PENSACOLA - In two separate region track championships, a Clay County foursome will be returning home with region championship gold medals as area tracksters work on Friday and Saturday to reserve their spot at next week's (May 9-10) FHSAA state track and field championships at the University of North Florida.

In Class 3A, Orange Park long jumper Nethan Verger and Middleburg discus thrower Madison Underwood won their events, while, in Class 4A, Oakleaf's Devin Collins on the long jump with sprinter Rayna Lawson topping the 200 meters field.

Verger, hit the only two jumps over the 7.0 meter mark, with his first jump at 23'-9" and his third jump also at 23'-9" before passing on his final two jumps.
Way west in Pensacola on Friday, Orange Park long jumper Nethan Verger, who already has one of America's longest jumps of the year with his 25-foot-.75 incher at the Pepsi Relays at the University of Florida, doubled down with a winning 23'-9" leap at the Region 1-3A championships at Pine Forest High on Friday.
Verger, hit the only two jumps over the 7.0 meter mark, with his first jump at 23'-9" and his third jump also at 23'-9" before passing on his final two jumps.
Rickards' Darius Jones II was second with a 22'-8" leap.
A day later and nearly 300 miles east and south of Pensacola, at Seminole High school north of Orlando, Oakleaf High's Devin Collins got Clay County's second long jump region title in his region 1-4A championships with a 22'-5" leap winning by three inches over Oviedo's Taylor Royster who finished second with a 22'-2-1/4" leap. Collins also doubled down with his first two jumps at the winning leap of 22'-5" enough for the win and a pass in his last three jumps.
Collins is also scheduled to compete in the 100 meters at the Region 1-4A meet.
Collins long jump best from the Bob Hayes Invite at the UNF track in April of 23'2.75" is ranked third in Class 4A with Bari Williams of Largo top ranked with a 24'-3.5" leap.
Back to Pensacola, Middleburg High discus thrower Madison Underwood, a state fourth place finisher last year in her specialty, defended her region title from last year with a 141'-6" toss at Pine Forest High on Friday.
Underwood has a personal best of 145'6" that got her the Clay County Championship gold in March with her most recent 140-plus toss a 144'-7" toss on April 10 at the Bartram Trail Thursday Night Spikes meet.
In Class 3A, Underwood, a senior, is ranked fifth with her 145'-6" toss with Julia Lemmon, a senior at Fort Myers, top ranked at 163'-7" with the top three discus marks over 150 feet. Kimah Allen of Niceville was second with a 139'-8" toss with Allen ranked third with a 153'-3" toss at the Bob Hayes Invite in April.
AnnaBelle Underwood, Madison's freshman sister, showed her state level potential with an eighth place 110'-5" toss at the region meet.