Terriers, Guervil, Hargrove, Gear Bust Out Brooms at 3A Region 3

FLORIDA T&F 2017: ROAD TO STATE
Andy Warrener


(The girls 200m dash was one of the best races of the day with Gaither's LaSarah Hargrove winning in 23.68 with Hillsborough senior Savyon Toombs right behind her in 23.71.)

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As the state series climbs the ladder heading to Bradenton IMG Academy, sweeps become increasingly more rare. That was not the case at the Class 3A Region 3 meet at Clearwater High. The Hillsborough Terriers swept up both team titles. Fort Myers' Widchard Guervil swept the 100m, 200m and anchored the winning 4x100m relay. Gaither's LaSarah Hargrove swept the girls 100m and 200m and Fort Myers' Kristlin Gear won the distance trifecta.


The Terrier boys, county and district champs had a sense of what they were capable of after winning the county title for the third time in five years. 

"After we had that good outing at county, we coaches got together and decided we have a shot to do some things. We cruched the numbers and knew we had a shot at districts and regionals," Terrier boys coach Joe Sipp said. "We showed the team how good they could be and since county, we've been working our butts off to get to this point."

The Terrier boys towered with 105.5. Runner up Fort Myers tallied 77. USF football signee Duran Bell led the way for the Terriers, taking third in the 100m finals (10.62*), second in the 200m finals (21.35*) and won his siganture event, the 400m in 47.87, now the sixth-best time in Class 3A. Bell runs very calmly and smooth, almost looking like he is not exerting fully.


"The more tense you are in a race, the harder it is," Bell said. "The key is to be smooth, relaxed and don't panic."

Teammate Charlie Thomas broke through to states in both the 110m hurdles (14.27*) for third and fourth in the 300m hurdles (38.58). Junior Charley took second in high jump (6-0.75), Kenric Montgomery and Tyrese Spain took second and third, respectively in the triple jump and the 4x100m relay took second. Thomas anchored the winning 4x400m relay (3:18.11) that now stands as the fifth fastest time in 3A this season. It marked the Terrier boys' first regional title since 2012 when they had state triple jump record holder Jeremiah Green and current Dallas Cowboy defensive back Anthony Brown.


On the girls side, the Terriers went heavy in the hurdles and middle distance. Senior Savyon Toombs won the 400m final in 55.32, sliding into the #4 spot in 3A. Teammate Jamia Hickman took second (57.20). Toombs also took second in the 200m final (23.71) and helped push the 4x400m relay to a win in 3:55.64, more than eight seconds ahead of runner up Venice. That time is just off their 3A #5 time of 3:55.03. Alexis Woodall grabbed third in the 100m hurdle finals and Kailiece Harris took second in the 300m hurdles. J'Nai Taylor took third in the long jump (18-7). Asia Mosley and Serena Jonas qualified in the throws with Jonas fourth in disc and Mosley third in shot. Janay Shuler took second in triple jump. 

"We knew we could do it (win the regional title) if everyone performed at their best, most of them PR'ed today and so we won it," Terrier girls coach Jean Wiser said. "I'm so proud of them."


The Terrier girls prevailed with 102 points. Fort Myers was runner up with 69 and East Lake was a close third with 67. Charlotte took fourth at 60. It's important to note that Hillsborough girls did it without two of their elite athletes. Sophomore Ani Wells re-aggravated an injury in long jump and settled for fifth but it took her out of the running finals where she could have scored even more. Danessha Davidson, who was sixth at last year's state meet in triple jump, has elected not to compete in the state series this year with a ride to UCF already locked up. 

Individually, no one had a bigger day than Fort Myers' Kristlin Gear...or maybe Fort Myers' Widchard Guervil...or maybe Gaither's LaSarah Hargrove. 

Gear kicked off the day by anchoring the 4x800m relay that swamped the competition with a 9:34.86, now the sixth-best time in 3A. She came back to run the 1600m and there she met East Lake's Jen Lima, who won the distance trifecta at districts. Into the third lap, Lima moved in front and put a few strides between her and Gear as the pair separated from the rest of the field. In the final lap, Gear's teammate Fiona Kurland moved into the picture. Lima turned it up, hitting the final turn and Gear went with her as Kurland started to fade. Down the home stretch, Gear just got in front of Lima and won it in 5:03.68 with Lima in at 5:04.41.


An even closer battle between the two went down in the 800m final with Gear kicking it in two-tenths of a second in front of Lima 2:16.50 to 2:16.70. It was Gear and Lima again in the 3200m with King's Micaela Torres hanging with them for much of the race. Gear took it in 11:07.84.

"I remember last year, at regionals, I was hoping to run for place but she (Lima) wanted to push the pace," Gear said. "I knew if she wanted to run a fast race today, I was going to run with her."

Gear's teammate Guervil was dominant in a field of strong sprinters on Friday. Guervil went a blistering 10.49* to win the 100m finals with a 2.3mph wind at his back. The top six times were all sub-11. Guervil came flying through the line on the anchor leg of the 4x100m relay in 41.33 for a season best and a 3A #2 time. Josias Jean, Voldrick Dorelien and Jonathan Cassamajor ran on the relay. The 200m is Guervil's favorite event and he just destroyed the final in 21.39 but with a 3.5mph wind pushing him. It's still an eye-popping time for the senior.


"Last year, I pulled both my quad and hamstring at regionals and I missed the 200 final," Guervil said. "The 200 is my race, I work hard on that race."

Hargrove was sensational on Friday but she had some stout competition driving her. Hargrove ran an 11.66* in the prelims with South Fort Myers' Milrege Castor going 11.67* but both with heavy tailwinds. Nevertheless, it was destined to be a sizzling final and the wind relented just long enough for Hargrove to set down a wind-legal 11.67 to move into the #2 spot in 3A. Hargrove took it home with a 23.68 to win the 200m final and take over the #2 spot in that event as well. 


Hargrove's teammate Alessa Sandusky, who recently signed with FAU, swept the hurldes, going 14.25* with East Lake's Kaitlyn Kirby in second at 14.32. Sandusky came back and won the 300m hurdle final in 45.52, just ahead of Charlotte's Britney Augustin (45.77).

"LaSarah (Hargrove) is so much like me, we both want to improve so bad," Sandusky said. "We're both dedicated and there's more positive energy around the team."


The positive energy was infectiuos with the Cowboys as pole vaulter Carter Palasti cleared 15-0 to win the regional title. Male hurdler Trey Jackson shattered his personal record and went 38.28 to take second in the 300m hurdles behind a 38.04 from South Fort Myers' Athiery Leontes. 

The girls long jump was one of the better events of the day with Kirby going a personal best 5.81m (19-0.75) on her very last attempt. Armwood's Makayla Williams hit a personal best 18-8.5 on her last jump to take second. Williams actually took the lead on her final jump but Kirby's 19-0.75 supplanted it. Kirby also came through to win the high jump (5-1.75). Tied with Charlotte's LaTisha Pereira at that height, Kirby won it on scratches. 

"Last week, at districts, I almost cleared 5-6 and got second. I was extremely upset but I told myself I was going to be region champ in high jump and long jump," Kirby said.


Host Clearwater's Sean Heera made a big move on the back stretch of the final lap of the 1600m to win it in 4:18.78. Heera loves to sit and close and looked poised to do it in the 800m final as well. Leto's Dalton Morley got out in front and led through the first lap-and-a-half. Heera turned it up into the last turn but Morley held him off. Heera challenged again on the home stretch and a photo finish revealed Morley had held for a 1:54.67, now the fourth-best time in 3A this season.


"I saw his (Heera's) shadow behind me but I really wanted my first regional title," Morley said. 

Boca Ciega's Hannah Andrews continues to rise to the occasion, she won the triple jump at 39-5.75 and took fourth in the triple jump.


Fort Myers' Jacob Lemmon went a massive 153-6 to win discus with Northeast's Bethal Miles going personal best 152-7 to take second. Riverdale's Nick Viola went 50-10.25 to win shot. Charlotte's Natalie Jen cleared 11-5 to set the third-best mark in 3A and break her personal record by five inches. Teammate D'Vonte Price ran a 14.09* with the wind to clip Leontes (14.11*) to win the 110m hurdle finals. Deon Morgan of Armwood went 22-3 to win boys long jump. 

* = wind aided time

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