By Kyle LoJacono
The Land O’ Lakes boys track and field team dominated Pasco County last year by going 7-0 in local meets, winning the Sunshine Athletic Conference title and claiming Class 3A-District 6 championships.
It was not only one of the most successful seasons for the Gators in their 37-year history, but it was also the first season coaching track on any level for Land O’ Lakes coach Bill Schmitz.
“I talked with other coaches, and looking at what we’d done the previous couple years we expected to be in the middle of the pack in the conference and district,” Schmitz said. “I went into the first quad meet at Fivay with no expectations. We won that, and then every other meet in the regular season. As things went along we tried to get them competing and wanting to do well for the whole team, and that was a big reason we won conference and districts.”
Schmitz also got athletes to join the team, which built up its strength and depth.
“Coach Schmitz can be very persuasive,” Zapata said. “He was able to get those guys to come out and get a lot of points for us, and he got a lot of other guys to join the team.”
Among those recruited were throwers Jackson Cannon and Shadow Williams and sprinter Josh Davis.
“I saw early that we had an unbelievably strong senior class,” Schmitz said. “Ian McKenzie scored well in the pole vault, we had two great hurdlers in Darin Patmon and Kyle McKee, and then when Jackson and Shadow decided to join the team for the field events and Josh joined for the sprints meant we had so much leadership. Those guys knew what to do; they prepared and got the young guys competing better and better every week.”
Those six and two other seniors graduated, taking with them 100 points scored at districts and four league championships, but they helped create a winning mentality not seen in years for the Gators. Those who return want to keep that newly found success.
“Now we have a mindset and expectation that we have to live up to,” said junior Jamel Clark, who competes in the 400 meters and 4×400 relay. “We’re trying to maintain the status that we have. I’m seeing a lot of pride and dedication out here.”
The pride has spread across the school and has swelled the squad’s ranks.
“We don’t have all the wrestlers and basketball players out yet, and our numbers are already up over 50,” Schmitz said. “Last year at this time we were at 30. We had more and more athletes come to me asking when track was going to start; many of them I did not know personally before.”
The departures are great, but the Gators do bring back a young group of talented athletes, including junior distance runners Travis Nichols, Tyler Stahl and Jake Poore.
“Everybody is out here with the mentality of training to repeat,” Nichols said. “We’re all doing everything we can to replace those points and keep that spot.”
Schmitz said Clark led volunteer workouts to help get the athletes involved in track earlier. Sophomore Dylan Mohamed, who does the high jump, 100, 200 and 4×100, said that extra workouts are already paying off.
“We’ve had more time to condition,” Mohamed said. “That’s helped us out when we had our time trials, and I think that’ll help us go into the season better and give us more confidence as a team.”
Nichols said he had his best cross country season during the fall, which included a 12th-place finish at the 3A final and being named The Laker/Lutz News Boys Runner of the Year. He hopes that effort carries over to the track season so that he can return to states in the 3,200 and cut his personal record from 9 minutes, 46 seconds.
“Goal is to get top five,” Nichols said. “My goal is to get down to 9:30, and if I do I think I can get top five.”
Schmitz said they have many guys who can also bring in points in multiple events like Zapata, who will compete in the long and triple jumps, 200 and 4×100 relay. He said that, along with a more difficult schedule, will help keep his athletes competing into May.
“Last year we did a lot of smaller meets, and this year we’re going to the bigger ones,” Schmitz said. “I think that’s going to help prepare us for conference and districts, but also regionals so we can get more guys into the state meet.”
The 3A-6 meet is at Wiregrass Ranch April 16, followed by regionals at Leto April 24 and states May 3 at the University of North Florida.
The Gators start the season at the Early Bird Eagle Invitational at East Lake Feb. 20 at 3 p.m.
“I’m so excited and ready to go,” Zapata said. “I’m counting down the days until we go to East Lake.”
—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker
