State track finals show off Sunshine State speed
The FHSAA state track and field championships return to IMG Academy in Bradenton for what could be a record-setting show today and Saturday.
Florida, long renowned for its sprinters, currently has the national leaders in the boys 100-, 200and 400-meter dashes; and the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.
Sunshine state speed shows up atop the girls 100, 200 and 800 charts.
The list of top area title contenders in 4A boys events includes Freedom junior the surprise 1,600 champ of 2016; state pole vault leader of Winter Park; Colonial long jumper
and Celebration discus thrower
Girls 4A forces from area schools include reigning 300 hurdles champ of Evans; state pole vault leader
of Winter Springs; Oviedo discus thrower and both Lake Brantley freshman phenom and Winter Park junior
in the distance runs. Boys to watch in other classifications include Harmony pole vaulter in 3A, area shot of 2A, and put leader Lake Highland Prep ninth grade hurdler of The First Academy in 1A.
On paper, no area schools team title favorites. Boys in
are basketball coach
said he is leaving Poinciana, which he led to a Class 5A state championship two years ago, to be head coach at tradition-rich Vero Beach.
Whitsett, who turns 37 on Friday, replaces who won more than 600 games in 29 seasons at Vero.
“It’s a big-time move for me and my family,” Whitsett said. “We’ve always wanted to be on the coast. It’s 9A. It’s the top of the food chain.
“I know it’s going to be a challenge in order to uphold the tradition coach Chuck built. We’re looking forward to it.”
Whitsett went 86-23 in four seasons as Poinciana’s boys coach after a 21-5 year as a first-time head coach for the Eagles’ girls program.
The undefeated Freedom boys volleyball team is heading into state tournament play three days after being pushed to the limit in its FHSAA play-in game on Tuesday night.
The Patriots (28-0) were taken to a fifth game for the first time all season and had to rally to defeat Dr. Phillips 15-11 in the decisive set to survive and advance. Veteran coach coach
said handling that scare might be the best thing that ever happened to a team that cruised through its regular season.
“That showed the boys they could go to five games,” McFerren said. “They hadn’t been put to that level all year. They could have crumbled. They didn’t.”
Freedom faces Miami Ransom Everglades (21-6) in a quarterfinal match today at 5 p.m. at Golden Gate High School in Naples. The Patriots handled the Raiders 25-15, 25-23 in March at the Dr. Phillips Showcase tournament.
“Honestly that seems so long ago, I don’t remember much about that match,” McFerren said.
Lake Mary (23-4), left Thursday for a repeat trip to state and will play at 1 vs. South Broward (20-5).
The Rams returned four starters from their 26-2 state tournament team of 2016, but hit a rough patch midway through the regular season. Coach said a candid team meeting following a loss to rival Lyman turned his team around.
“The next day at practice, totally different team,” Reyes said. “That’s when we started taking off.”
Lake Mary has won 14 of its past 15 matches, losing only to DP in five. Former Timber Creek standout
hit three home runs in a game for the first time in his six-year professional baseball career on Wednesday night.
Marincov, a 6-2, 205-pound rightfielder for the Midland RockHounds of the AA Texas League, also knocked in a career-high six runs in a Sunday game and had three hits on Tuesday.
The Oakland Athletics’ eighthround draft pick (2013) out of UNF was 9-for-17 with 11 RBI in Midland’s past four games prior to Thursday.