Octavious Freeman steals the show
Not that it was a surprise to anyone, but the 2A State Championship was the Octavious Freeman show. Anyone who's paying attention knew it would be. There is something special and different about Octavious Freeman and I think I know what it is: she never fails to perform. Other top athletes in the state may have off-days occassionally, but Freeman it seems is always on.
She started the day with a long jump victory with a modest 18-4.5, but that was just her warmup act for her real events: the 100 meter dash and 200 meter dash!
Running into a -2.1 headwind, Freeman wasted no time bolting to the front of the pack. With the start she got, you'd never even know she didn't even use blocks! By the half way point she was at full acceleration and there was absolutely no doubt she had it wrapped up. She came through the line with more than half a second of padding over second place Brianna Frazier and a state meet record 11.39. (Editor's note: Despite what the announcer said the state record belongs to Chandra Cheesborough from 1976 Olympic Trials who ran an 11.13, which is also the national high school record. Freeman herself has run faster than 11.39 multiple times already. This is not to down play her time which is crazy fast and is a state meet record... just to clarify any confusion. FHSAA, in my opinion, needs to change their policy or at least terminology on "state records". Rant over.)
After the race, Octavious told me in an interview that she decided not to use blocks in the 100 meters (she did use them later in the 200) because they were not the kind of "rocket start" blocks that she was used to. She didn't feel they'd give her enough push back and so went without and still managed to get such a good start!
About an hour later, still into a negative wind, Freeman lit up the track and won the 200 meters by over a second. Her 23.52 tonight is her best on the year and her second faster ever (she ran a wind legal 23.20 last year at Nike Outdoor). It is also the fastest high school 200 meter time in the US this season.
True to her normal post-race persona, Freeman was pleased but not satisfied. Despite the three golds and a state meet record, she knows she has more in the tank and lameneted that she felt like she pulled up a bit before the finish of the 200. Freeman will be please with nothing less than perfection. And perhaps it's that attitude that will propell her to her Olympic dreams in 7 years (heck maybe 3!).
Freeman is not done racing yet and will most likely compete at Golden South (or possibly the new meet in Miami that same weekend... or both--one is Saturday and one is Sunday!) and then New Balance Outdoors. After that as far as any USATF or AAU meets she said she is going to play it by ear. Great job, Octavious!
Bishop Kenny 4x800, Colin Barker, Michael Wallace... Yeah, We Gotta Talk About It
Yeah. It's what everyone is thinking about. At least the distance fans in the crowd. Bishop Kenny is one of the most celebrated and most successful distance programs over the last decade. They've had so many stars and championships. And this year they have arguably the greatest two distance runners ever: Colin Barker and Michael Wallace. And they are both graduating this year and ready to leave their marks on the school record book.
Given the speed these two have, coupled with the great depth of Bishop Kenny's distance team, the school record of 7:51.18 seems incredibly vulnerable. And it was set as the primary goal going into this state meet. Let's do the math of theoretical splits: Wallace 1:55 + Hunter Hayes 1:58 + James Perez 1:56 + Barker 1:53 = 7:42. Even with anyone running off pace, that record is history. So here's what happened...
The check-in for the 4x800 is about an hour before the event, so the team of Wallace, Perez, Hayes, and Barker had checked-in. Soon before the race was to start Michael Wallace, who has been to see a pulminologist earlier in the season, started indicating his heart was fluttering or something was wrong. They pulled him aside to check on him and he tried to fight through it, but it was apparent that he was not going to be able to compete. Barker told me later that his teammate just got worse and got kind of out of it, seemingly dehydrated, and basically a loopy. Despite that fact that alternates are provided and specified to the FHSAA, they were told that the rules state that after check-in you can not change out legs. This would seemingly defeat the purpose of having alternates in the first place if you can't use them, but I guess those are the rules... so they were just out of luck.
Either just to get a race in or hoping for a miracle, Bishop Kenny started the race anyway. Wallace was to be their first, but they skipped his leg and ran their would-be 2 and 3 legs before stepping off. At the half-way point they were among the leaders with a 3:55 split. What would have happened without Wallace if they could sub? Matt Stukel is next in line and he is a consistent 2-flat runner. So with 3:55 plus a 2-flat, Barker could have easily closed in a 1:55--after all he ran a 4:10 1600 solo last week--and the school record would be history even without Wallace's leg. Of course, it didn't happen. But maybe we should look at changing that rule?
Bishop Kenny is thinking about trying to throw together another shot at a 4x800. Rumor has it this might possibly be thrown down at the All-Star Showdown at Holy Trinity in a few weeks. We'll see!
Beyond the school record though, the Crusaders had hopes of winning the state championship. Even with a completely healthy Wallace, it honestly would have been a huge long shot over Godby's dominance, but they would have surely taken second place in the meet. A black cloud decended over the the boys team and it didn't leave them all meet.
Even two gold medals didn't seem to cheer Colin Barker up any. He said after the meet in an interview, "I would have traded both of these golds (holding up his medals around his neck) for that one." And Perez and Hayes, who had both qualified for the fast heat in the open 800, seemed only half-heartedly in it... both finished outside of the medals. And--not to down play a win... a win's a win--sorry distance fans but even the two golds for Barker seemed a little hollow. While we anxiously anticipated the Barker-Montoya showdown in the 1600 meters and 3200 meters (Barker being fresh, remember) the races remained entirely tactical and Barker won in 4:18.09 and 9:24.85 to Montoya's 4:20.42 and 9:29.90. They both can run those times on auto-pilot.
So all in all it was a pretty depressing day for boys distance. Man... I feel bummed out now. Geez.
Bishop Kenny Girls 4x800.... YAY!
Okay, man, let's try to get out of that funk and talk about happy things for Bishop Kenny. Their girls distance!
Coming into the meet with a season best 9:31, the girls 4x800 team wallopped that time and closest competitor Bolles, by winning gold in 9:18.60. While that's not a school record, it's darn close (9:17.62 in 2007), and it is the #1 time in the state this year by 6 seconds.
Elizabeth Tucker took third in the Open 800 (2:15.67), Jaime Heekin was 5th in the 800 (5:17), and Sarah Davis took fourth in the 3200 (11:12).
Schappert Takes Down Sister Nicole's Record
Okay, my inner distance fan is still sad. This oughta help... Stephanie Schappert got the ultimate redemption tonight by winning two golds with fantastic times in the 1600 and 800. Redemption from what you say? Remember two years ago when some firey freshman in yellow fell down TWICE in one meet in the 1600 and 800? Yeah that was her. Two years ago, she left the state meet with tears streaming down her face. This year she was smiling from ear to ear.
The question is was she smiling more because she finally got her track gold medals? (she got two silvers last year) Or more because she beat her sister, Nicole Schappert's 1600 time? I'm thinking the latter. Big sister Nicole ran a 4:52.42 back in 2005. Stephanie killed her old PR of 4:57.87 to get under her sibling's mark with a 4:51.41, which is the second fastest time in the state this year and #5 in the US so far this season. Stephanie is still hoping to go under 4:50 this season and challenge the all-time state leaders for her place in history. Watch the girls 1600 race video.
After her 1600 victory, Stephanie hit another PR with a 2:10.81 800. That time is a new school record (besting the likes of Jackie Areson and Nicole Schappert) and makes her the fastest in the state this year and 7th in the nation.
Congratulations, Stephanie!
Jerimy Strainge
Man, that is a Strainge way to spell Jerimy. Sorry, I had to do it, I got it out of my system for the next four years.
North Broward Prep freshman Jerimy Strainge burst on to the scene this year and lived up to his high expectations going into this meet. He took the 100 and 200 meter titles with times of 10.66 and 21.38. It's impressive enough to sweet both sprints and those are pretty good looking times, but to win both and hit those times as a freshman... well that just might be a first. We'll try to confirm if a freshman has ever won both short sprints. Watch the 100 meter race video.
Congratulations, Jerimy! (and sorry for the bad joke)
Episcopal Girls Vaulters
Paige Shirley clears 11-6 for to win the pole vault, with Episcopal taking three of the top five slots in the event. Emily Smithwick was second with a 11-0 clearance. And after snapping her pole in half, Julia Rogers was 5th with a 10-0 vault. Coach Crandall is doing something right with them at Episcopal!
Brianna Frazier
It must be pretty frustrating to be stuck behind a legend like Octavious Freeman, but Frazier made the best of it. She had quite a night!
After winning the triple jump in 38-0.75 earlier in the day, she fought hard against Freeman and took silvers in the 100 and 200.
But in her signature event, the 400 meters, she really shined. She made up the stagger very early on in the back stretch and then from 200 on home she put the hammer down to win by a good 10 meters with a time of 53.64. That is just shy of a new PR for her (she ran 53.58 in 2008), it places her second in the state this year (to Robin Reynolds) and that time is the US #4.
Frazier too often get over-shadowed and doesn't get enough attention, but this girl is a phenom and has been been tearing up the track scene in Florida since middle school. We'll miss her next year. But what a group of 400 meter runners we have in Florida between Frazier, Reynolds, and Ebony Eutsey. It will be fun if we can get them all on a track against each other before Frazier and Eutsey graduate this year!
More Highlights
- Tevin Thompson of Yulee and Satrine Olivera of Dunbar battled it out in the discus with Thompson winning out by three inches: 139-5 to 139-2. That is the throw's equivalent of a photo finish! That is a new personal best for Thompson who now holds the #2 position in Florida, while Oliveria's 143-5 two weeks ago is the tops in the state rankings still.
- Austin Jefford made the crowd applaud with this historic wheelchair races, which were contested in the FHSAA State Finals for the first time ever this year.
- The second heat of the Boys 400 was just nuts. Winston De'Myco and Stephon Palmilton battled for the win and both leaned for it at the line. It certainly wasn't apparent who won to the naked eye. I headed over to look over the shoulder of FinishLynx extraordinaire Scott Peters to see the finish photo... and I still didn't know who won! On careful pixel-by-pixel review De'Myco got the knod by .01! 47.59 to 47.60. Those times are both top ten nationally.
- Brittany Jones of Rickards took the tape in the 300H with a time or 43.51, which is a new PR and the fourth fastest in the state in that event this year.
- Trinity Catholic boys were really amazing with their perfectly executed 4x100 relay that lead them to the top of the rankings in Florida with a time of 41.04. That is the 5th best time in the nation this year 12th best on our (admitedly incomplete) all-time list for Florida. Great job!
- Hallandale girls won the 4x100 in 47.22 which is the fourth fastest in the state this year.
- The final relay of the day the Boys 4x400 was pretty exciting also. Episcopal came from behind to beat Key West 3:17.89 to 3:18.91. Episcopal's time is #5 in the state.
- Olivia Fay of Pope John Paul had a nice cap to her senior year by going under 11 for the first time with a big 8 second PR of 10:59.25 and a state championship. In doing so, she also gave PJP the sweet of the girls individual distance events!
More Meet Coverage
- Meet Index Page (thousands of photos to be added Sunday, complete results posted)
- Race Videos and Video Interviews
- Previews: Girls Virtual Meet | Boys Virtual Meet (it was right! picked both team winners!)