BARTRAM TRAIL - Fleming Island High triple jumper Mikayla Shavers continued her season streaks of tough second place finishes with a runnerup stop at the prestigious FSU Relays in Tallahassee while Orange Park hurdler and jumper Nethan Verger blasted away with wins in his specialties at the Bear Classic True Team at Bartram Trail High School, both on Saturday, March 29.
"I'm feeling strong and have a good workout situation with my teammates keeping me sharp," said Verger, who was fourth in the Bob Hayes final last week in the 110 hurdles with a 14.27 split and won the Bears Classic hurdles race in 14.61 with a slight headwind. "Julian (Still) and Carlder (Datilus) are both state level track guys and we all kind of battle in practice to make all of us better. It's a pretty tight situation."
Verger and Datilus, plus another Raider teammate, Samir Bates, dominated the Bear Classic long jump with a 1-2-3 finish with Verger tops in 23'-2.75" leap and Datilus second at 21'-0", Bates third, also at 21'-0". Orange Park also went 1-2 in the 110 hurdles with Verger winning and teammate Julian Still second in 15.45.
Verger was eighth in Class 3A with a 14.86 at the state meet in the 110 high hurdles and also sixth in the long jump with a 22'-2" leap.
"They are so close that the officials go to the next best jump to determine the places," said Orange Park track coach Craig Martin. "Carlder has to be careful as he has a tweaked hamstring so he may be done for the day."
Datilus was done for the day with scratches in the 400 hurdles and also the triple jump which he won both at Bob Hayes.
"I had a day at Bob Hayes and was just kind of training through this one to see how my muscle feels," said Datilus. "Districts are coming and I want to be good for that."
Shavers, with a handful of Fleming Island teammates in Tallahassee, has been just short of the top podium in the past two weeks with a recent second place finish at the Bob Hayes Invitational at University of North Florida last week. Shavers and George Jenkins High senior Chelsi Williams, the defending Class 4A champion, were within inches of each other after two rounds of jumps before Williams soared to a 41'-7.25" leap on her third jump. Shavers had her best jump, a 39'-8.75' on the second jump to stay in contention, but could not answer Williams' 41 footer.
Shavers, a junior, has also been dabbling in the sprints; 100s and 200s, and should be strong again to attack the post season where she has been second at the state meet Class 3A the past two seasons.
At FSU, distance runners Jacob Campbell and Brooke Reynolds took their best shots at the state's best runners, including Belen Jesuit's double duo of 1600 Class 3A state champion Joseph Sacarras, who won the FSU 1600 in 4:11.01 with teammate Marcelo Mantecon, the 3A 1600 third placer behind Socarras, behind him by three seconds with the top six runners all under 4:20. Campbell finished behind Fleming Island teammate Andrew Boyer, a junior, who had the top team time with a 4:27.71 for 41st place. Campbell, a senior, finished in 80th place at 4:36.45.
In the girls elite 1600, won by IMG Academy junior Danielle Graham in 4:58.01, Fleming Island junior Brooke Reynolds ran a 5:18.75 to finish 37th. Reynolds was 10th in at the Class 3A state meet last year at 5:12.55.
On Friday, Reynolds finished 30th in the 800 with a 2:21.08 split with winner Aurora Bertelsen Del Solar, also of IMG Academy, running 2:10.94.
In the hurdles at FSU, Fleming Island junior Jarius Rodgers finished in 14.81 to take 10th in a race won in an astounding 13.86 by Sickles' senior Jabari Armstrong. Kai Evans, of Lake Minneola, was second in 14.45. Evans was the 3A runnerup last year. Armstrong was the 4A champion last year with George Steinbrenner High in 14.10. Rodgers also did the high jump finishing ninth at 6'-2" with Leon's Jayvin Strouble winning at 6'-8".

Oakleaf boys, SJCDS girls take county track titles

By Randy Lefko
randy@claytodayonline.com

MIDDLEBURG - Oakleaf High School's boys track team took an overwhelming 100-plus point win at the Clay County Track and Field Championships held Tuesday, March 25 at Middleburg High School while, in the girls event, St. Johns Country Day School snuck up and took a late lead to beat Ridgeview by just 2.75 points for that title.
Oakleaf won the boys title with 232.0 points with Orange Park a distant 92.0 for second place and Ridgeview third at 88.0.
In the girls matchup. St. Johns scored 132.75 points to overtake Ridgeview's 130.0 with Middleburg third at 99.75.
Oakleaf's formula was to have a bucket load of athletes in as many events to score more that on team point total per event with sprinter Devin Collins winning in the 100 and 400 events, but being chased by Oakleaf teammates in both. Oakleaf had the top four finishers in the 100 and four or the top five in the 400 plus the overall winner of the 800 with finishers at fifth, sixth and seventh.
Oakleaf also dominated the top three spots in the 200 with Townsend winning ahed of Warthen and Issac Young.
With the sprint firepower the Knights showed off, a win in the 4 x 100 relay was a tight race with Orange Park.
Orange Park was led by senior jumper Carlder Datilus who won the long jump and triple jump and won the 400 hurdles event.
For the girls, St. Johns opened with a win in the 4 x 800 with soccer state champion Kaitlyn Sunderhaus opening and creating a 20 yard gap and cross country ace Rebecca Stratton finishing off Ridgeview to win the event.
Much like Oakleaf's boys, St. Johns dominated the distance events with a win in the 1600 from Kate Staten with Stratton third and teammate Ella Hanna fourth for big team points.
In the 3200, Stratton won with teammates at third, fourth and fifth for more team points on the final individual event of the night.
St. Johns also went 1-2 in the 400 hurdles with Eleanor Myers winning in front of teammate Kaitlyn Sunderhaus with finishers also at sixth and seventh.
Ridgeview got a win in the 4 x 100 with St. Johns fifth, but the Panthers got points in the field events with Sarah Michel and Ava Miller second and third in long jump, Alanna Perkins, Miller, Michel and Serenity Lee finishing second, third, fourth and fifth in the triple jump.
Ridgeview's Ameera Donnell won the pole vault and Haniyah Morgan won the high jump.
Middleburg got wins for the girls in javelin-Layla Manis; 100 hurdles-Mikayla Burns, and discus-Madison Underwood with sister Annabelle third.
Orange Park's girls had wins from
Kayleana Henry in the 400 and 800 with Anna Wages third and in the 4 x 400 relay.
In the field events, Orange Park's Katelynn Joseph won the triple jump.
Ridgeview got a win from Bennett Smith in the boys 110 hurdles and a 1-2 finish in the high jump with Steven Yamamoto-Henrichson and William Ziegler.
Fleming Island's David Fuentes won the discus with a 136'1" throw.
Orange Park senior Sean Martin won the pole vault at 10'-4".
Oakleaf's girls got wins from Rayna Lawson in the 100 over Middleburg's Mika Wesley and Clay's Leila Parks. Lawson also won the 200.
Oakleaf finished first and second in shot put with Rayna Autry and Gloria Lewis with Lewis second to Underwood in discus and Autry fifth in discus.