Plant Boys Take Hillsborough By One Point, Wharton Girls Hold Off Plant and Newsome

Hillsborough County Championship Meet
Andy Warrener


(Photo by Matt Markowski/All other photos by Andy Warrener)

In a thrilling finish in the Hillsborough County boys race, Plant edged Steinbrenner 91-92. At the finish line, it was Plant's Quasan Markowski clipping Durant's Haftom Fliegelman to take third place in 16:12.2 with Fliegelman at 16:13.1.

"I see every race as the last race of my life and I want to run it as fast as I can and run as if is was just me by myself," Markowski said.

Markowski was just a second off his personal record from FSU Pre State and he got some help as teammates Walker Thomas and Jackson Samartian took fifth (16:33.5) and 27th (17:48.6), respectively. Walker, normally Plant's number three runner, had the second-best finish on his team and was instrumental in the victory.

Individually, it was Seffener Christian's Noah Perkins leading the way. Perkins, who has one of the top times in the state, led the whole race and turned up the heat at the end for a 15:36.3, topping Mark Parrish's 15:53.0 from 2010. Perkins also became the first private school runner to win the full county meet since 2004. Perkins got to watch seniors James Zentmeyer, now at Liberty U, and Jack Guyton, now at UF, finish in front of him in 2014 but had the field to himself on Tuesday.

"I'm trying to push harder for the races coming up," Perkins said. "I always look up to those guys (Zentmeyer and Guyton) and to follow in their footsteps is great."

Sickles' Paris Williams set his season best taking second in 16:09.5.

The girls race was not quite as close. Naturally, Bailey Hertenstein ran away with it and she led from the outset and was never challenged. She finished in 18:43.9 well ahead of defending county champion Maggie Parrish in second at 19:38.7. Tampa Prep freshman Josie Garba took third in 19:50.2 and won the county title for private schools.

"Maggie definitely pushed the pace in that first mile," Hertenstein said. "I'm glad to be staying under 19 minutes and hope to under 18 minutes getting closer to states."

The team battle was beyond the first few placers but started right away. Wharton's Alisha Deschenes took fourth in 20:06.7 in front of Academy of the Holy Names' Greta Dieck (20:09.7), then in sixth was Rania Samhouri of Wharton (20:11.8).

"Those two (Deschenes and Samhouri) really help us," Wharton coach Anthony Triana said. "Marin James was also a big key (in the win)."

The Wharton girls prevailed with 44. The Plant girls led by Laura Jones (7th - 20:14.7) took second with 71 and Newsome led by Maria Somrah (9th - 20:21.7) was third with 71.

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