North Florida Boys Preview

*Note: The counties in this preview include those starting from Escambia on the panhandle to Marion.
 

North Florida, as it has since the beginning of Y2K, will start with three perenial powers who each have three state titles in the seven years since the dawn of the decade:  in Tallahassee the Timberwolves of Chiles and the Marauders of Maclay and two and half hours east down I-10 in Jacksonville the “wait, I thought they graduated everybody” boys of Bishop Kenny. 

Beyond those three Tallahassee and Jacksonville championship dynasties, St. Johns County's Bears of Bartram Trail will look to mix it up. And Flagler Palm Coast, which was marked as the only North Florida team mentioned on the NTN South Region poll, will also be vying for top honors.  FPC, itself an amazing dynasty, has two titles and two runner-ups since 2000.  Don’t get me wrong, there is a nice group of other teams to watch as well, but these five will be the cream of the crop in North Florida. 

Teams to Watch

Bartram Trail: Coach Paul Nowicki has once again worked his magic here since his arrival in 2005. During his first year, the bears only finished 7th in the region but showed signs of promise. Last year, it became apparent that something was working when he guided them to a 4th place region finish on their home course, and then to a bronze, 3rd-place finish at the state meet after not qualifying in 2005. They return 5 of 7 (4 of which are in the 16:45-17:20 range), and show no signs of slowing down. Can you say…podium finish? 

Bishop Kenny: Have arguably the best 1-2 punch in 2A with sophomore sensation Michael Wallace and senior Thomas Heekin. Following closely behind, is a strong #3 in Colin Barker (a bit underrated last year as a freshman). Ya, I know what you’re saying—neither of BK’s “studs” broke 17 at the state meet last year—but, look a little closer at the 2006-2007 season as a whole and try again. Wallace had one of the best freshman seasons in recent memory after he finished 11th in the Footlocker South Freshman race, 5th in the 2A 3200m, and a top 10-finish at Nike Outdoor in the frosh mile. Heekin came into his own as well, posting a 16:35 early in the season. The legacy will continue to grow this year as I expect Bishop Kenny to turn the “dynasty button” back on and provide a top 2 finish. 

Buchholz : As usual, they have a solid 3-pack returning in Wise, Robinson, and Foster but will need to find a way to close the gap in the dreaded “region of death”.

Chiles:

Sure, they graduated their top 3 from the state meet a year ago but there’s something in the water over there, and do not be surprised if Chiles makes another run. Coach Gowan will simply not let his teams settle for mediocrity. Little Miletich is back to lead the pack with his 9:48/16:21 PR’s from a year ago, and following not too far behind will be Vannoy and Andrews. The 4-5 spots for this team will be crucial because if they find them…can you say 3-peat?  

FPC: Gone is Morales, left is Andrew Earle (16:31 @ 06’ State), and a few other solid mid-17 guys. If you’re thinking of doubting one of Coach Halliday’s teams—I’ve been accused of this crime, yes—then stop right now. Last year, FPC lost the state title by a mere 4 points to “the Park”, but would make up for it later in the year with a 4A track, and he will surely have his guys ready to go when it’s time. Behind Earle will be Velez, Shott, McCrossen, and Andrew’s brother, Brandon. I see them all gelling together sometime around mid to late October, just in time for the post-season. Also, if the “transfer rumor” is in fact true...

Leon: Surprise team here from a year ago with a 4th place finish. Can they keep the momentum going into 2007? Only time will tell, but I like the fact they were led by a FREHSMAN last year, and return 5 of their top 7. Like their cross-town neighbors, Chiles, Leon also needs help in the 4-5 spots as their returnees (18:36 and 18:45, respectively) will not cut it in the 3A battle for supremacy. Randomly, about 7 or so of the Leon boys ran a 10K road race—the Rose City 10k—in April last year and all finished between 34:30-36:40 range, not too shabby. If they can keep the type of camaraderie that inspires a whole team to run a 6.2 mi road race at the end of a track season going, then Tallahassee might become more than just Maclay and Chiles.  

Navarre: Have had in and out years as of late with 2006 being the former as they finished 8th at the 3A state meet. How this for a stat: Navarre is one of only a handful of teams to return their ENTIRE top 7 from the state meet. True, the gap between their 1-5 was 73 seconds from last year, but that’s peanuts compared to most teams. I don’t see why moving into the upper echelon of 3A—via a top 3-4 type finish—is out of the question with some of the talent on this roster. Boston may also be one of the key cogs to this machine. However, this team may only go as far as the Boykin twins (Hamilton-16:44/Huter-16:28) can take them.

Maclay: Two words: Gary Droze. Do I really even need to go any farther with this? No, but out of respect... The best way to describe this year’s Maclay team is to realize that most of their top 5 won’t even have their driver’s licensees by the time of the state meet. Yes, Maclay will be very young this year. Aside from senior Sean Griffin, #1 runner (Patrick Swain) from last year’s state meet will be entering high school this fall along with #4 Austin Stevens. Sweeney will help provide some stability as well, and will help the Marauders improve on their 5th place 1A finish from a year ago. They’ve steadily began to make their way back to the top finishing 10th in 2004, 6th in 2005, and 5th last year.

Pensacola Washington: The class of 3A along with Chiles over the past 5 years or so, Pensacola Washington has yet again another strong front-runner in Eric Larson, and a solid #2 in Kenny Whitman. The rest of the top 7? Well, that’s still up for debate but what’s certain is that Pensacola will be a contender once again.  
 

Individuals: 

Joe Franklin (Godby)- Ok guys, seriously? Besides being one of the most talented middle distance runners this state has ever produced, Franklin can get it done on the grass as well (see: 15:45 last year). I imagine he will be flirting with the 15:00’s this fall. 

Michael Wallace (Bishop Kenny)- When you break an NCAA Outdoor Qualifier’s freshman record in the 3200m (Ryder Leary), some might say you are off to a pretty good start in your running career. Wallace, who dropped PR’s of 4:29/9:40 last year, should contend for top 10 honors this fall, continuing the BK tradition. 

Eric Larson (P. Washington)- Larson, another product of a long-time successful program and great coaching, might be N. Florida’s best outside of Franklin (15:39 last year). 

Andrew Earle (Flagler)- Ditto from above. Earle had a respectable year last year placing 13th at the state meet with a 16:31 PR. He’s the 7th fastest returnee in 4A, and if he has the breakout senior season that former teammate Anthony Morales had, then watch out. 

Thomas Heekin (Bishop Kenny)- The BK Senior will likely be stride for stride with teammate Wallace on the grass and both could push each other to top 5 finishes. Heekin showed his mid-summer fitness via a 16:42 road race, and will likely continue that momentum all the way into November with the supporting cast he has behind him. 

Kenny Whitman (Pensacola Washington)- Whitman transferred from Pine Forest to Pensacola Washington last year, and enjoyed a very smooth transition giving Larson a solid training partner. Whitman raced to a 16:12 early season PR last fall, but will consistency will be key if he hopes to move up the podium. 

Hamilton Boykin (Navarre)- Part 1 of the Boykin package, Hamilton will need to close the gap on his twin Hunter if he hopes to carry Navarre to a top 3 team finish. 

Hunter Boykin (Navarre)- Part 2 of the Boykin Package, Hunter will need to carry his track success onto the grass to give his brother and the rest of Navarre some help. 

Ryan Harris (Oak Hall)- Seems like just yesterday Harris finished as the runner-up in the Freshman Mile…skip ahead 3 years and here he is looking to have a memorable season on the grass. Harris broke through last spring with a 9:40 3200m PR, and carries a 16:19 lifetime PR into this fall. Should not be counted out in November. 

Jonathan Esteban (Lee HS)- If Esteban finished the 06’ campaign like he began, with consistency, then he surely would have been on the podium, yet that was not the case. After consecutive weeks of 16:14, 15:43, 16:26, and 16:11, Esteban struggled at the state meet failing to crack 17. However, sources say Esteban is in great shape and will be one of the top runners in the area once again. 

Others to Watch:

Alex Schanen (Fletcher)

Andrew Quallio (Sandalwood)

Daniel Miletich (Chiles)

Whitney Strickland (NFC)

Rylan Karlovich (Bartram Trail)