Watch the fastest high school boys races from the 2023 Jimmy Carnes Indoor Invitational from this past weekend at the Alachua County Sports Center in Gainesville, Florida.
17-18 Year Old Boys 3000m Run - Emerson Miller (Buchholz) 8:32.73
A deep boys 3K race saw two seniors in Buchholz's Emerson Miller and Cambridge Christian's Braxton Legg push each other to the line to produce times that convert to sub 9:10 for 3200 meters with Miller winning by passing this fall's 1A state cross country winner Legg in the final strides with a US #5 performance of 8:32.73 for the win. Legg was a close second with a US #6 time of 8:33.03.
17-18 Year Old Boys 200m Dash - Valentino Rudolph (Lake Minneola) 21.70
After running 21.09 last spring in the 200 meter dash outdoors, Lake Minneola senior Valentino Rudolph showed that he can run fast and in the 21's in his first indoor meet ever this weekend by clocking a US #11 21.70 victory in the final race of the entire meet at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational for the finals of the 17-18 year old boys 200 meter dash. Earlier in the meet on Saturday, Rudolph finished a close second place in the 60 meter dash finals at 6.98.
17-18 Year Old Boys 400m Dash - Rickey Williams (Camden County GA) 48.49
Rickey Williams crossed the border over from Georgia (Camden County) to get out fast in the top section of the boys 400 at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational with the lead at the break line following a two turn stagger. He continued to pour it on to running only a few tenths off his outdoor best of 48.19 with his 48.49 victory tying him for the fourth fastest time overall in the country so far this indoor season.
17-18 Year Old Boys 800m Run - Eddie Kepran (Arnold) 1:55.34
After running 1:55 for 800 meters as a sophomore outdoors in 2021 but then failing to improve upon that time as a junior in 2022 after a disappointing season ended after the FSU Relays last March (possible injury?), Arnold senior Eddie Kepran certainly reintroduced himself to the state's track & field community in a thunderous way on Sunday. Kepran ripped the last 300 meters of the fast section from the 17-18 year old boys 800 to drop the field for a 1:55.34 win that was just off his 1:55.31 outdoor best in the event.
17-18 Year Old Boys Mile Run - Miguel Pantojas (Hagerty) 4:18.64
The future University of Florida Gator did not have all the top seeds in the race with him as several scratched to focus on Sunday races between the 3K and the 800, but that did not stop Miguel Pantojas from still rolling to a sub 4:20 effort in the mile on Saturday at the Jimmy Carnes Invitational. The sub 1:50 half miler from Hagerty High School, Pantojas still had to shake competition from Diego Mendez of Puerto Rico (ironically Pantojas grew up in Puerto Rico before his family moved to Florida) as the race runner-up in 4:20 and FSU commit Devin Makousky of Rockledge in third place at 4:26, but never relinquished control of the lead. The winning time of 4:18.64 ranks him 15th fastest in the nation currently.
17-18 Year Old Boys 60m Dash - Andrew Styles (Bahamas) 6.94
Andrew Styles, a high school senior traveling from the Bahamas, took home gold back to the islands from Florida winning the last race on Saturday night in the 17-18 year old boys 60 meter dash finals with a 6.94 victory. Styles was able to hold off a challenge by Valentino Rudolph from the inside lanes and improve upon his 7.07 performance in the prelims.
17-18 Year Old Boys 60m Hurdles - Jabari Armstrong (Gaither) 8.35
Jabari Armstrong, a sophomore at Gaither High School in Tampa, got his feet wet with indoor track last month with a runner-up finish at the Galleria Games in Birmingham, Alabama last month in a 8.60 clocking in the 60 meter hurdles. He dropped his performance in the 60 meter hurdles even more in Gainesville on Saturday morning besting the fast section field for the 17-18 year old boys in the 60 meter hurdles with a 8.35 clocking. An All-State finisher in 3A as a freshmen last spring, Armstrong went onto win AAU Club and AAU Junior Olympic national titles for his age group in the 110 meter hurdles last summer including a 14.37 personal best to end his summer racing.
