Advertisement

Northeast Florida high school track and field state qualifiers: Class 4A

clayton freeman, florida times-union
·3 min read

The 2022 Florida High School Athletic Association track and field championships begin Wednesday at James G. Pressly Stadium at Percy Beard Track on the campus on the University of Florida. The FHSAA is spreading track competition across four days: Class 1A teams on Wednesday, Class 2A on Thursday, Class 3A on Friday and Class 4A on Saturday. Hundreds of athletes from across Jacksonville and Northeast Florida are scheduled to participate. Last spring, Bolles won the 2021 girls team championship held at the University of North Florida, and multiple Northeast Florida athletes captured individual titles.

Cyrus Ways, of Nease High School, leaps over the final hurdle on his way to with the Boys 110 Meter Hurdles during the 2022 Pepsi Florida Relays at Percy Beard Track on the University of Florida campus, in Gainesville, April 1, 2022. Ways won with a time of 13.66 seconds.
Cyrus Ways, of Nease High School, leaps over the final hurdle on his way to with the Boys 110 Meter Hurdles during the 2022 Pepsi Florida Relays at Percy Beard Track on the University of Florida campus, in Gainesville, April 1, 2022. Ways won with a time of 13.66 seconds.

CLASS 4A BOYS

1 p.m. Saturday

Pole vault: Samuel Martins, Bartram Trail; Tyler Gunther, Creekside; Matias Masony, Nease. Long jump: Elo Modozie, Bartram Trail. Triple jump: Elo Modozie, Bartram Trail. Shot put: Logan Wylie, Bartram Trail; Jordan Mitchell, Oakleaf. Discus: Logan Wylie, Bartram Trail; Tommy Bridgewater, First Coast. 100: Joshua Lindblom, Jeffrey Stiles (both Bartram Trail); Christian Miller, Creekside. 200: Christian Miller, Creekside; Kaleb Tankard, Sandalwood. 400: David Terry, Sandalwood. 800: Jesse Benavides, Creekside; Steven Cartwright, Rheinhardt Harrison (both Nease). 1,600: Nolan Hemmen, Bartram Trail; Jesse Benavides, Hudson Finocchio, Tanner Simonds (all Creekside). 3,200: Nolan Hemmen, Bartram Trail; Matt Ryan, Nease. 110 hurdles: Caelan Barnett, Bartram Trail; Cyrus Ways, Nease. 300 hurdles: Cyrus Ways, Nease. 1,600 relay: Bartram Trail, First Coast. 3,200 relay: Creekside, Nease.

Outlook: Watch out for Nease green. The electrifying Rheinhardt Harrison, racing the 800 as his lone individual event this year, and multi-talented hurdler Cyrus Ways are the overwhelming favorites in their events, and eyes will be glued to the scoreboard for their finishing times. This could be a day of celebration for St. Johns County schools in general: Sophomore Christian Miller of Creekside has the speed to place high in the 100 and 200, Bartram Trail's Elo Modozie is coming off regional titles in the long jump and triple jump and Bears senior Sam Martins is the pole vault favorite. Representing Jacksonville, meanwhile, Sandalwood's David Terry lifted the trophy in regionals and First Coast's Tommy Bridgewater brings big strength to the discus.

Full local qualifiers list: Class 1A

Full local qualifiers list: Class 2A

Full local qualifiers list: Class 3A

Terren Peterson of Mandarin is the top seed in two sprints at the Class 4A girls track championships.
Terren Peterson of Mandarin is the top seed in two sprints at the Class 4A girls track championships.

CLASS 4A GIRLS

1 p.m. Saturday

High jump: Rilee Shapiro, Bartram Trail; Sasha Gregory, Nease; Sydney Brown, Oakleaf. Triple jump: Arianna Eason, Oakleaf; Selena Rutland, Sandalwood. Shot put: Da'Moni Kelly, Aliyah Robertson (both Mandarin); Hannah Sutter, Nease. Discus: Libby Williams, Bartram Trail; Da'Moni Kelly, Mandarin; Adrionna Coleman, Oakleaf. Javelin: Libby Williams, Bartram Trail; Alexandra Bohanon, Nease. 100: Sydney Campbell, Creekside; Armanie Coleman, First Coast; Emani George, Sandalwood. 200: Sydney Campbell, Creekside; Terren Peterson, Mandarin; Emani George, Sandalwood. 400: Sydney Campbell, Creekside; Terren Peterson, Mandarin. 800: Alyssa Wyatt, Mandarin; Sierra Barrera, Oakleaf. 1,600: Lindsay Gonzales, Mandarin; Sierra Barrera, Oakleaf. 3,200: Lauren Conover, Annie Loehle (both Mandarin); Audrey Singletary, Nease. 100 hurdles: Keira Smalls, Oakleaf; Brittney Jennings, Sandalwood. 400 relay: First Coast, Oakleaf, Sandalwood. 1,600 relay: Creekside, First Coast, Sandalwood.

3,200 relay: Bartram Trail, Creekside, Mandarin.

Outlook: Even though the numbers name Niceville as clear favorite for the overall title, it's a particularly promising regional, especially for the orange and green of Mandarin. From Da'Moni Kelly in the discus and shot put to Terren Peterson in the 200 and 400 to Annie Loehle in the 3,200, the Mustangs have the strength and the speed to push for their best-ever state track finish. The sprints could be thrilling: In addition to Peterson, top-five contenders also include Creekside's Sydney Campbell, First Coast's Armanie Coleman and Sandalwood's Emani George. Sandalwood sophomore Brittney Jennings can race with anybody in the hurdles, while Oakleaf triple jumper Arianna Eason and Nease javelin thrower Alexandra Bohanon both hold high seeds in their respective events.

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school track & field: 2022 Northeast Florida state previews, Mandarin