Five Star Conference Results & Coverage
Photo Album by Ralph Epifanio (469 Photos)
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BOYS
The Red Blur
According to one source, barracudas are “voracious, opportunistic predators relying on surprise and short bursts of speed to overtake their prey.” And that pretty much described the two NSB sprinters who (combined) won all three of the finals they entered, and snapped the first six points right out of the FPC Bulldogs’ jaws.
James Clark, with the fifth best time in the prelims (11.25), was, nonetheless, the defending 5 Star Freshman-Sophomore Champion in the 100 (11.01), 200 (22.19) and 400 (52.32). In the last yards of this 5 Star 100, Clark (whose name reminds one of another “red blur,” as seen on Smallville) used his super speed to zip past Anthony Gayle of Pine Ridge and win by the thinnest of margins. How thin, you ask? As thin as the “J” on the results sheet, which will stand as a metaphor for a fish scale. (Both Clark and Gayle were timed in 10.96.) Thus, James added his fourth 5 Star title of the track season, and ten points to NSB’s score, taking at least some of them from FPC. (Conspicuous in his absence was FPC’s Tyler Cue, whose season best was 10.66 at the UNF Spring Break Meet.)
In the 200, Raheem Mostert (22.23) was barely a tenth of a second ahead of FPC’s Gilbert Absolu (22.35) as they crossed the finish line. Again absent—with his pre-season, national best 20.01--was Tyler Cue. More points denied the conference sprint powerhouse.
In the 300 hurdles, Mostert went into the finals with the best time (39.24), and drew lane 4. FPC’s Bentlee Critcher (41.32) and Kadeem Williams (41.66) drew lanes 5 and 3, respectively. Woe was the fate of Williams. He was somehow tripped up, and went down in a heap. Mostert (39.60) and Critcher (41.44) escaped the calamity unfolding beside them. Spruce Creek’s Terry McMillan (lane 6; fourth in 42.61) and Sammie Cooper (lane 2; fifth in 43.27) may have been distracted just enough in side-stepping Kadeem to slow down, allowing Orange City’s Chase Pierson—holding to his relative time, but moving up four places from his prelims position--to slip by for third (42.29). FPC, seeded second and third (a possible 14 points) scored 9.
De Land’s Dynamic Duo Double
In track, there are good days, better days, and days that you wish could go on forever. A case in point would be two athletes on opposite ends of their high school careers--freshman Keneth Pineira and senior Jimel Wright.
Picking up where he left off at the Freshman-Sophomore meet three weeks earlier--two races (1600 and 3200), two PRs (4:37.14 and 10:13.24), and two wins,—at the “grown-up” version of 5 Star, Pineira demolished the best distance runners, in a conference known for distance runners, to win both the 1600 and the 3200. Has a freshman ever done that before?
Admittedly, though, after the 1600 (in yet another PR; 4:25.37), he was not quite as enthusiastic about setting a personal best in his final race of a long day.
“I’m pretty tired,” he said, in his characteristic, lop-sided grin.
Undaunted, he went out with his usual gusto, and won the 3200 in 10:02.07, his second fastest of the year. (He won the March 25th Deltona Invitational in 9:54.11)
“How did your strategy for today’s races differ?” I asked.
“In the 1600 I had to run faster for a shorter distance.”
Right to the point, like the 20 he won for DeLand, snatching a bunch away from FPC’s Ali Sayed, who also doubled; 4:32.33 (second) in the 1600, and 10:19.82 (fourth) in the 3200. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there on the track. (Both schools’ mascots are the bulldog.)
Jimel Wright--weight lifter, long jumper, triple jumper, and sprinter—had a similar, near-perfect day. He won the long jump (22’1/2”), triple jump (a 44’1-1/2” PR), and finished 6th in the 300 hurdles. (He had a 42.37 PR in the prelims, but after finishing in the same spot in a 43.88 finals, he pretty much duplicated his hard, rolling, LJ landing). And, as luck would have it, at least the state finals in weight lifting—he qualified in the 139 pound weight class--isn’t until the following Friday.
“Last year, it was on the same day, so I had to go from one place to the other,” he explained.
On the other hand, there was FPC’s Chris Stubbs to contend with in the long jump.
“He kind of surprised me, because he said that he hasn’t jumped since last year.”
Stubbs leaped 22’ ½”--a personal best—which took second place, and in the process “inspiring” Wright to jump his season best in order to win. Both the event, and ten points, went to DeLand. (20 counting the TJ.)
“He surprised me with a 22, but I knew I could do better. I wasn’t worried.”
That was probably because Jimel’s all-time longest jump was 23’ ¼”, which he set at the 4A Region 1 Meet, on April 28, 2010.
Expect the Unexpected
Although Flagler’s 2011 best in the 4 X 800 was pretty far off its school record (7:46.57, set by Brandon Earle, Reggie Woods, Willie Williams, and CJ Lockhart at the 4/3/09 Florida Relays), this year’s 8:22.80 (Chris Stubbs, Yeovanti Williams, Ali Sayed and Bentlee Critcher at the March 25th FSU Relays) is still the best in this neck of the woods. Maybe because it was still tough to beat, Spruce Creek coach Stephon Gallon saved his best 800 runners for the individual distance races.
“I thought we’d get third or fourth,” he explained. “We threw it—the team—together.”
But Spruce Creek’s combination of Sammie Cooper III (2:04), Michael Fabian (2:09), Daniel Rippeon (2:09) and James Armor (2:04) surprised even themselves, winning the 4 X 8 in 8:28.62.
“Like a box of chocolate,” laughed Gallon, in reference to Forrest Gump, “you never know what you’ve got.”
I do; another ten-pointer denied FPC, which was five seconds back (8:33.86).
Never Say Die
Of course, for FPC the day was not without its successes (and there are still days left in the 2011 season). Yeovanti Williams won the 400 (49.38; not far off his 49.13 PR set at the March 25th FSU Relays). He placed second in the 800 (2:03.80; .12 behind winner Andrew Carpenter—2:03.68—of Spruce Creek), and set a 43’ PR (for second) in the triple jump. In all, he scored 26 points for his team.
Corey Soard lived up to his name, first tying, and subsequently setting, the Flagler school record in the pole vault.
“The school record was 13’ 6”,” he told me. “I jumped 13’7” to get it, and then moved to 14’ on my third attempt. My last three attempts were at 14’3”.”
From there, he went on to the high jump.
“It’s kind of hard to run back and forth, because your mind is in two places. I was more concerned with the pole vault.”
Still, he managed to clear 5’10”, his second best of the season, and good enough for fourth place. The event was won by teammate Marius Austinskas, who cleared 6’4”.
Cory also long jumped 20’6” (a PR), finishing fifth. He scored 19 individual points.
Team Championship
“It was like the Ali-Frazier fight,” said an emotional Spruce Creek coach, Craig Janson. “That was how I described it all week. Two incredible, talented programs went toe to toe, trading punches for 17 events.”
Janson’s reaction is understandable. As far as anyone present could remember, this was SC’s first Boys’ Championship in over 20 years.
“The last time SC won the Conference Championship was in 1988 or 1989,” said Earl Jackson, retired Mainland coach, who sat sentinel during the eight hour classic. “I was there for 27 years before I retired in 2008. Before that, I was Wagner’s assistant coach for two years at SC.
“I have to take my hat off to the kids. There were some incredible doubles, doubles you never heard of, such as Raheem Mostert of New Smyrna Beach, winning the 200 and 300 hurdles.”
Coach Janson, Boys Head Coach at Creek, was awarded the 5 Star Coach of the Year award.
The point totals were Spruce Creek 193, Flagler 172, and Deland 92.
Girls
Of course, no one could predict that the lead would hold up, so on went the meet, and victories—big and small—were there for the taking.
Take, for example that one-girl team, Megan Tse. Had she not been limited by competition rules to three running events, she might have finished second herself. Opening up with the 100 hurdles, the Spruce Creek sophomore ran first in that (a 16.17 PR); second in the 100, which immediately followed (12.92); finishing with a third in the 300 hurdles (49.04). When’s the heptathlon?
Megan’s success in the hurdles mirrors that of the entire SC Girls team. They took first through fourth in the 300 (Jade McCrary in 47.72, Melissa Roberts in 47.80, Tse, and Jessica Matthews in 52.31). Girls coach Stephon Gallon had an explanation.
“They all start out 400 runners as freshmen, for strength. Then we move them to the hurdles their sophomore year. It’s easier to teach them the concept then, because they’ve been around the sport. Craig (Janson) works with their technique, and they come to me for the 800.”
Their success has carried over into the 100 hurdles, where four Creek girls made the finals. Tse won, Melissa Roberts was second (16.67), Jessica Matthews third (17.55), and Mackenzie Thompson sixth (18.66).
Another area in which the Lady Hawks dominated is the distance events. In the 1600, they were first (Zoe Volenec in 5:26.22), second (Jocelin Adona in 5:29.03), sixth (Faith Strasser in 6:14.49), and seventh (Catherine LaStarza in 6:15.62). For Volenec, the win was a long time in coming.
“I haven’t had the best season,” she sighed. “Conference isn’t exactly a lot of pressure, but can make up for the season. At the conference last year, I placed second in three events,” (the 800 in 2:30.94, the 1600 in 5:33.36, and the 4 X 800), “so I wanted a chance to do better. I’m tired of silver; being there, but being just a little behind.”
In the 800, run later in the evening, it was Tori Ehrhardt’s “turn” up front. She led the entire race.
“I was trying,” she said after winning. “Zoe had already run the mile and 4 X 8; I’d just run the 4 X 8. I was still in a little pain, but I got the victory.”
Pain is something that was freshman Lindsey Sullivan’s constant companion in the 3200.
“Lindsey is just coming back from an injury,” explained 3200 winner Kaitlyn Kelly. “It’s only her first race after two weeks off; she just started up practice this week.”
Lindsey’s last race was her 5 Star Freshman-Sophomore title in the 3200 (12:55.47). In this race, she finished a distant third, but faster 12:37.96, and was sandwiched between Rainey Tyner (fourth in 13:19.30) and Jocelin Adona (second in 11:57.77).
“Jocelin ran the mile,” said Kelly, “and I was fresh. I usually start out in the lead and go out fast. Then Jocelin takes over. This race I told myself not to let that happen. But without my teammates, my time would not have been as good.”
Out, but not down
Kristen Hansen is high school track’s version of a “journeyman.” She ran her first two years at Seabreeze, during which she was their top distance runner. After that, she decided to switch schools, enrolling only a couple of miles south.
“I went to Mainland. For my junior year, I ran cross country for Seabreeze, and track for Mainland,” she clarified. “But I fractured my tibia, probably three meets into the season. It was like a shin splint, and got worse.
“I went back to Seabreeze to finish my junior year. That is where my friends are. I have been there all (this) year. I didn’t run cross country.”
Hansen was placed in the second, unseeded section of the 1600, where she built an impressive lead on the way to a first place finish in 6:19.13.
“I ran districts here my sophomore year. I really like this track. (Today) I ran with an open mind, locked into a pace, and got a PR.”
And 8th place. It’s rare that an athlete breaks into the scoring from an unseeded section, but it is an indication of Kristen’s determination to get back on track.
Happy Days
The outcome of sprints can be as changeable as weather; stick around and something different will happen almost every time. In the Freshman-Sophomore Meet, Deltona’s Briana Young was a victim of Creek’s Meghan Tse in the 100—or rather to Tse’s incredible day-long drama. This time out of the blocks, it was Young who proved unstoppable. She won the 100 (12.62), the 200 (26.32)—both PRs--and helped Deltona win the 4 X 100.
“I’m so haaappy!” she gushed. “It had to be my start; I’ve been trying to work on that for weeks. I pushed hard, and knew I had the determination. Coach Rodriguez told me to lift up my back and keep moving.”
Like Young, DeLand’s Erin Graham was, both literally and figuratively, beyond the reach of her competition. Winning both the long (16’ 6-1/2”) and triple (33’ 5-1/2”), she also ran third leg on DeLand’s second place 4 X 100 team (51.34). This is her second year of track.
“In my first year of track, last season, I was a sprinter. I didn’t expect to be a jumper. At the end, as a freshman, I got the MVP as a jumper.”
Her goals are two-fold: “To go beyond what I’ve already done, and to teach the freshmen what I’ve already learned from Coaches Calloway and Lowe; being a positive influence.”
Leading the Pack
Creek’s Allison Lampert led a trio of Creek high jumpers with her third 5’2” height in three meets. Following in the scoring were twins Hilary (5’0”) and Hayly Babcock (4’10”). SC’s Erin Weinreich took first in the shot (35’) and second in the discus--83’8”—to Orange City’s Brea Corkery (84’ 2”). Kaley Anderson (9’) led a 1-3-4-7 Spruce Creek performance in the pole vault.
Anderson explained her PR by saying, “I was really relaxed. My opening height was seven. (I normally come in at 5’6”.) Then I went 7’6”, 8’, 8’6”, and 9’. I got all of them on the first jump, until 9’3”.”
Team Totals
Team totals were Spruce Creek with 288.5, DeLand 85.5, and Deltona 60. Stephon Gallon was chosen as Girls Coach of the Year. It is Spruce Creek’s eighth consecutive 5 Star Conference Championship. They have won in 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.