Warriors Sweep Team, Wildcats Sweep Indis in Brutal 4A District 6

Florida XC 2016: The Road To State Series
Andy Warrener


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Having already asserted themselves at the Hillsborough County meet a week ago and all but one meet they competed in this season, the Steinbrenner Warriors swept both boys and girls titles at Al Lopez Park in Tampa.

The girls went off first and right off the bat Wharton's Rania Samhouri pushed to the front. She had company right off the bat as Steinbrenner's Alexandra Perri kept right on her heels for the first mile, with teammates Brooke Santiesteban and Alexandra Strauman taking up third and fourth. Coming back through the starting area, nearing 1.5 miles, Santiesteban pulled even with Samhouri and Perri. Crossing the two-mile mark, Samhouri put four strides between her and Santiesteban as Perri dropped back into a battle for third with Plant's Nadia Stratton. Coming around the last curve, hitting three miles, Samhouri was in control and won it in 19:09.52.


Santiesteban grabbed the runner up spot in 19:18.40, Stratton held off Perri and teammate Laura Jones got in front of her to take fourth in 19:26.40. Perry settled into fifth, Straumann sixth and Lydia Friedman seventh but a small crack in the window opened for Plant as Gillian Minnehan took eighth. Number five runner for Steinbrenner Brieanna Rekow slammed that closed as she cut the tape in 20:09.90, while running out of gas and nearly breaking down before the finish. 


It was plenty enough for the Warriors to take the title 29-41 over Plant. Wharton grabbed the final team qualifying spot with 64.

"That just shows how tough she (Rekow) is," Warrior coach Ladd Baldwin said. "There's a lot of pressure on a number five runner. With our team, it's not so much about who's leading, it's about getting that number five runner into a good spot."


Wiregrass Ranch's Julia Blankenbaker grabbed 13th, making her the lone Wiregrass runner to qualify for regionals and kept coach Don Howard's 13-year streak of taking a runner to regionals intact. 

The boys race set off next and it was dominated by Wharton's Nehemiah Rivers most of the way. Rivers was out to a formidable lead with Plant's Walker Thomas keeping him in sight. Steinbrenner's Davis Bly pulled up third, leading a pack of Warrior runners. The second loop around Al Lopez Park, crossing the two-mile threshold, Rivers was still in control but Walker had closed on him and was finally in striking distance. 

"I almost had the hock of the week," Thomas said. "He just out-kicked me in the end, it was very close."


Close indeed as Rivers came in at 16:41.80, holding off a charge from Walker, who finished in 16:43.20. 

"He Rivers had a great club track season over the summer and it's carried over into this season," Wildcat boys coach Kyle LoJacono said. "He's always pushing, shows up, does a great job and never complains."

Next up, Bly and teammate Tyler Johannes came in for the Warriors. Freshman Casey Pleune of Wharton grabbed eighth and the team title was up for grabs but Sahil Deschenes, Zachary Whitmer and Hector Quinones helped the Warriors just out-pace the Wildcats 51-53. Also qualifying were the Wiregrass boys with 79, led by Kevin Jaquez, Joseph Salerno (sixth and seventh). 


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