Hallandale legacy is in good hands, feet
Harvey, Chargers are poised to win their 3rd consecutive state title
Hallandale’s Ashantae Harvey enters her senior season with the hope to forge a memorable legacy for herself and the two-time reigning Class 2A state champion Chargers.
With one of the best hurdlers in the state and a loaded senior class, Hallandale’s quest to achieve a potential three-peat is much in reach.
“They want to do something that’s never been done before.” Chargers coach Calvin Golson said. “We’re a small school. At one time, we were the smallest school in Broward County. We want to leave a legacy. These girls want to say, ‘Hey, we’re the best ever to come through here.’”
Harvey, who was last season’s Sun Sentinel Broward 2A-1A girls track and field athlete of the year, will look to defend her state titles in the 100-meter and 300-meter hurdles.
She earned a critical 20 points for her stellar performances and helped the Chargers narrowly beat out Cocoa by 1.75 in the state championship.
Hallandale’s win in the 4x400 relay proved to be the difference, as the Chargers clinched the title in the final event, which Harvey also competed in.
“It’s scary how good Ashantae Harvey can be,” Golson said. “She’s going for the school record in the 100-hurdles. I mean, she’s going after it. There isn’t a rep she doesn’t want to run. She never complains. She’s really just been the ultimate teammate.”
Along with Harvey, the Chargers also return talented seniors, Eriana Sanford and Kiah Williams.
Sanford won the state title in the discus throw and earned bronze in the shot put to help the Chargers raise their program’s third girls track and field state title, while Williams placed fourth in states in the 400-meter run and assisted the team earn the bronze in the 4x400 relay.
Not far behind Hallandale, American Heritage will look to orchestrate another run for the state title after the team finished third in Class 2A. Junior Sherri-Ann Norton will aim to repeat as the state champion in the 100-meter and will be a key contributor in the Patriots’ 4x100 relay team.
For the St. Thomas Aquinas girls track and field team, the Raiders are also in the search for their third consecutive state championship.
Behind individual state champions Emelia Chatfield and Eddiyah Frye, St. Thomas Aquinas claimed their 13th state title, which is second all-time in state history behind Miami Northwestern’s 16 titles.
Chatfield, now a senior, won and set a new state record (41.19) in the 300-meter hurdles last season as she broke Miami Northwestern’s
More athletes to watch
Tiffany Ross’ 19-year-old record. Frye enters her junior season with the hope of defending her state title in the long jump.
In addition to the individual titles, the St. Thomas Aquinas 4x400 relay team also won the state title.
“We’re definitely looking forward to this season,” Raiders coach Alex Armenteros said. “Trying to win this for the third straight time. We have the personnel for it. We have a veteran team, and we have some young athletes that have come in and are ready to help us achieve that goal. We have a veteran hurdle group, which we have four of the top hurdlers in the nation. That’s basically our biggest strength right now.”
Despite returning an experienced core, the Raiders must attempt to compensate for the loss of former Sun Sentinel Class 4A-3A Broward County girls track and field athlete of the year Zatoria Thompson, who is on the mend after an unspecified injury.
Thompson won two consecutive state titles in the high jump and claimed another in the 100-meter dash.
Armenteros said there is a chance for her to compete this season, but would instead “hope for the best and expect the worst.”
“I think some of the kids have realized that when you lose a player,” Armenteros said, “it’s time for someone else to step it up.”
In the case for Benjamin’s Joshua Pierre-Louis, springtime means the time to lace up the track spikes and put down the football.
Pierre-Louis, the Sun Sentinel’s Palm Beach boys 2A-1A track and field athlete of the year, is not only a standout defensive back for Benjamin’s football team but is also a star for the Buccaneers on the track.
The senior sprinter earned bronze in the 400-meter at the state championship meet to continue his consistency of finishing at the podium. In the preliminary 400-meter run, he ran a personalbest time of 50.05 seconds but was disqualified in the finals, so he was forced to settle for third.
Last season, he placed in the top three in 12 of the 18 individual races he competed in.
On the football field, he starred on both sides of the ball. PierreLouis racked up two interceptions and 41 total tackles while contributing on offense with one rushing and receiving touchdown.
“He’s one of the most special kids I’ve ever been given the chance to coach,” Benjamin coach Barrett Saunders said. “He’s going to be one of the top 400 [meter] guys in the state. We’re going to count on him a lot to lead this team.”
At the district meet, PierreLouis finished first in the 200 and third in the 400, while placing first in the 400 and second in the 200 at regionals.
The Piper and Miramar boys track and field teams will once again likely be in the hunt for the Class 4A state championship after they finished third and fourth last season, respectively.
Piper returns majority of their veteran 4x400 relay team, who finished first in states. Seniors Dujuan Baker, Ethan Hanna and Lonnell Johnson, were members of the first-placed relay team and will look to improve in individual competition.
For Miramar, they must overcome the graduation of Taylor Banks, who placed first in states in the 100 and 200-meter. Xavier Clarke headlines the Patriots roster after he finished 11th in the high jump.