MIDDLEBURG – With their usual aplomb in the long jump and triple jump; led by defending 4A champion Loren Johnson, the Oakleaf High girls track team took top honors at the Clay County High School Track Championships held Thurs., Feb. 28 at Middleburg High School while the Oakleaf boys team put up 22 points off the pole vault to win the boys title. Fleming Island was runnerup in both boys and girls team scores.

Oakleaf junior pole vaulter Joseph Anders hit a 10’-11.75” vault to win the event over Ridgeview’s Kyle Bixxon, but it was a 4-5-6 finish from three Oakleaf vaulters; Greg Adkins, Joel Wallace and Richard Hart that added key team points to the Knights total.

Johnson and teammate Rhian Jackson went 1-2 in the long jump with Johnson winning at 16’8.75”. Johnson won the 4A long jump title with an 18’-10” jump.

In the triple jump, Oakleaf piled on with Johnson winning with a 35’-9.5” winning leap with teammates Tamara Crowley, Tamira Briley and Jackson in at 2-3-4. Johnson was second in 4A in triple jump at 39’.04”.

In some of the more anticipated matchups, Orange Park High sprinter Alex Collier, third at 48.11 in the 3A 400 last year, blitzed the start and held off a surge from Oakleaf’s Keshawn King in the 100 to win in 11.18 seconds. All eight sprinters were within .25 seconds of King’s 11.58 runnerup split.

“I want to win the 100, 200 and 400 titles this year,” said Collier, who was also anchored the Raiders 4 x 400 relay; 10th in 3A last year. “We got three of the four guys back from the state 4 x 400. We find that fourth guy and we want to win that too.”

In the girls 1600, where Fleming Island’s freshman selection of distance runners that put the Golden Eagles into the 4A cross country state race in the fall, got a strong final leg from Grace Adams as she powered away from a foursome of runners to win in 5:35.76.

“I was pacing for a 5:40 finish with coach Moritz’s splits, but had some push at the end,” said Adams.

In the field behind Adams was Middleburg’s Emma Mussante; third in 5:53.44; Keystone Heights’ Camryn Williams; fourth in 6:00.39 and Orange Park’s Emma Brown, fifth in 6:06.64.

Missing was Fleming Island freshman Mei Chiang, who has broken 5:20 in prior races, who won the 3200 in 12:37.19 with Mussante and Williams behind her.

Fleming Island’s strong distance crew also got a first place from junior Jordan Detwiler in the 800.

In the boys mile, Keystone Heights senior Alex Guy, who had already run a sub-4:40 at the Danny Byron Invitational a week prior at Bishop Snyder, was thinking he wanted to hit 4:30 at the county championships.

Guy set out with Oakleaf’s Damien Pryce on the first lap, but without Fleming Island’s duo of Kameron Wallizada and Will Livesay; both set to run the 3200.

“I stayed with Damien the first lap and it was fairly quick but not enought to get to the 4:30 I wanted,” said Guy, who recently signed to run at Florida Southern College. “I just picked up the pace a bit in the final two laps before pushing hard in the last one.”

Guy won in 4:44.05 with Pryce second at 4:59.62 and Clay sophomore Carlton Waiguru third at 5:03.93

In the boys high jump, in a clash between Middleburg’s Bryce Quiett, third in 3A last year at 6’-4”, and Ridgeview’s Jaden Roy, 11th in 2A at 6’-3”, both with capabilities and aspirations above 6’-6”, Quiett fended off challenges from Roy and Oakleaf High’s Donovan Thomas to win with a 6’-2.75” leap with Roy equalling Quiett’s jump but with two misses. Both Quiett and Roy missed three tries at 6’-4.75”.

In the boys 3200, Oakleaf High junior Dylan Nelson continued his rise in the state ranks with a 9:57.93 winning time with Ridgeview’s Keith Kelley second at 10:38.63.

In the hurdles, Fleming Island’s Glenn Rodgers continued with his 15-plus splits in the 110 high hurdles with a 15.32 split for the win.

Other outstanding performances in recent meets included:

At Bartram Trail Classic on Fri., March 2

Boys

100: OPHS Alex Collier, 4th 11.14

400: OPHS Alex Collier, 1st 48.70, OPHS Sean Dixon, 6th 52.25

300 Hurdles: OPHS John Abate, 2nd 41.27

High Jump: RHS Jaden Roy, 1st 6’-4.75”

Long Jump: OPHS Jr. Stewart Udell, 3rd 20’-3”

Discus: OPHS James Rhodes, 4th 114’-0”

Shot Put: OPHS David Araujo, 2nd 40’-8.75”

Girls

100: OPHS Demia Harris, 5th 13.20

200: OPHS Demia Harris, 3rd 27.14

Discus: OPHS Destiny Basden, 5th 81’11”

Shot Put: OPHS Destiny Basden, 3rd 35’-8”

At Bolles Bulldog Classic on Fri., March 2

Boys

100: MHS Marcus Floyd, 1st 11.11

200: MHS Marcus Floyd, 1st 22.55

Girls

100: SJCDS Kendall Sage, 5th 13.11

200: SJCDS Kendall Sage, 6th 27.19

300 Hurdles: SJCDS Courtney Sage, 1st 46.81

Long Jump: SJCDS Kendall Sage, 6th 16’-2.25”

At Craig Speziale Invite, Ponte Vedra, Sat, March 3

Boys

100: FIHS Aaron Ramirez, 3rd 11.48

200: FIHS John Snyder, 6th 23.74

400: FIHS Jared Ashe 2nd 51.99, FIHS Jacob Ashe 3rd 52.38

800: FIHS Landon Opp, 4th 2:05.45

1600: FIHS Kameron Wallizada, 3rd 4:32.56; FIHS Will Livesay, 6th 4:42.01

110 High Hurdles: FIHS Glenn Rodgers, 1st 14.59

300 Hurdles: FIHS Glenn Rodgers, 1st 40.66

Discus: FIHS Joshua Conomea, 5th 119’-9”

Girls

400: FIHS Audrey Millican, 2nd 1:03.12

800: FIHS Mei Chiang, 5th 2:27.55

1600: FIHS Mei Chiang, 1st 5:19.16; FIHS Marisa Kortright 4th 5:29.61; FIHS Lauren Schaudel, 5th 5:32.60; FIHS Emma Millson, 6th 5:33.14

Javelin: FIHS Camilla May, 1st 103’-8”

At Danny Byron Invite (Bishop Snyder) Feb. 22

Boys

100: OPHS Alex Collier, 1st 10.89; MHS Marcus Floyd, 2nd 11.02

200: OPHS Alex Collier, 2nd 22.00; MHS Marcus Floyd, 4th 22.22

400: OPHS Alex Collier, 1st 48.17; OPHS Sean Dixon, 5th 51.01; SJCDS Jett Isley, 6th 51.36; RHS Matt Koziolek, 8th 52.35

800: RHS Elias Perez, 3rd 2:05.03

1600: OHS Dylan Nelson, 5th 4:36.93; SJCDS Ben Kailes, 8th 4:42.36

3200: RHS Joel Nesi, 2nd 9:55.19

300 Hurdles: OPHS Joel Childs, 3rd 43.24

Long Jump: OPHS Sean Dixon, 5th 20’-4”

Triple Jump: CHS Victor Moore, 2nd 41’5.75”

Javelin: MHS Rashawn Floyd, 4th 99’-9.75”

Shot Put: OPHS David Araujo, 3rd 43’-6.75”

Girls

High Jump: RHS Zoe Whaley, 4th 4’-11”

Triple Jump: RHS Jhatarra Sampson, 4th 31’-10”

Discus: OPHS Destiny Basden, 2nd 100’-3.5”

Javelin: FIHS Camilla May, 1st 102’-7”

Shot Put: OPHS Destiny Basden, 3rd 36’-4.25”