- December 23, 2024
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Flagler Palm Coast won the Five Star Conference boys track and field championship for a record 16th time on Wednesday, April 12, at the Bulldogs’ stadium.
Spruce Creek won the girls title by just 2.5 points over FPC, 169 to 166.5. The Seabreeze girls (84 points) finished fourth behind third-place DeLand (93). Mainland (42.5) was seventh.
FPC’s boys won seven individual and relay titles and collected 167 points to beat out second-place Mainland (138). Seabreeze (73) was fifth behind Spruce Creek (93) and Atlantic (88).
The Bulldogs won titles in all phases of the boys’ competition. Robert Harris won the boys long jump (21 feet, 1.25 inches). Ashton Bracewell (156-7 in discus) and Jake Blumengarten (51-1.5 in shot put) won throwing titles.
Zach Spooner (4:26.49 in the 1,600 meters) and Kamron Davis (1:57.63 in the 800) won distance events. Isaiah Joseph won the 400 hurdles (54.85 seconds), and Joseph, Dennis Murray, Thomonte Curry and DZ Steward won the 4x400 relay.
The 4x400 team set a PR of 3:16.59. The Bulldogs are now ranked third in Class 4A, but they are just half a second behind leader Miami Columbus.
Bracewell set a personal discus record and is now ranked fifth in Class 4A, while Blumengarten is ranked fourth in shot put, two spots ahead of teammate Colby Cronk, who placed second (48-10) at the Five Star.
Joseph set a PR in the 400 hurdles with the eighth-best time in Class 4A this season. He beat second-place Damarcus Creecy of Mainland by 3.41 seconds and believes he still has room for improvement before the state meet on May 20.
“The last hurdle, I jumped too early,” he said. “I’m really optimistic about the 400 hurdles. I want to break the school record of 53.95.”
Joseph has been working on lowering his time recently after concentrating more on the 4x400 and 4x800 relays.
“We’ve been working on the first 200 (meters) in practice,” he said. “I try to get to the first hurdle before anyone else. My coach says as long as you get to the 200 in 25 seconds, it sets you up for the rest of the race.”
Spooner, who transferred from Matanzas after winter break, said he is happy to be in a competitive environment with a group of talented distance runners. His teammates are happy the senior has joined their fold.
He’s been our biggest supporter. We’re targeting a state championship, and Zach’s leading the way for our distance guys.” — JACK GILVARY, on fellow FPC distance runner Zach Spooner.
“He’s been our biggest supporter,” said Jack Gilvary, who placed fifth with a PR time of 4:33.69. “We’re targeting a state championship, and Zach’s leading the way for our distance guys.”
FPC’s Braedyn Wormeck finished second behind Spooner with a PR of 4:28.82.
“It’s my first time running under 4:30,” Wormeck said. “(Spooner) had a great kick. I knew if I was following him, I’d have a good finish.”
FPC’s Davis broke his PR by nearly four seconds in the 800 and edged teammate Brandon Kalasnik by nine-tenths of a second. Kalasnik was the runner-up.
“I started getting out faster,” Davis said. “I stayed with Brandon. He always goes out fast.”
Mainland won the boys 4x800 relay with a school-record time of 8:14.86. After winning RunMatanzas with an 8:17.09 four days earlier, the Bucs’ Seth Sawyer, Khalil Wilmore, Jack Mathis and Logan Camara shattered the old school mark of 8:16.58.
The Bucs took four of the top five places in the 110 hurdles with Jonathan Williams, ranked second in the state in Class 3A, winning in 14.47. Mainland’s Emmanuel Yisrael (15.20) and Damarcus Creecy (15.25) were second and third. Marquis McCants was fifth. Yisrael and Creecy are also ranked among the top 12 in 3A.
Mainland’s Cameron Boatright set a PR in the boys 400 meters with a 48.48. Boatright is ranked fourth in the event in Class 3A but finished second to Atlantic’s Aiden Dixon — the third fastest 400 runner in all classifications. Dixon ran a 46.80.
Mainland placed second, third and fourth in the high jump with Zavier Mincey (second) and Zion Noralus (third) both jumping 6 feet and three-quarters of an inch. The Bucs were also second in the 4x100 relay with Williams, Jontrell Edwards, Creecy and Boatright running 43.40.
Seabreeze’s Levi Hayworth was second in the javelin (165-8) with teammate Chandler Mitzo (159-6) third.
Seabreeze’s MacKenzie Roy lowered her own school record in the girls 1,600 with a 5:06.58 to finish second behind Spruce Creek’s Olivia Niewald (5:05.76).
The Sandcrabs’ 4x800 relay team of Kristin Glaezner, Nickole Dane, Arianna Roy and Mackenzie Roy knocked off about 16 seconds off its PR to win the event in 9:45.12. The foursome is now ranked sixth in 3A.
“We’re putting in the work, because we know we have the potential to get better,” Mackenzie Roy said. “We all ran the best splits we have all year.”
Mackenzie Roy also finished second in the 3,200 behind Niewald, who swept the three distance runs. Arianna Roy finished fourth in the 1,600 and third in the 800. Mackenzie paces her identical twin in the 1,600 as well as in their cross country races.
She likes to run right behind me, so the gap doesn’t get too big. I try not to let her pass.” — MACKENZIE ROY on twin sister Arianna Roy
“She likes to run right behind me, so the gap doesn’t get too big,” Mackenzie said. “I try not to let her pass.”
FPC’s Maya Tyson won the girls shot put with a 35-4. Bulldogs freshman Karina Marcelus won the 100 hurdles (15.72), finished second in the 400 hurdles (1:09.49) and placed third in both the long jump and triple jump.
FPC won the girls 4x100 relay with Summer Barnes, Fabiola LaPlante, Jada Dotson and Taylor Spann finishing in 49.56 seconds, 1.2 seconds ahead of Mainland’s Amyah Watlington, Kiera Williams, Jamelia McCoy and Gabrielle Lett.
The Bulldogs also won the girls 4x400 relay with Barnes, Cassidy De Young, LaPlante and Ma’shuyn Jeffers crossing the finish in 4:11.47.
Barnes finished second in the 200 meters (25.55) and third in the 100 (12.66), Spann finished second in both triple jump (34-5) and 100 hurdles (16.49) and FPC's Zoey Gotera placed second in javelin (84-5).