WFH, Pine Forest win FCA Panhandle Championships

Michael Moore has a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

Earlier in the season the West Florida High sophomore was walking to football practice when he passed the school's shot put ring.

"They said 'Let's see how far you can throw it' so I just picked it up and I threw it," recalls Moore. "So I've just been going out there every day and working and practicing and getting better."

All that practice paid off on Saturday as Moore picked up a first-place medal with a personal best toss of 44-feet-11 inches to help lead the West Florida High boys track and field team to a win at the 2015 FCA Panhandle Championships.

The Jaguars cruised at the event, finishing with 146.50 points — 51 and a half points better than second-place Pine Forest (95).

"We had Jamal Sharp tie our school record in the high jump (6-6) then our 4x800 had about a 20 second drop," West Florida High coach Jeff Oliver said. "They ran an 8:06 which was good enough for best in the state. We had a long jumper that improved about a foot ..."

In all the Jaguars placed finishers in the top three of 12 different events, including seven first-place finishes.

Dane Stolsig, the team's prolific thrower, won the discus with a throw of 153-feet-3 inches, but scratched out of the shot put event.

"He's been working on the spin instead of just coming out and throwing it so he needs some more time with that," Oliver said of Stolsig. "But, the amazing thing is — and you don't see this too often — a guy that usually scores sixth, seventh or eighth for us won that shot put when Dane couldn't.

"You have it nice when you have that situation. Out of nowhere (Moore) had like a three-foot PR."

Once again, Moore had found himself in the right place at the right time.

"I was nervous," Moore said. "Sometimes I'll be good before the meet, but today I was just nervous — I scratched my first throw and my second was like in the 30's. I had to make sure I at least got a mark on my third throw.

"When I went out and threw it I knew a had a pretty good one. It was in the air for a little bit so I thought it was a good throw."

So did Oliver.

"It's pretty neat to have a guy who's a solid first at every meet have an issue, scratch all his throws, but we still get first in the shot put," Oliver said. "That's probably pretty frustrating for other teams, I'm sure."

Pine Forest girls out duel Fort Walton Beach

On the girls side of the competition, the Pine Forest and Fort Walton Beach squads continue to battle for supremacy.

After sitting in first place for much of the day, the Vikings were rocked on their heels late as Pine Forest took the top spot with 126 points as a team.

Fort Walton Beach was second with 120.

"If you're going to win a meet like this, what you do well in you have to perform in it," Pine Forest coach Paul Bryan said. "You can't have an off day because they're going to come back in the events that they're good in and then it's just going to be back-and-forth all day.

"We knew it was going to be a a two-man race here between us and Fort Walton"

In particular, the sophomore duo of Michaela Thompson and Shaniya Sanders got the Eagles over the hump with first and second place finishes in both the 100 and 300 hurdles.

"It feels great (having Sanders pushing me)," said Thompson, finishing first in the 100 hurdles (15.77) and second in the 300 hurdles. "If she wins, I know that we still both did good."

Sanders agreed, running ahead to first place in the 300 hurdles with a time of 46.94 after finishing second to Thompson in the earlier event.

"It's better that way," Sanders said. "I'd rather have her pushing me and beating me then someone else."

2015 FCA Panhandle Championship

High School Boys

Team Results: 1. West Florida High 146.50; 2. Pine Forest 95; 3. Fort Walton Beach 85; 4. Washington 68; 5. Niceville 52; 6. Pensacola High 34; 7. Choctawhatchee 33; 8. South Walton 26.50; 9. Navarre 25; 10. Tate 23; 11. Escambia 22; 12. Catholic 18.50; 13. Gulf Breeze 10; 14. Daphne 7; 15. Freeport 5; 15. Port St. Joe 5; 17. Pensacola Christian Academy 2.50; 18. Crestview 2; Bozeman 1.

First-Place Results

• 100—1. Juwan Smith, Pensacola High, 11.15

• 200—1. Juwan Smith, Pensacola High, 22.81

• 400—1. Corey Bonner, Fort Walton Beach, 50.34

• 800—1. Taylor Perkins, Washington, 2:00.51

• 1600—1. Sean White, Choctawhatchee, 4:20.97

• 3200—1. Trey LaNasa, Fort Walton Beach, 10:20.55

• 110 hurdles—1. Isaiah McKisson, Fort Walton Beach, 15.15

• 300 hurdles—1. Rodney Stovall, West Florida High, 39.73

• 4x100—1. West Florida High (Valentino Espinoza, Javen Jackson, Damond Johnson, Murray Washington), 43.40

• 4x400—1. Washington (Jonathan Jones, Josh Brown, QeAndre Adams, Kevoughn Manning), 3:23.17

• 4x800—1. West Florida High (Miles Greene, Michael Johnson, Matt Jones, Javen Jackson), 8:06.91

• Discus—1. Dane Stolsig, West Florida High, 153-03.00

• High Jump—1. Jamal Sharp, West Florida High, 6-06

• Long Jump—1. Murray Washington, West Florida High, 21-11.00

• Triple Jump—1. Daveyon Finkley, Pine Forest, 44-00.50

• Pole Vault—1. Ryan Short, South Walton, 13-06.00

• Shot Put—1. Michael Moore, West Florida High, 44-11.00

High School Girls

Team Results: 1. Pine Forest 126; 2. Fort Walton Beach 120; 3. Choctawhatchee 72; 4. Pensacola High 68; 5. Niceville 59; 6. Washington 36; 7. South Walton 30; 8. West Florida High 27; 9. Bay 21; 9. Navarre 21; 9. Daphne 21; 12. Escambia 14; 13. Gulf Breeze 13; 14. Tate 9; 14. Pensacola Christian Academy 9; 16. Baker 8; 17. Crestview 5; 18. Catholic 4.

First-Place Results

• 100—1. Kelisa Cain, Choctawhatchee, 12.64

• 200—1. Kelisa Cain, Choctawhatchee, 26.07

• 400—1. Loren Moorer, Pensacola High, 59.65

• 800—1. Brooke Crane, Fort Walton Beach, 2:16.04

• 1600—1. Emma Rudman, Fort Walton Beach, 5:21.47

• 3200—1. Emma Rudman, Fort Walton Beach, 11:52.92

• 100 hurdles—1. Michaela Thompson, Pine Forest, 15.77

• 300 hurdles—1. Shaniya Sanders, Pine Forest, 46.94

• 4x100—1. Pensacola High (Tia Johnson, Cierra Smith, Tishauna Walker, Malainna White), 48.68

• 4x400—1. Pensacola High (Brianna Hamilton, Tia Johnson, Loren Moorer, Malainna White), 4:04.74

• 4x800—1. Fort Walton Beach (Brooke Crane, Lauren Hunter, Jasmine Lee, Emma Rudman), 9:42.63

• Discus—1. Sophia Bergmann, Niceville, 123-01.00

• High Jump—1. Malainna White, Pensacola High, 5-02.00

• Long Jump—1. DeAnndra McLane, Fort Walton Beach, 17-02.50

• Triple Jump—1. Diamond Lopez, Fort Walton Beach, 33-07.00

• Pole Vault—1. Haley Anderson, South Walton, 10-00.00

• Shot Put—1. Taliyah Lewis, Fort Walton Beach, 36-04.00