Every coach starts to analyze the upcoming season well before it even comes close to starting. The new season begins pretty much the day the previous one ends. You do some evaluating of why you are not standing on the podium in Jacksonville, or why you don’t have athletes competing at the state meet in the first place. The state meet might be a tall task for some, maybe regional champ or even district champ seems more feasible. But the same thoughts come to mind… What is that school doing that we are not? How can we get there? So you go back home, meet up with your coaching staff, and draw up a plan.
This is about how things went for Liberty High School last year after the season ended in disappointing fashion. They lost the 3A-2 regional meet that could have very easily bounced their way. Kudos to Steinbrenner HS and those distance runners who basically won the meet by themselves. LHS took a talented group to Jacksonville last year and got rained out. It was a brutal day for the Chargers. But on a positive note, the fishing was great! And it made way for the 2014 season.
They knew this year was going to be different. The jumpers that have carried the team for years are now seniors; the sprinters are in top form and were ready to hit the ELITE button on the 4x100. The XC squad picked up from where they left off and are strong enough to score some crucial points. Coach Pauley decided that they need to go to some big meets, get their butt kicked around, and prepare for the state series. The biggest circle on the calendar was the Bob Hayes Invitational in mid March. It was going to be a practice run for the state meet. Only the best are going to make the trip. We are going to fish on Friday, and run for glory on Saturday.
The fishing was decent, Coach Pauley & Coach Kelley looked like something out of Field & Stream. The kids got into the most though, and the sheer enjoyment of a bite makes you commit another hour to the same spot. It was fun to be part of, and I do my best to have my camera ready.
After the day of fishing on Friday, they traveled to Raines HS on a mission. With numbers in hand, the team knew scoring more than St Thomas Aquinas was going to be difficult. The remainder of the teams seemed within reach, and a stellar day would take second at this prestigious meet. The day got started early with the 4x800 relay taking off at 8:45AM. The Chargers came off of a season best 8:12 from the Kowboy invite with hopes to improve. The competition was tough and with no tight running, anchor leg Rogelio Araiza cruised into a 4th place finish. That was the start of a good day for him. He took 4th in the 1600m that afternoon, and then an hour later took 3rd in the 3200m.
The previously mentioned jumpers (Markel Brown & Joshua Wilson) started off in the long jump with 4th and 6th place jumps. Brown & Wilson combined with (Kyle Sharman ran the prelims) Justin Winkler and Devarius Turner to take the 4x100 title in a blazing 41.20. That mark puts them as US #2 for 2014, just a mere .29 seconds off of the 40.91 set by Miami Booker T Washington just a few weeks ago. (Watch race video/interview here)
Turner made finals in both the 100m & 200m. His times were great, but he was on the track as Kendal Williams set the track ablaze with a 10.28 that currently ranks as the #1 100m in the nation. Kaylin Whitney of East Ridge in Clermont took both sprint titles for the ladies with times that also rank atop the nation. The top three in the girls 100m & 200m races currently rank in the top 5 in the nation. That alone tells you the talent level that Bob Hayes himself would be proud of.
After a great weekend however, there was still much more to the season. Having one of the top times in the nation is great at an invitational meet, but the state series is where it needs to happen to go down as one of the best. They were back at it on Monday afternoon with the goal of improving fresh on their mind. I caught up with them to see how they can improve when thunderstorms rolled through the area.
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