On-Site Coverage
The Osceola Warriors improved on their runner-up finish a year ago where they scored a 99 to Sickles 66. This year, the Warriors left no doubt about it, winning 67 to Georgia-based Winder-Barrow’s (95). Warrior sophomore Abimael Jimenez (17:27) led the pack that gave the boys Varsity winner, Nature Coast Tech senior James Harkless chase. Sophomore Warrior Hunter McCann grabbed the eighth spot in 17:46 and Reggie Cape (17:51) finished tenth. The George Jenkins girls improved on their runner-up finish a year ago by scoring a slender 87 to runner-up Steinbrenner’s 154. Only freshman Emily English (20:22) cracked the top five for the girls team champions but three more girls made the top 25. Winder-Barrow won the boys JV 20 to Osceola’s 55. Winder-Barrow JV boys took the top three spots, the top four of five spots and the top seven of 11 spots. Sophomore Dakota Kay won it in 19:32. George Steinbrenner girls JV won with a score of 25 to George Jenkins 49. The Steinbrenner girls took second with junior Golda Shaw, along with three of the top five spots and five of the top 10 spots.
Individually, it was the out-of state team that made the most noise Saturday morning. It certainly was not because they were well rested.
"The lack of sleep messed me up, it was so hot in that cabin I thought I wasn’t going to get any sleep,” girls Varsity champion Micah Weathers said.
Weathers and the rest of the Winder-Barrow team that calls home a hamlet near Athens, Georgia, camped out at Starkey Park Friday night in anticipation of the meet.
“We rented four cabins, the whole team came out here on a bus and we’re stopping at the beach when we leave,” Weather’s dad said.
Weathers felt like she was running on a beach. The sandy course at Starkey Park in New Port Richey was something the freshman Weathers was not used to.
“It makes you feel like you’re doing hill strides, you have to zig-zag,” Weathers said.
If it had an effect on her time but the flatness of the course made up for it as Weathers demolished her personal record of 19:21 with a 19:13 to win the race, more than 15 seconds ahead of second place Hannah Brookover of Calvary Christian (19:28). Amber Philpot of Springstead was just behind Brookover at 19:31 but it was Weathers’ race all the way.
“Our home course has this huge hill that you have to go up,” Weathers said. “We always run hilly courses.”
The boys race was equally dominated by an individual runner. Nature Coast Tech senior James Harkless won the boys Varsity race in style and with a 17:18, still comfortably ahead of Jimenez of Osceola.
“I wanted to start strong and not get caught in that bottle neck,” Harkless said.
The course not only had a major bottleneck about 100 yards from the start line, the course veered nearly 90 degrees to the left, creating some traffic problems for runners. Harkless had run a faster time at a home meet a week prior but was happy with the win.
“I still feel pretty good about it (the race) but I’m still waiting for that perfect race where people are pushing me,” Harkless said. “I want to finally scratch 16:40.”
Elite Performances
Girls Highlights
- 5,000 Meter Run - Micah Weathers (Winder-Barrow HS) 19:13.00 SB; Hannah Brookover (Calvary Christian (Clearwater)) 19:28.00; Amber Philpott (Springstead HS) 19:31.00; Emily Kerns (Mitchell HS) 19:53.00; Emily English (George Jenkins HS) 20:22.00; Abigail Grant (Sickles HS) 20:22.00; Kari Grippo (Gulf HS) 20:27.00 SB;Victoria Jung (George Jenkins HS) 20:29.00; Amber Palermo (Winder-Barrow HS) 20:36.00 SB; Sneha Sathish (King HS) 20:36.00 SB; Ruby Lewis (George Jenkins HS) 20:50.00 SB; Lindsay Shealy (Armwood HS) 21:16.00 SB; Mariah Henderson (Wharton HS) 21:17.00 SB;
Boys Highlights
- 5,000 Meter Run - James Harkless (Nature Coast Tech) 17:18.00; Abimael Jimenez (Osceola HS (Seminole)) 17:27.00 SB; William Wright (Winder-Barrow HS) 17:33.00 SB; James Zentmeyer (Sickles HS) 17:39.00; Paris Williams (Sickles HS) 17:40.00; Jacob Rivera (Armwood HS) 17:42.00 SB; James Raymond (Gulf HS) 17:43.00 SB;