FLEMING ISLAND - With a region track title last week at the University of North Florida, the Fleming Island boys track team will be in prime position to upset the apple cart of south Florida dominance in track as area tracksters target the Class 1A-Class 4A track and field championships this week also at North Florida.

With a stealthy combination of speed, long distance and a sprinkling of field event contenders, Fleming Island coach Chris Otero and assistant Dave Allen may have the pieces of the puzzle all in one place to upend Belen Jesuit Prep out of Tampa or Miami Northwestern as the kings of Class 3A. State track meets start Tuesday with Class 1A and run consecutively to Friday with Class 4A.
"This could be our best shot with the right athletes in the right places to maximize points," said Otero. "We have multiple great athletes in multiple events; three guys under 11 seconds in the 100; Sebastian Cruz, Cibastian Broughton, Kaylib Singleton; the 200-meter region champion; Singleton, a solid cadre of distance runners led by seniors Graham Myers and John Keester IV who have tandems for a ton of top 10 finishes at high caliber meets all season; 1600, 3200 and 800; Roman Mollicone, in the 800, who has battled the best in 3A (mainly Tampa Jesuit) to get to near 1:50 split status. That's a lot of points if everyone has a good day."
At the region, 1-3A championships were won by Fleming Island with 110 points over Tallahassee Lincoln's 98.50 for second and Choctawhatchee's 83 for third.
For the girl's region 1-3A, Ponte Vedra won with 112 points ahead of Rickards at 71 and Fleming Island at 62 with Orange Park sixth.
In region 4-3A, Jesuit finished ahead of Miami Northwestern 112.50-97.0 with American Heritage third with 80.
In 2023, Ponte Vedra finished as Class 3A champions with 53 points ahead of Belen Jesuit at 43 and Miami Northwestern third at 39.50. Fleming Island was 11th with 21 points; mainly from Myers, Mollicone and the distance crew with a 7:53 third in the 4 x 800 relay, Mollicone fourth in the 800 in 1:56.28 and Myers and Keester going second and seventh in the 3200 behind Leon's Patrick Koon.
In 2023, Fleming Island got zero points in the 100 and 200 and zero points in the 4 x 100 relay that, in 2024, Fleming Island; Trace Burney, Sebastian Cruz, Jarius Rodgers and Kaylib Singleton, have just missed a 40-second split (40.99 for second to Choctawhatchee's 40.96). American Heritage won the 4 x 100 in Class 3A last year at 40.60.
Fleming Island may get points in the field events from pole vaulter Gideon Gillasy and Rodgers and Alton Bacon in the high jump.
"We will have to get points in a lot of events that we athletes capable of team points," said Otero. "We had a great region meet, now we have to have a great state meet."
Other top contenders from the area will be record-setting high jumper T'Vario Willis from Ridgeview who hit a 6'-7.5" leap to win the region title but had Rodgers also at 6'-7.5" but with more misses. Bacon was just a hair away also in fifth. Rodgers also finished third in the 110 high hurdles and is the younger brother to Fleming Island state champion Glenn Rodgers.
Orange Park's Nathen Verger should be a figure in the leaps; long jump and triple jump plus factor into the hurdles where he was third in long jump (23'-3.25"; 24'-.75" winner), seventh in triple jump (42'-6.75"; 45'-3.75" winner) and fourth in 110 hurdles in 15.20 seconds (14.30 winner). Verger was eighth in the long jump last year at 22'-5.25".
Middleburg advanced javelin ace Anthony Pasquale who finished fourth in the region and discus thrower Madison Underwood who won the region title with a 138.-5" throw. Underwood has surpassed 140 feet this season and is ranked third in 3A.
Fleming Island's girls will have sophomores Brooke Reynolds and Mikayla Shavers as top contenders with Shavers in the top three in the triple jump after a super-close second-place finish last year as a freshman. Reynolds, in the 800 or 1600, has gotten stronger each week and will be in the mix after duking with Ponte Vedra's cadre of talented front runners all season. Reynolds' splits under 2:20 could get her in the top 10 with a 2:11 winning last year with her 1600s under 5:20 also a probable top 10 finish.
Shavers hit a 12.15 meters (39'-10") jump at districts for the top spot in Class 3A, but finished first in regions at 11.64 (38'2.25") with a wrapped thigh that could be a factor. Shavers also could get points in the long jump and as part of a sprint relay team for the Golden Eagles with high jump region champion Gabrielle Flores (5'-3.75"). Orange Park's Aaliyah Abbasi was second at 5'-1.75" and also fourth in the 100 hurdles.
For the Raiders, shotputter Mychaela Parker hit her best throw on her final throw to win the region title at 38'-1"almost two feet better than her 10th place last year at the 3A championships.

3A track qualifiers
Girls

Fleming Island: Kennedy Berkley (4 x 100); Gabrielle Flores (HJ, 4 x 100); Aydan Larson (4 x 100); Brooke Reynolds (1600); Juliannah Santana (4x100); Mikayla Shavers (TJ, LJ, 4 x 100)
Orange Park: Aaliyah Abbassi (HJ, 4 x 400 relay); Nevaeh Ambrose (400 relay); Kayleana Henry (400, 4 x 400 relay); Layla Mazerac (400 4 relay); Malia Mazera (4 x 400 relay); Lexi Pacheco (LJ); Mychaela Parker (Shot); Arianna Porter (4 x 400 relay); Maniyah Young (4 x 400 relay); Mariah Young (4 x 400 relay).
Ridgeview: Avi Miller (TJ), Ann-gellica Taravine (TJ)

Boys
Fleming Island: Tacori Allen (4x100); Alton Bacon (HJ, 4x400); Andrew Boyer (4x800); Cibastian Broughton (4x100); Trace Burney (4x100); Sebastian Cruz (4x100), Michael Derousse (4x800); Reed Eli (4x400); Camden Ghisolfi (4x400); Gideon Gillasy (PV); Lennox Ivey (4x400, 4x100); John Keester IV (3200, 4x800); Luke Melson (4x800, 4x400); Roman Mollicone (800, 4x800, 4x400); Graham Myers (3200, 1600, 4x800); Jarius Rodgers (110H, HJ, 4x100), Kaylib Singleton (100, 200, 4x400, 4x100), John Yulee (4x400)
Ridgeview: T'Vario Willis (HJ)
Orange Park: Nethan Verger (110H, LJ)
Middleburg: Anthony Pasquale (JAV)

Class 4A Qualifiers
Girls
Oakleaf: Shelby Gaines (4x100); Rayna Lawson (4x100); Gloria Lewis (Discus); Madison Linscomb (JAV); Amina McCray (4x100) Timia McMillian (4x100); Kaymin Sales (4x100); Keira Smalls (100H, 4x100); Jazmine Soto (4x100), Tamia Yarns (4x100)
Boys
Oakleaf: Takoda Brown (TJ, LJ); Devin Collins (LJ); Josber Stimphil (400)