Seminole High speed stole show in SAC track
Seminole High track and field has been synonymous with speed since Hall of Fame coach Ken Brauman arrived at the Sanford school in 1983.
He’s now in his 49th year as a head coach, 38th with the Seminoles, and the stopwatch says Brauman still has the recipe for sculpting sprinters as well as hurdlers and jumpers.
That was made clear again Thursday when Seminole dominated its favorite events and ran away with the boys team title at the Seminole Athletic Conference track and field championship meet at Lake Brantley.
USF football signee Jimmy Horn Jr. led the way as the ’Noles swept the top four places in the triple jump, a Seminole staple since Brauman arrived, and saw its 4x100-meter relay team run the state’s fastest time of the year, 41 seconds, to highlight a meet chock full of impressive marks.
The relay performance eclipsed the previous top time in the state, 41.17, which was run by Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas at the Broward County Athletic Association championship meet three weeks ago. The Raiders and ’Noles both are in Class 4A and are on track to match up at the May 8 state meet in Jacksonville at the University of North Florida.
Horn, an All-Area playmaker for Seminole’s undefeated Class 8A football state championship squad, was on the SAC meet record relay. He also won the 100-meter dash (10.74 seconds), the long jump (22 feet, 3 inches) and the triple jump (47-5) in a monster day.
Seniors Xzavier Love and Lavonne Hunter joined Horn and sophomore standout Amari Turner in the 4x100.
Their time is in the all-time top six for Orlando area schools. Brauman said it ranks No. 2 in SHS history behind a 40.85 mark from the 1986 Golden South Classic. That was his third year at Seminole after 11 successful seasons at Palatka.
“We knew from the start we had the makings of a good 4x1 this year,” Brauman said after his fast foursome beat a strong Lake Brantley effort (41.89) to the finish line.
The key move that makes Seminole a state title threat was adding Horn to the relay recently after he transitioned from basketball to the track.
The move freed sophomore Tyrique Lewis to focus on his best event, the 400-meter dash, which is contested right after the 4x100.
“We worked hard all week on this relay,” Horn said. “Now we’re chasing that 40.85. That’s on our mind now.”
Turner was second at 10.75 and Love fourth at 10.89 behind Horn in the 100.
The ’Noles did the same in the 200, with Turner first in 21.64, Love second at 21.82 and Lewis fourth.
Horn and teammate Damaris Williams went 1-2 in the long jump and Seminole swept four of the top five spots in the 110 high hurdles.
Seminole’s boys outscored runner-up Lake Mary by 100 points, 234 to 134, to win its half of the eight-team meet.
“Next week starts the stress,” Brauman said, referring to his team’s April 16 District 3 meet at Flagler Palm Coast, where just the top four finishers in each event advance to region competition. “No mistakes to get where you want to be.”
Seminole was not alone in recording stellar performances Thursday.
Seniors Chadrick Richards of Lake Brantley and Sam Austin of Oviedo met for the first time in the 400 and pushed each other to the No. 2 and No. 4 times in Class 4A.
Richards won the one-lap duel and broke a school record with a time of 47.40. Austin, the state 800 leader, clocked a 47.71 time that lowered his own school record.
Winter Springs distance dominator Caroline Wells again made running three long races look easy. The undefeated junior ran by herself to the finish line while winning the 800 (2:13.69) and 1,600 (5:01.39). She also led the Bears to a state-leading time of 9:33.54 in the 4x800 relay. Wells carried the baton home with a 2:14.82 anchor split after legs by Evie McIver, Ella Giambalvo and Naomi Flowers.
Winter Springs senior Aiden Arnold lowered his school record in the boys 1,600 with a winning 4:17.32 and later cruised to victory in the 3,200 (9:37.94).
Lake Mary won the girls team title with 170 points. Seminole (150.5) was second.
Orange Belt bests: St. Cloud multisport standout Eno Inyang set a record in the girls shot put with a mark of 41 feet, 6 ¼ inches in the Orange Belt Conference meet at her school. She’s a Clemson women’s basketball recruit.
Poinciana senior Omario Windett won the boys 800 with the second fastest time in Osceola County history (1:55.81).
Celebration junior Helena Huyke clocked the area-leading girls 100 hurdles time (14.99) for 2021 and area boys high jump leader Guy Bond of Poinciana cleared 6-8 in the high jump for the third consecutive meet. His best is 6-9.
Harmony won both the boys and girls OBC team crowns.
Record-setting Kissimmee Osceola speedster Markevus Jackson did not compete as a precautionary measure due to hamstring concerns. His district meet is next Thursday, also at St. Cloud.
Saturday’s track and field schedule includes the West Metro Conference meet at Deputy Scott Pine Community Park in Windermere and the Boone Invitational.