting title for the second straight year and anchored the 4x100m relay.


Jouie Miller was a state runner-up in weightlifting. She won the shot put at 10.55m (34-7.5ft). Even multi-event sensation Kaitlyn Pierce was a fourth-place state weight lifter.

"We have a highly successful weightlifting program and it's an easy transition to pull girls into track," Pierce said. "Over the years, we've had success with that and without that, they can't handle multiple events."

Multiple events helped push the Sharks to a resounding win 199 to Weeki Wachee's 108, their fourth straight district title. Cross training helped the boys win their eighth in the last nine years.

"We preach from Day 1 that you are an athlete, anything you do outside of your main sport will help you in your main sport," Story said. "The girls condition just like the boys do. They are with us all year long and every one of my throwers plays football, wrestles or plays basketball."

It was not quite the landslide that the girls had but the NCT boys won it 159 to Zephyrhills' 116.

The end of the 4x100m final made for perhaps the most tense moment of the evening. Running on the anchor leg, state runner-up Brandon Schultz of Ridgewood crashed through the line and hit the grass just beyond with a leg injury. Schultz had not an hour before won a district title in the 110m hurdles with a 14.43 (Schultz's 14.38 is the #3 time in Class 2A this season). As his team gathered around him, it looked as though his night might be over.


However, the call for the 300m hurdle finals was made shortly thereafter. Schultz looked as if he wouldn't be able to get up for the final. Schultz made it. He dusted himself off, shook off what turned out to be a minor injury and gutted out a fourth-place finish in the 300m finals to qualify for regionals next week. Schultz is as much of a mentor as he is a hurdle star. Teammates Elmir Aljic and Levi Gardner model their hurdling technique off of Schultz's.

"One thing we have in common is we're both left-leg hurdlers," Gardner said. "I've learned a lot from him."

Aljic made it to regionals in fourth, chasing Schultz.

"It's something to aim for, to chase him down someday," Aljic said.

The best race of the day was the boys 1600m. Gulf sophomore John Jessup pulled into the lead after the second lap with Hernando's Ross Stalcup closing in. Into the last lap, Stalcup closed the gap and hung right on Jessup's shoulder.

"I tried to pass him (Jessup) by going a little bit wider than usual," Stalcup said. "I prematurely sprinted at the beginning of the last turn and that killed me. It was a really good race."


Jessup held Stalcup off bursting ahead with 20 meters to go to win it in 4:45.23. Stalcup took second at 4:46.51. Jessup went on to win the 3200m in 10:32.48. 

Zephyrhills thrower Zackary Carpenter saw it all come together on Friday. Searching for that big throw all season, Carpenter found it in both the shot and the discus, dominating both events with personal bests. 

"At the beginning of April, we had a small meet at Land O' Lakes that got cancelled. I was disappointed because I was feeling it that day and I went out and hit PRs in practice," Carpenter said. "Now I know what that feels like."


Carpenter sailed out to a 47.91m (157-2) throw that won disc. The throw was his last preliminary throw and it felt so good and was more than 20 feet ahead of the next-best throw that Carpenter didn't even throw in the finals. It's the fifth-best throw in 2A this season. In shot, Carpenter not only broke through for 50 feet, he broke through for 15.49m (50-10). 

"My last throw was out past 52 feet but I scratched," Carpenter said. "I just woke up this morning and knew I was going to throw great."


Bulldog teammate Jaquan Sheppard shattered his PR by going to 6.59m (21-7.5) to win boys long jump. Sheppard hit it on his very first jump of the day.

"It just felt great," Sheppard said. "I like jumping, I feel like this is where I'm at."

Hudson's Amanda Bohm made sure to make herself known on Friday night. After coming in second to NCT's Leah Marville (5:44.46) in the 1600m, Bohm had to tangle with another NCT runner in Jayna Tyler in the 800m. Tyler got out to an early lead but Bohm shut it down and sailed across the finish line in 2:33.61, knocking almost five seconds off her PR.

"I knew I needed to pass her (Tyler)," Bohm said. "This (800m) is my favorite race, I really wanted first in that."


Fivay's Elexus Seabrooks went back-and-forth with Weeki Wachee's Reilley Bain. Seabrooks won the 100m final in 12.83 with Bain in second at 12.90. Bain won the 200m in 27.47 with Seabrooks sixth. Both Seabrooks and Bain stocked their teams' 4x100m relay teams with Fivay winning 53.69 to 53.91. Hernando's Ygenio Booker won the boys 100m final in 10.91. 

More Coverage