The First Academy used two clutch relay victories to sew up a repeat Class 2A boys state track and field team title on Saturday.
And Oviedo and Jones also produced memorable relay wins to close out a grueling two-day meet at the University of North Florida that was made tougher by more than six hours of lightning delays.
Five Friday stoppages and schedule changes forced Oviedo’s nationally ranked boys 4×800-meter relay foursome of senior Angel Vicioso, sophomore Samuel Austin and junior brothers Kayamo Galloway and Mamush Galloway to to shake off a scarcity of sleep to win the 4A championship. They did just that in a time of 7 minutes, 45.95 seconds that ranks No. 4 in the U.S., according to MileSplit.
All four were still at UNF at near 11 p.m. on Friday, waiting for Vicioso to run the 3,200. When that race was scratched, they made the half-hour trip back to their hotel, grabbed dinner from a convenience store, and got back into their rooms at nearly midnight. They had to awaken early to leave the hotel at 7:30 a.m. for their morning relay.
“It was an emotional up-and-down,” Oviedo coach Dave Tibbetts said. “It was tough.”
The schedule changes meant Vicioso had a treacherous triple on Saturday, with the relay followed by two individual finals. He and Tibbetts considered the possibility of bowing out of the 1,600 to save his legs for the later 3,200 but Vicioso opted to run both individual races – and won both in a dynamic display of determination.
The UConn signee finished his long day by rallying in the final two laps to win the 3,200. Vicioso trailed Sarasota’s Ben Hartvigsen by six seconds at the midway point of the eight-lap race but refused to surrender. Vicioso took the lead with about 100 meters remaining and won with a 9:15.05 that was 10 seconds faster than his previous career best.
“It’s probably more rewarding doing it the hard way,” Vicioso said afterward. “The human body is amazing. It’s just a matter of can the mind catch up to it.
Vicioso was boxed in early in the 1,600 but timely smart moves to join the leaders and then ran away from the pack on the final lap to win in a time of 4:15.93.
Sentinel coverage area schools won a total of 12 event championships on Saturday.
TFA junior Alex Shields, who was disappointed in his sixth-place long jump finish on Friday, bounced back to repeat as champion of both the 110- and 300-meter hurdles. He also led off a 4×400 relay that won to wrap up the 1A team title.
The Royals totaled 65 points to top second-place Mount Dora Christian (55).
First Academy ran its 4×100 “A” team of Suresh Black, Marsielle Taylor, Nate Edwards and Lake Ellis for the first time all year and blew away its state-meet competition with a 41.88 time.
MDC made it a race for the 1A team title when it won the 4×800 with senior standout Gabriel Curtis on the back end. Curtis, an FSU signee, won the 3,200 on Friday night and added a third place in Saturday’s 1,600.
A year after finishing second in the 2A girls 4×100 relay, Jones High took the big prize with a winning time of 46.69 seconds.
“It’s the mentality we had as a team,” said Janiyah Townsend, a junior. “We may argue, fuss and fight, but we’re all in it together when we race.”
She teamed with senior Jaela Hollie, sophomore Azaria White and senior Kilani Harvey.
Saturday’s other area individual champs were junior jumpers Amayah Ugarte of Windermere and Joshua Dunlap of Seminole and shot putters Conrad Wilson of Trinity Prep and Michaelle Valentin of Evans.
Ugarte, a versatile junior, added a fourth in the high jump, seventh in the long jump and eighth in the 300 hurdles to her triple jump win to lead Windermere to an area-best fourth place finish.
Evans placed fifth and Lake Brantley took seventh.
“I’ve always wanted to be a state champion in something,” Ugarte said. “I’m really happy.”
Valentin was just as thrilled after completing an undefeated season in the shot put. Then she showed that she possesses speed to go with her strength as the member of the Trojans fifth place 4×100 relay.
“I was a runner before I did the shot put,” she said. “I missed running so I wanted to do both this year.”
Shot putting was secondary to football for Wilson until he realized he “could go somewhere” in track and field. He won with a mark of 53 feet, 81/4 inches on Saturday and said his throwing ability helped pave the way for his admission to Atlanta’s Emory University.
Dunlap, who edged Jaylon Carles of West Orange on a tiebreaker to win the 4A boys long jump, got a late start in track because he was on his school’s region final basketball team. He came on strong just in time to win region and state titles after missing qualifying for state by an inch and a half last season.
“That was a push for me this year,” Dunlap said. “I worked really hard for this.”
Oviedo led area 4A teams with a fifth place finish. West Orange placed ninth and Seminole was tenth with all 23 of its points scored in the vertical jumps.
Area teams claimed five of the top seven places in the 4A girls 4×880, but the victory went to Newsome (9:21.20) of the Tampa area. Lake Brantley was second in 9:22.20, followed by Lake Mary 9:22.39. Winter Springs was fifth in 9:22.86.
Evans sophomore Jahnile Registre placed second in the 4A girls 400 (54.14) and fifth in the 200 (24.42).
Dr. Phillips was runner-up in the 4A girls 4×100 with a 47.54 time.
Colonial junior Keila Perez placed third in the 4A shot put and was runner-up in the discus.
Four area boys placed in the 4A triple jump, led by runner-up Russell Robinson of West Orange (47-53/4). None could match the 49-foot mark Robbie Peterson of Sarasota achieved.
Lake Mary was among the favorites in the 4A boys 4×100 but Rams anchor Bernard Fleuristal pulled up with a hamstring injury as he was rapidly moving up on Jacksonville First Coast, which won the race in a time of 41.22.
