JACKSONVILLE - Orange Park High sprinter Alex Collier thought last week’s 100 meter dash 11 second effort would be good for his specialty and the prophecy was fulfilled as Collier smoked the fast field in the UNF Spring Break Pre-State Meet Invite 400 meters with a state-best win Saturday in Jacksonville.

Collier, who was knocking on the sub-50 second door very early in the track season, blasted a 48.95 second win by nearly a second at the UNF meet. Runnerup Marquis Stafford of Mosley High was at 49.69 with Fleming Island senior Felipe Fernandez third at 49.89 and Orange Park senior Alex Meadows eighth at 50.94. Morgan has also been inching up to the sub-50 plateau in recent meets.

The Collier, Meadows duo combined with their Raider 4 x 400 relay team to post a 3:27.67 winning split in the events final event as the Raiders held off Flagler Palm Coast’s 3:28.86. Fleming Island finished fifth at 3:32.70.

In the 100 meters, Collier tried to chase down Middleburg High’s Marcus Floyd, but finished just shot as Floyd won in 10.90 with Collier second in 11.04. Fleming Island High senior Anfernee McCaskill was fourth in 11.08.

In the girls and boys high jumps, Middleburg High’s dynamic duo of Kaley Petrosky and Bryce Quiett both with recent state-ranked jumps, continued their assault on the higher altitudes with Petrosky outdueling Creekside’s Abby Thorpe with a winning 5’-5.75” jump and Quiett equalling his best of 6’-6.75” second place leap to E.J. Smith of West Nassau’s 6’-8.75” winning leap. Ridgeview High junior Jaden Roy dropped his name in the high height hat with a third place 6’-4.75” leap. Thorpe outdueled Petrosky at last week’s Creekside invitational.

In the jumps, Oakleaf High’s Melvin Briley continued his dominance with a 48’-1.25” leap to win by more than six feet with Ridgeview senior Jacolbi Sampson third at 42’-2.75”. Briley also took fifth in the long jump at 21’-00”.

In the girls triple jump, Oakleaf High junior Loren Johnson put herself back near the top of state lists with a winning 37’-8” leap winning by just three inches over Columbia’s Asherah Collins. Johnson was fourth in the long jump.

In hurdles, Fleming Island High junior Glenn Rodgers took third in 15.10 in the 110 high hurdles as he continues to lower the school record and approach the elusive sub-15 second mark. Winner was South Walton’s Anthony Bryant in 14.98.

In the girls 300 hurdles, St. Johns Country Day School sophomore Courtney Sage finished second in 46.23 to West Orange senior Jasmine Williams’ winning time of 45.15.

In the girls 1600, with the winning time at 5:08.68, Keystone Heights freshman Camryn Williams clocked a 14th place 5:36.54 ahead of Ridgeview’s Marisa Kortright who placed 19th in 5:39.48. Kortright also took sixth in the 800 in 2:29.58.

In the boys 1600, Fleming Island’s Evan Fuller, with a recent scholarship offer from Flagler College, took fifth at 4:32.68 behind St. Joseph Academy’s Sean Snyder’s winning 4:27.30. Fleming Island freshman Kameron Wallizada finished 14th in 4:39.86.

In a special event, the 2000 meter steeplechase, Oakleaf distance ace Dylan Nelson, a sophomore, took third in 6:38.17 with teammat e Bryce Stalter seventh.

In the field events, Middleburg’s Alex Barfield had a sixth place discus throw at 138’-01” to winner’s toss of 162’-11”. Orange Park’s Destiny Basden threw the shot 34’-2” for seventh to the winning toss of 41’-.5”.

FSU Invite (Friday, March 23)

In selected races at the FSU Invitational, held March 23 in Tallahassee, Fleming Island sprinter Anfernee McCaskill finished a distant 13th in the 200 meters with winner Hakim Ruffin, of Hoover High (AL), winning in 21.02.

In the 800, Orange Park junior John Bear finished in 2:00.63 to take 24th with winner Hugh Brittenham of Estero High going 1:51.92. The top 20 finishers were under two minutes. Bear, on Saturday, ran the Invitational 1600 and placed 23rd in 4:29.32.

In the 3200, Fleming Island’s Evan Fuller ran a personal best 9:33.78 in the 3200 to finish 25th. Winning time was Georgia state champion Jacob McLeod of Trinity Christian School Dublin in 8:52.70 with three local runners; Chiles Michael Phillips, Bolles’ Charles Hicks and Bishop Kenny’s Nathan Jubran all in under 9:01.

In triple jump, Fleming Island sophomore Darnell Deas jumped 45’-1” to take fourth behind Hoover’s Kyle Smith’s winning jump of 47’-5.75”.