By Kyle LoJacono
Steinbrenner boys track and field captured its first regional championship in its four-year history April 24 during the Class 3A regional meet at Leto.
First-year Warriors coach Mike Bosco put the squad’s sentiments in simple terms: “You just can’t say enough about that Boss Cross.”
The Boss Cross, the nickname for Steinbrenner’s distance program, flexed its muscles to score 50 of the Warriors’ 59 points, besting Jefferson by four.
The Boss Cross was equally dominant the week before to help Steinbrenner win the program’s first district title, but the Warriors didn’t anticipate a regional crown.
“I thought district championship was the biggest upset that we were going to pull,” said senior Zach Lima. “When I heard we could win this, I actually thought it was a joke.”
Zach teamed with seniors Matt Magee, Tanner Biles and his twin Tyler to win the 4×800-meter relay by finishing in 8 minutes, 3.17 seconds.
The Warriors ran in the slower of two heats because Steinbrenner’s alternates ran the week before to qualify for regionals. Zach said they prepared mentally to run against the clock.
“Going in the slow heat makes it a little more difficult, but we pride ourselves on being disciplined,” Zach said. “The whole week coach would have his Safeco stopwatch and tell us that Safeco ran this. That made sure we knew we were running against time.”
The relay returns everyone from last year when they won regionals and took fourth at states.
Magee also won the 1,600 (4:23.61), besting Land O’ Lakes’ Tyler Stahl by 1.38 and Wiregrass Ranch’s Ermias Bireda, the defending regional champ, by 2.33.
“Those guys are great competitors,” Magee said. “It was a really tough race. We were all right there the entire way. That race was beyond competitive. It was just a pack moving together.”
Magee also earned a state berth in the 800 (1:57.52, third place) to score 16 in his individual events. Senior Derek Gebhard added four more points by finishing fifth (1:59.59).
The Warriors sat in fourth place with 43 points entering the 3,200, the meet’s second to last event. Hillsborough led with 49.5, Kissimmee Liberty and Jefferson were second (49) and third (47), respectively.
Steinbrenner needed 16 points to clinch the team title, and that’s what The Boss Cross delivered.
Tyler won the 3,200 (9:47.04) for 10, followed by teammate Chris Cerreta’s third place (9:53.72) for another six.
“The excitement of making it to states for the first time was so big that I didn’t even know we could still be region champs,” said Cerreta, a senior.
Tyler also didn’t know they could lock up the team title.
“Normally I do know where the team is, but I was more nervous about my own race today than normal, so I was kind of off my mental game,” Tyler said. “My coach didn’t tell us like he did last week at districts.”
Bosco, who spent two years as an assistant before becoming the coach, said he thought they had a chance after seeing senior thrower Logan McKnight score nine by placing fifth in the shot put (47- feet, 5-inches) and fourth in the discus (148-06) to earn a state berth.
“We knew it would be a long shot, but Boss Cross came through,” Bosco said.
The Gaither boys totaled 25 points to place ninth at the 38-team meet. Sophomore Samson Moore scored eight by finishing second in the 200 with a school record 21.75.
Moore was the 3A state runner-up last year in the 110 hurdles, but focused on sprints this year to build his speed for the future.
“I didn’t think this was going to happen when the season started,” Samson said. “I thought I could maybe get to states because my goal was to run in the low 22s, maybe get into the 21s, but 21.7 was lower than I thought.”
Junior Brad Smith earned a state berth in the discus (149-02.5, third), as did the 4×400 relay (3:23.17, fourth) team of Matt Williams, Malik Wright, Otis Wallace and Moore.
Williams was seeded eighth in the 110 hurdles and third in the 300 hurdles, but was unable to make the finals in either event. The junior said that was motivating.
“I didn’t make it in the events I wanted to, the hurdles, so I felt like I had something to prove,” Williams said. “I had one last chance to get to states this year, and this was my ticket.”
The 3A state meet is May 3 at the University of North Florida.
Gaither’s Cazares returns to states
By Kyle LoJacono
Rachel Cazares doesn’t have good memories of last year’s track and field regional meet.
Cazares, who had made states the year before as a freshman, finished fifth in the 800, one spot from consecutive trips to the final meet.
“Fifth place last year was a mistake, an accident; it was bad luck,” Cazares said. “I remember I went to watch my friends at states, and my times were right there on the podium. That hurt a lot, and I wasn’t going to let it happen again.”
The Gaither junior didn’t let that mistake repeat itself by finishing in 2 minutes, 17.43 seconds to place second during the Class 3A regional meet April 24 at Leto.
“Last year I had a problem where if someone passed me I’d give up, but this year I’m just confident, and that makes a world of difference,” Cazares said.
Cazares added that she feels more ready for states than when she finished 13th two years ago. She will be joined by senior teammates Kiana Bryant and Jenifer Kingsley.
Bryant earned her third straight trip to states in the 100 (12.08, fourth place).
Kingsley captured her first state berth by placing fourth in the 100 hurdles (15.37).
“It really hasn’t sunk in,” Kingsley said. “It’s just such a blessing to think back that when I came out as a freshman I didn’t even know how to run, and now I’m a state qualifier.”
Kingsley was 0.01 seconds from earning a berth in the 300 hurdles, but Steinbrenner freshman Taylor Hotchkiss took fourth, the last qualifying spot, by posting 47.39.
“I never thought I’d be able to do this,” Hotchkiss said. “I didn’t even think I’d get out of districts.”
Fellow Warrior Loren Scherschel, a junior, advanced in the pole vault (8-feet, 6-inches, fourth), as did the 4×800 relay (9:57.33, fourth) that was seeded seventh.
“I was so nervous all day,” said freshman Alex Sikoryak, the relay’s leadoff runner. “I could only eat an apple today. I was shaking, but once I started running I was OK, like it was any other race. … We beat our time from last week by about 20 seconds, so I’m really excited.”
The relay advanced to states last year, but only anchor runner Lauren Garris returned.
“I have never been so nervous about anything,” said Garris, a senior. “I’ve been to states for multiple sports, and I was so scared. I couldn’t really feel my body expect I was tingling the whole time.”
Adding to the nerves was the fact that she got the baton in fourth place with top seed Wiregrass Ranch two spots behind. Garris had to stay in front of Bulls senior Nikita Shah, a four-time state qualifier for cross country and track
“I saw Nikita when we checked in, and I knew she’d run anchor too,” Garris said. “I was just happy my teammates gave me a cushion to run with. … Alex actually apologized because she thought she was going to do badly, but she did really great and has done great all year. Lydia (Albert) and Caroline (Murray) all did great.”
The 3A state meet is May 3 at the University of North Florida.
—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker
