Class A State Track: Farragut Boys, Oak Hall Girls Take Team Honors

Some of the smallest schools made some of the biggest waves at the 2016 FHSAA state track meet at IMG Academy over the weekend. The Admiral Farragut boys and Oak Hall girls took home team titles. Farragut boys, after the girls team won the 2015 state meet, made it their first team title in the school's 85-year history. Much of that can be attributed to the exploits of sprinter Alex Gray. 

"Alex put this team on his back and carried us to this victory," Farragut coach Arron Prather said. 

Gray was instrumental to say the least.

He won the 100m final in 11.12 into a 3.1 negative wind factor. He ran a 21.78 to win the 200m final. Gray teamed up with Alex Oi, O'Shon Allen and Craig Watts to take third in the 4x100m relay. Then Gray came back for the 4x400m final with the team title on the line.

"We talked about it (winning the team title), it was a chance to make school history," Prather said. "I told them, 'Just don't let First Academy or Maclay beat you.'" 

After the 1600m final, Farragut was in the lead in Class A with 34.5 points. First Academy trailed by just half a point. Maclay was back in fifth at 27 but both had 4x400m relays that stood poised to unseat Farragut. The relay of Gray, Oi, Watts and Zack Fine were not about to let that happen, even challenging the winning 4x4 relay from South Florida Heat for a time. The Farragut relay wound up taking third but that added a big six points to their team total and First Academy drifted back into 11th and Maclay 13th. The BlueJackets won it with 40.50. First Academy took second but wound up in a tie with Shorecrest at 34, for second place. 

Shorecrest vaulted into second place thanks to a huge weekend from Luke Peterson. Of Shorecrest's 34 points, Peterson contributed 20 and had a hand in 30 of them. Peterson had to battle with a very tough Patrick Sastre of Westminster Academy through most of the race. Finally, Peterson made his move on the final turn and got enough space to win the race in 1:56.76. Sastre was right behind him at 1:57.52 and Jackson Neri of Bishop Snyder was a close third at 1:57.71.

"That hurt, the last 100 meters, that was not fun," Peterson said. "I figured this was my last 800 of the season, I'd better give it my all."

Peterson's mark was just off his PR but it came just a week after being so sick he had to back out of both the 3200m and the 4x800m relay at regionals. The 4X8 relay at regionals had two subs on it but still managed to qualify in third. 

"We had to go to his (Devin Fabian) house and wake him up but he ran his race and got it done. We moved on," Justin Scoby said. 

For the state meet, Scoby, Peterson, Josh Miles and Casey Cureton lined up and ran an 8:20.11. Then they waited and watched the fast heat.

"I was standing on the bleachers, watching the time when I saw Maclay's 8:21, then I saw everyone else freaking out," Cureton said. 

Peterson capped Saturday in the 1600m final in a tight race with Seffner Christian's Noah Perkins and The Pine School's Chase Hyland. None could separate much from the other but as Peterson moved in front with less than 200 meters to go, he wasn't sure he'd hold it.

"Honestly, over those last 25 meters, I was waiting for someone to pass me, my legs were dead," Peterson said. 

But Peterson held on for a 4:31.06, Hyland was second in 4:31.16 and Perkins third at 4:31.82. Perkins would go on to capture his signature event, the 3200m in 9:28.59, 15 seconds ahead of the field. 

Farragut female athletes without four-event winner Brittany McGee, claimed third with 51 and got great contributions from horizontal jumper Katie Barnett and sprinter Jazmine Alderman. Barnett won the triple jump at 37-9.5, battling through a stress fracture in her foot and then took second in the long jump (18-3.5). Alderman took third in the 100m final (12.72) and second in the 200m final (25.49).  

On the girls side, Oak Hall led off the winning 4x800m relay (9:39.75). Grace Blair took second in the 1600m (5:12.34) and third in the 800m (2:17.90). Jalesia Tillman won the 100m final in 12.36 with seventh-grader Sarah Walkes in second at 12.72. Nadia Evans took second in triple jump (36-0). Hailey Blaser won the 300m hurdles in 43.95. Ayanna Rollins won the 200m final in 25.45.

The Oak Hall 4x400m of Rollins, Blair, Evans and Blaser capped the meet with a win in 4:01.35 and stacked up their 93 points for the team title.

Calvary Christian's Hannah Brookover might have had the biggest weekend of any individual athlete in Class A. Brookover had the 800m in her sights on Friday until eighth-grader Sierra Oliveira got in the way and just beat her to the tape in 2:15.51. Oliveira's twin sister Moriah won the 400m final in 57.10. 

Brookover finished in a personal record 2:15.74. Brookover was not going to let it be close in the 3200m final on Friday night. She got out in front by the first lap and never relinquished the lead, cruising to a 10:55.86, more than 25 seconds ahead of the field. Finally, Brookover laced up for Saturday's 1600m final. 

In the 1600m final, Brookover got a challenge from Shorecrest's Olivia Rovin and Oak Hall's Blair but by the back stretch of the final lap, Brookover had put more than 20 meters between herself and the next competitor. Brookover won it in 5:06.66 with Blair in second at 5:12.34. 

"I'm pretty excited, the 1600 meter time wasn't what I'd hoped for but sometimes these races are more tactical," Brookover said. 

Brookover will hit the summer track circuit one last time before she laces up to run for UF in the fall. Brook over's teammate Morgan Brown captured the pole vault title, clearing 11-0. 

Stephanie Paul of Community School of Naples swept the throws for the second year in a row. First, she went 150-9 to win the discus and then 40-4 to win shot. 

"Today was my day," Paul said. "I told my coach I was going got throw 150 today."

Paul's 150-9 was a new personal record.

Jacob Irving of Sneads won boys long jump at 23-7.75 and took second behind Gregory Mathieu of St. John Neumann (46-4.5) in triple jump. 

First Academy's Allen Wiggins won boys shot at 56-7. Dade Christian's Milton Ingraham won shot at 157-10. 

Holy Trinity's Giana Gayles won girls long jump at 19-0.75. Gayles is younger sister to Daryth and Gaby Gayles, Daryth a 2014 state long jump champ and Gaby a 400m champ, both now at Stanford. Gayles also won the 100m hurdles in 14.84.  

Bishop McLaughlin's Owen Clanahan won the 300m hurdles in 38.65.