MIDDLE SCHOOL BOYS TRACK AND FIELD

BROOKSVILLE –
Parrott is made of sprinters. Head Coach Patrick Brandhuber flat out said so at the completion of another successful season.

The proof had just played out for everyone to see. The Leopards claimed their fourth consecutive county championship, winning Tuesday’s Hernando County Middle School Athletic Conference Meet at Central High.

Parrott scored 104 team points, well ahead of both Challenger and West Hernando in second with 78.

“I think it’s very big,” Brandhuber said. “I think it was important to them. Once again it was that solid base we’ve had the last three years. Some of these boys are basketball champs and football champs. Going out as champions, it was good being the last middle school event for them.”

Tigers rise early

Brandhuber admitted that Fox Chapel, who Parrott did not see in the regular season, “came out of the blue” by getting in front early thanks to some field event victories.

Jesse Cowan captured the shot put (40’3 1/4″) and Marcus Allen the long jump (18’2 3/4″). Later on, James Harkless added a distance triumph for the Tigers with a 5:12 in the 1600.

But once the sprinting started, the Leopards gained control. Parrott notched its initial first place when Kevin Hagood ran a 16.05 in the 110-hurdles.

His teammate, eighth-grader Jeremiah Jackson, followed that up by winning the 100 in 11.75 and later the 200 (24.01).

Afterward, Jackson said those represented his slowest times of the season. He didn’t mind, though, so long as the team pulled out the meet.

“It means a lot because this is my last time being at Parrott, doing my last sport,” Jackson said. “I had to push it, give it all I had.

“…If we win, I’m just satisfied with that. This is a team sport. As long as I got first place for my team, I’m happy.”

The Leopards also crossed the finish line ahead of the field in the 4×100, Derrell Holland, De’Andre Goodson, Hagood and Mondrell Brown running a 48.63.

“It’s not the most serious group. They’re just fun-loving kids,” Brandhuber said “…It was a pleasant surprise for the fourth year in a row.”

Other individual county champions included Jesse Gaudin of Challenger, who took the discus with a 124’10” throw, while Tyler Long snagged the high jump for the Navigators leaping 5’8″.

West Hernando’s Anton Zeytulaev won the 400 in 58.77, and took second in the high jump (5’4″). Robbie Bradley added a first for the Golden Eagles in the 800 (2:22).

Finally, the West Hernando 4×400 relay of Zeytulaev, Chris Wilson, Andrew Vreeland and Bradley posted a 3:58 to win that race.

HCMSAC Championship Team Results
1. Parrott (PAR) 104, 2. Challenger (CHA), West Hernando (WH) 78, 4. Fox Chapel (FC) 56, 5. Explorer (EXP) 28, 6. Powell (POW) 27, 7. J.D. Floyd (JDF) 1
HCMSAC Championship Individual Results: Top 6 score team points (10-8-6-4-2-1)
LJ – 1. Allen (FC) 18’2 3/4″, 2. Carr (PAR) 17’11”, 3. Holland (PAR) 17’10 3/4″, 4. Ertl (PAR) 17’10 1/2″, 5. Long (CHA) 17’5 1/4″, 6. Sheppard (WH) 16’9 1/2″, Espinosa (POW) 16’9 1/2″, Montgomery (EXP) 15’2 1/2″, Fonte (JDF) 11’8″.
110 HH – 1. Hagood (PAR) 16.05, 2. Asher (WH) 16.08, 3. Roque (EXP) 16.12, 4. Long (CHA) 16.22, 5. Carr (PAR) 16.45, 6. Grant (PAR) 16.80, Hunter (FC) 17.06, Montavo (JDF) 17.24, Larratta (POW) 17.71.
100m – 1. Jackson (PAR) 11.75, 2. Brown (PAR) 12.03, 3. Fontan (CHA) 12.05, 4. Duncan (FC) 12.52, 5. Valentin (EXP) 12.60, 6. Burkes (CHA) 12.61, Williams (POW) 12.90, Nathan (WH) 13.13, Wilson (JDF) 14.69.
SP – 1. Cowan (FC) 40’3 1/4″, 2. Gaudin (CHA) 39’11 3/4″, 3. Monroe (PAR) 39’8″, 4. Jackson (PAR) 39’4 1/4″, 5. Bradley (WH) 37’10”, 6. Miara (POW) 36’7″, 7. Hannah (EXP) 36’5 1/2″.
HJ – 1. Long (CHA) 5’8″, 2. Zeytulaev (WH) 5’4″, 3. Harris (POW) 5’4″, 4. Teater (WH) 5’2″, 5. Roscillo (CHA) 5’0″, 6. Hagood (PAR) 5’0″, Toth (CHA) 4’10”, Rivera (JDF) 4’10”, Aldamuy (EXP) 4’8″, Lopez (FC) 4’8″.
DIS – 1. Gaudin (CHA) 124’10”, 2. McCandless (WH) 112’10”, 3. Hudson (POW) 107’3″, 4. Miara (POW) 101’3 1/2″, 5. Foradas (CHA) 99’4 1/2″, 6. Teater (WH) 95’4 1/2″, Brooks (FC) 94’5″, Monroe (PAR) 93’9″, Hannah (EXP) 89’9 1/2″, Wilson (JDF) 87’10”.
1600m – 1. Harkless (FC) 5:12.10, 2. Asher (WH) 5:13.10, 3. Toth (CHA) 5:20.80, 4. Swift (CHA) 5:26, 5. Ovitt (WH) 5:26, 6. Roberts (WH) 5:28.
4×100 – 1. Holland, Goodson, Hagood, Brown (PAR) 48.63, 2. Challenger 49.64, 3. Fox Chapel 50.45, 4. Explorer 51.30, 5. Powell 51.44, 6. West Hernando 51.50.
400m – 1. Zeytulaev (WH) 58.77, 2. Ertl (PAR) 59.49, 3. Stanke (EXP) 1:00.10, 4. Burns (WH) 1:01.46, 5. Jones (FC) 1:01.62, 6. Reyes (EXP) 1:01.68, Thomas (POW) 1:02.57, Russo (CHA) 1:02.67, Rivera (JDF) 1:03.63.
800 – 1. Bradley (WH) 2:22, 2. Matos (FC) 2:23, 3. Espinosa (POW) 2:25, 4. Toth (CHA) 2:26, 5. Plummer (CHA) 2:27, 6. Aldamuy (EXP) 2:30.
200 – 1. Jackson (PAR) 24.01, 2. Fontan (CHA) 24.38, 3. Brown (PAR) 24.39, 4. Holland (PAR) 24.68, 5. Allen (FC) 25.38, 6. Marerro (CHA) 27.04, Leyden (JDF) 28.63, Larratta (POW) 28.91, Miller (WH) 29.69, Reglado (EXP) 30.03.
4×400 – 1. Zeytulaev, Wilson, Vreeland, Bradley (WH) 3:58, 2. Explorer 4:01, 3. Fox Chapel 4:13, 4. Parrott 4:17, 5. Powell 4:19, 6. J.D. Floyd 4:37, 7. Challenger 4:43.

Sports writer Chris Bernhardt Jr. can be reached at 352-544-5288 or [email protected].