Highlights of the FHSAA 4A State Championship

May 14, 2025

The 4A boys and girls races had some of the most anticipated matchups of the FHSAA State meet and some of the most exciting races of the two days. Here are a few, of the many, highlights from Saturday's 4A races, which were on a rolling schedule to get the meet in before expected storms in the afternoon and certainly was a challenge for all of the athletes that were running in multiple races.

Team Scores

Columbus

Mandarin

Flanagan

(Sorry, there were no team photos of the team champions as the awards were moved off the field after the rain delay.)

4A State Championship Highlights

Boys

The boys from Spanish River took the lead through the first exchange and demonstrated why they are one of the best distance programs in the state with a dominant win in the 4x800m. They won in a time of 7:43.40, with Christopher Columbus in second with a 7:53.36.

WATCH the Finish of the Boys 4x800m

Kahiem Carby of Plant City came into the State 4A finals with the third fastest time in the state. The state leader all season was Sickles senior Jabari Armstrong. Number two was Dwyer senior Presten Augustin. On the big stage in the finals, Carby came out on top with all three boys running under 14.00. Carby won in 13.75, Armstrong was second in 13.82, and Augustin was third in 13.84.

WATCH the 4A Boys 110mH Heat 2

Windermere senior Christopher Bronaugh has been at the top of the 100m state rankings all season. He took the 4A boys 100m in 10.34, just .1 seconds off of his state leading time. Second went to Mandarin's Jaylen Lewis in 10.41 and third to Flanagan sophomore Jacob Thomas in 10.52.

WATCH the 4A Boys 100m Heat 2

In the 4A boys' 1600m, senior Levi Lee of Poinciana held off a fast-charging Parker Banzhaf of Vero Beach to win in 4:14.93. Banzhaf ran 4:15.34. Third went to Davis Garrett of Buchholz who held on to finish in 4:17.61

WATCH the final 400m of the 4A boys' 1600m

The boys from Christopher Columbus held off the boys from Flanagan to win the 4a Boys' 4x100m by .35 seconds. Columbus won in 40.45. Flanagan ran 40.70.

Senior Jozef Miesak of Windermere is one of two boys in the state that have gone under 47.00 this season. He has been second to Miami Northwestern senior Tywan Cox of Miami Northwestern in the state rankings. He won the 4A boys' 400m in 46.68. Cox won the 3A boys' 400m in 46.96.Miesak led three others to sub-48 performances. Nazario Gumbs of Evans ran 47.49, Jaden Gardner of Winter Park went 47.54 and, Wilfred Coicou of Palm Beach Gardens ran 47.74.

WATCH the 4A Boys 400m Heat 2

Tyon Reed of Treasure Coast and Jonathan Carter of Flanagan had one of the closest finishes of the day in the boys' 400mH. Reed won by just .01 seconds in 51.69 to Carters's 51.70.

WATCH the Boy's 400mH Heat 2

Another close race with an exciting finish was the boys 800m,' where Mandarin's Connor Freeland held off Ocoee's Devin Matthews down the final 100m to take the win in 1:53.66. Matthews ran 1:53.91.

WATCH the 4A Boys 800m

Mandarin's Jaylen Lewis hung on in the boys' 200m in another great finish. Lewis won in 20.59. Second went to Creekside's Josh Howell in 20.92 and third to Jayden McPherson of Viera in 20.96.

WATCH the 4A Boy's 200m Heat 2

Bayside Jr. Nickiah Wilkinson went 2.14m 0 7' 0.25" to win the 4A boys' high jump. Wilkinson is the Florida record holder in the event with a leap of 2.27m - 7' 5.25" back in March of this year. It puts him at US #4 all-time. (Sorry no photo from State meet)

Flagler Palm Coast's senior Colby Cronk defended his 4A shot put title with a toss of 19.00m - 62' 4". Second went to St. Thomas Aquinas junior Christien Moreau with a throw of 18.41m - 60' 4.25". Cronk was also second in the discus with a throw of 54.45m - 178' 7". (Sorry no photo from State meet)

Girls

Team Scores

Spruce Creek

49.50

St. Thomas Aquinas

George Jenkins

(Sorry, there were no team photos of the team champions as the awards were moved off the field after the rain delay.)

The 4A girls 4x800m Relay started the day off and was an anticipated early matchup of the Roy twins and the Johnson sisters, four of the best girls distance runners in the state. The Creekside girls, led by junior Alyson Johnson and freshman Sydney Johnson, with junior Sarah Rose anchoring, won the 4A girls 4x800m relay in a time of 9:11.62. Spruce Creek, with seniors Mackenzie Roy and Arianna Roy, finished in second with a 9:28.00. This was to be just the start of an unusual day in the 4A girls distance world.

Senior Chelsi Williams of George Jenkins went undefeated on the year and became a three-time 4A 100mH state champion. Williams won 100mH in 13.38. Sickles freshman Nia Armstrong was second in 13.91. and would place second in the 400mH as well with a time of 59.79. Williams went on later in the day and won the Long Jump with a leap of 6.17m - 20' 3" and the Triple Jump with a jump of 12.51m - 41' 0.5", becoming a three-time state champion in each event. Williams was having an incredible senior year at the state meet and unfortunately false-started in the 400mH, where she could have possibly picked up her fourth gold of the day. Congratulations to an incredible young lady!

WATCH the 4A Girls 100mH Heat 2

Largo junior Laiana McClinton had a big day, winning the 100m and the 200m. She took the 100m with a time of 11.75 and the 200m with a time of 23.67. Winter Haven's Desirae Murray and Oakleaf's Rayna Lawson were in a virtual tie for second and third in 11.96. Murray got the win by .002 seconds. 11.954 for Murray and 11.956 for Lawson.

WATCH the 4a Girls 100m Heat 2

The 4A girls' 1600m was one of the most highly anticipated events of the two days. It featured the number one girl in the state this year, Mackenzie Roy, of Spruce Creek, and Creekside junior Alyson Johnson, the two-time defending 4A 1600m and 3200m champion. The race was won by Mackenzie Roy in 4:49.18 as she held off a determined Avery Chatman of East Lake, who was second in 4:50.18. Five girls would finish under 5:00, including Arianna Roy of Spruce Creek with a 4:55.86, Addison Elwell of Viera with a 4:57.53, and Atarah Robinson of Venice with a 4:59.11.Alyson Johnson finished in 11th place with a 5:10.79. Her sister Sydney was DQ'd after walking off the track at the end of the first 400. FHSAA Rule 4.14.2.3.4 (g) was applied for her DQ.

"(g) Honest Effort Rule. Contestants that DNS (Did Not Start) or DNF (Did Not Finish) without a note from a medical professional or ATC (Certified Athletic Trainer) in any event will be disqualified from further competition in the Florida High School State Championship Finals. This rule does not apply to a relay that drops a baton and does not finish."

WATCH the 4A Girls 1600m

Vero Beach Taylor-Nicole Overton took the 4A girls' 400m in a time of 53.19. She was second in the 200m with a 23.99 and 10th in the 100m with a 12.22.

The girls' 400mH was a very competitive race that saw first and second dip under 1:00. Alondra Rodriquez of Cypress Creek won with a 58.98 and Nia Armstrong of Sickles was second in 59.79. Chelsi Williams of George Jenkins, one of the favorites to win, false started.

WATCH the 4A Girls 400mH

The girls' 800m featured another close finish between East Lake's Avery Chatman, who was second in the 1600m, and the defending 4A champion Sarah Rose of Creekside. Junior Avery Chatman took the narrow win in 2:14.47 with Rose running 2:14.71.

WATCH the 4A Girls 800m

The 4A girls' 3200 features one of the best finishing 400's of the day and perhaps the best kick of the two days. The Johnson sisters were no shows at the line, but the race was fast with Mackenzie Roy of Spruce Creek and Addison Elwell of Viera breaking away from the field and running virtually side by side for the final 1200m. On the final lap, Elwell challenged Roy twice with Roy responding both times and not letting her pass. Roy pulled away with 200m left and it looked like the race was over, but Elwell had one last charge and nipped Roy at the finish, winning by .002 seconds. Elwell won in 10:34.70 (10:34.695) and Roy was second in 10:34.70 (10:34.697).

WATCH the final 400m of the 4A Girls 3200m