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 FHSAA state track and field championships at the University of North Florida. The top two finishers in each event automatically advance to the state championships with times and distances determining the next athletes to advance.

Way west in Pensacola, 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.
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.
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.
Oakleaf sprinter Rayna Lawson won the 200 in 24.09 over Ocoee's Leneah Green in 24.42 with the two flipping spots in the 100; Lawson second to Green.
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.
At the region 1-3A championships, Niceville won for the boys with 103.50 points, Fleming Island eighth with 39.50 and Orange Park 12th at 23. For the girls, Niceville also won with 132 points with Fleming Island 13th with 16, Middleburg 22nd with 11, Ridgeview 23rd with 10 and Orange Park 29th with 3 points.
For the state meet, the second place finishes at regions also automatically advance to the state meet. Top 10 finishers are also highly likely to advance depending on the quality of fields in the other three regions.
Fleming Island had sprinter Sebastian Cruz with a 10.61 second finish for second in the 100 behind Rickards' Davion Crumitie's 10.50 winning split and Mikayla Shavers with a 38'-8.25" triple jump for second behind a 39'-7.25" leap from Pine Forest's Tan'Nae Henderson. Cruz also finished sixth in the 200 with Shavers sixth in the long jump.
For Orange Park triple jumper Carlder Datilus leaped 45'-3.75" to take second to Jay Galindo of Niceville who leaped 45'-4.5".
In region 1-4A, Oakleaf's boys 4 x 100 relay team took second in 41.88 to Spruce Creek's 41.69. Also for Oakleaf, sprinter Rayna Lawson finished second in 11.99 in the 100 to Leneah Green of Ocoee in 11.94.
Top 10 finishers for boys in region 1-3A included Lennox Ivey (FIHS) 6th 400 in 49.90; Lavarius Jones (OPHS) 7th 400 50.30; Braidyn Matz (RHS) 10th 800 in 2:01.26; Jacob Campbell (FIHS) 3rd 3200 in 9:36.18; Cole Atzert (FIHS) 9th 3200 10:02.48; Jarius Rodgers (FIHS) 4th 100 Hurdles in 14.54; Keagen Leep (MHS) 9th 110 Hurdles in 15.52; Avery Savage (FIHS) 7th 400 Hurdles in 57.92; FIHS 4 x 400 6th in 3:26.87; FIHS 4 x 800 5th in 8:11.50; Jarius Rodgers (FIHS) 7th in High Jump 5'-11.5"; Tysen Janda (FIHS) 5th in long jump 21'-.25"; Samir Bates (OPHS) 10th long jump in 21'-.5"; Jeremiah Hamilton (OPHS) 6th in 169'-3"; David Fuentes (FIHS) 9th in 148'-10"; Omar Goosby (CHS) 9th in shotput 46'-8.25".
For the girls region 1-3A, top 10 finishers included Mikayla Burns (MHS) 100 hurdles 9th in 15.66; Meadow Shubert (FIHS) 400 7th in 1:07.80; FIHS 4 x 100 relay 7th in 48.43; RHS 4 x 100 relay 10th in 48.88; OPHS 4 x 400 6th in 4;08.59; FIHS 4 x 800 8th in 10:12.60; Ann-gellica Taravine (RHS) 5th long jump 17'-11.5"; Ann-gellica Taravine (RHS) 4th triple jump 36'-11.75"; Carissa Young (RHS) 8th triple jump 35'-2"; Katelynn Joseph (OPHS) 9th triple jump 35'-1.25"; Avi Miller (RHS) 10th triple jump 35'-.25".

For the boys region 1-4A, top 10 finishers included Jacob Emlano (OHS) 7th pole vault in 10'-4"; Nicholas Walker (OHS) 5th triple jump in 43'-1.5"; Devin Collins (OHS) 7th 100 in 10.86; Rodney Townsend Jr (OHS) 4th 400 in 48.70.
For the girls in region 1-4A; top 10 finishers included Rayna Autrey (OHS) 4th shotput in 34'-5"; Gloria Lewis (OHS) 4th discus in 115'-5"; Rayna Autry (OHS) 7th discus in 109'-3".
For region 1-2A, Keystone Heights got a 12th in 3200 from James Thomas in 10:14.24; 9th in 100 hurdles from Kaylee Park in 16.72; 15th in 1600 from Hunter Sheppard in 4:48.92; 18th in 1600 from James Thomas in 4:53.17; 15th in 800 from Olivia Griffin in 2:32.27; 14th in girls 4 x 400 in 4:27.20.
For region 2-1A, St. Johns Country Day School got top 10 finishes from Alexandra Kuczkowski 10th in 200 in 27.37; Kaitlyn Sunderhaus 8th in 800 in 2:35.16; Rebecca Stratton 10th in 1600 in 5:44.03; Kate Staten 6th in 3200 in 12:06.47; Eleanor Myers 7th in 400 hurdles in 1:11.91; SJCDS 4 x 400 girls 8th in 4:26.59; SJCDS girls 4 x 800 5th in 10:17.60; Isa Johnson 7th in high jump at 4'-7.75"; Eleanor Myers 9th in high jump at 4'-6"; Isa Johnson 9th in long jump at 14'-10.5"; Nathan Kipnis 10th in 1600 in 4:54.56; Arlo Kistner 7th in 3200 in 10:36.58; SJCDS boys 4 x 800 3rd in 8:35.69.