JACKSONVILLE - Fleming Island High distance runner John Keester IV turned the trick for a third Bob Hayes title while teammate Gabrielle Flores endured wet, sloppy conditions to win the high jump as area track athletes not only competed against the best athletes in Florida, but also had weather factors throughout the Saturday festival of events. The annual event, the 58th running on Saturday, has recently moved from its historical venue of Raines High School, who has staged the meet since 1968 in honor of NFL and Olympic sprint legend Bob Hayes, to the state of the art track facility at University of North Florida.

"We think the move to University of North Florida was a great move for the enhancement of the meet as was evident by this being one of our biggest athlete participation in recent history even with the bad weather," said Henry Smith, a 25-year veteran of staging the Bob Hayes Memorial Invitational with its long history at Raines High School now being elevated with the world class track at UNF. "Greg Coleman, the event director who took over after coach James Day passed last year, has made the transition a world class move into a world class facility. We saw the world class performances like never before just like we used to see every year at Raines. On Saturday, the 4 x 400 and the 100 meters, the two showcase events, were the highlights of the meet."

Top local performances for the day were a third 3200 meter title to Keester IV who ran a 9:42.29 split to outdistance Fleming Island teammate Jacob Campbell who was runnerup at 9:55.02; a high jump title to Flores who won with a 5'-.25" leap to win by two inches and a courageous elite mile run by Fleming Island's Graham Myers, who led the entire race, extended on the final lap, but could not hold off a late charge from Mandarin's Gavin Nelson who won by .16 seconds with a 4:18.41. Myers time; 4:18.57, was a new school record for Fleming Island.

In the sprints, Oakleaf's Evan Brown continued his strong season of sub-11 second splits in the 100 meters as he finished fifth in 10.81 against an elite field that was won with three runners at the front all under 10.60; winner Brandon Bennette of American Heritage, just a freshman, in 10.51. In second and third, also both freshmen, were Kai Baker of Somerset Academy in 10.56 and Zamarii Sanders of American Heritate in 10.59.

"Bob Hayes was the world fastest human in his time and this event is all about speed," said Smith. "That's one of the fastest and closest 100 meters ever for this meet."

In the girls distance races, the combination of Oakleaf's Sierra Barrera, a senior, and Fleming Island's top pair of Katie Thompson, a senior, and Brooke Reynolds, a freshman, provided some track excitement with Barrera finishing fourth in the elite mile in a new record of 5:18.13 with Thompson, who chased the lead pack of winner Alyson Johnson, a Creekside freshman who won in 5:08.56, and Grace Finneran, a sophomore at St. Thomas Aquinas who was second at 5:09.94, for most of the middle section of the race before Barrera overtook her on the final lap for her fourth. Thompson finished eighth in 5:22.64.

In the girls 800 final, Barrera came back to take fifth in 2:22.22 behind again two front runners in Cha'iel Johnson of St. Thomas Aquinas who won in 2:14.65 with Ka'Myya Haywood of Bishop Kenny just shy for second in 2:14.73. Reynolds was 12th in 2:26.23.

In the 3200, Fleming Island's Allie Knotts, a junior, was 10th in 11:55.14 (winner 11:28.18).

One event that showcased numerous Clay County athletes and highlighted the prowess of the area girls weightlifting success (Clay state champions) was in the discus with Clay's Annalee Harbison second at 123'0-2" (winner 130'-10"), Middleburg's Madison Underwood fourth at 120'-10" and Clay's Kenya Tinajero sixth at 110'-0". All three athletes were state weightlifting competitors.

For area boys athletes top finishers included Brenden Cook, Fleming Island 110 hurdles; sixth in 15.27 (winner 14.17); Oakleaf's 4 x 100 relay, seventh in 43.02 (winner 41.39 Miami Northwestern); Fleming Island's 4 x 800, fifth in 8:25.09 (winner 8:00.72); Orange Park freshman long jumper Nethan Verger, seventh in 21'-3.25" (winner 23'-5.25"); Oakleaf triple jumper Takoda Brown, third in 42'-4.25" (winner 46'-3.5"); Fleming Island pole vaulter Gideon Gilaspy, third at 12'-11.5" (winner 14'-11") and Oakleaf shot putter Jordan Mitchell, eigfhth at 48'-11.50" (winner 56'-8").

For the girls, outstanding finishes came from Orange Park, Oakleaf and Fleming Island in the 4 x 400 relays; 6th-8th-9th; Fleming Island freshman triple jumper Mikayla Shavers was seventh in 35'-4" (winner 38'-8.25"); Oakleaf javelin and also a weightlifter Madison Linscomb finished fourth in 102'-5" (winner 126'-11") and Orange Park shotputter Mychalea Parker finished fourth in 35'-5" (winner 38'-2.75").

In Friday's middle school Bob Hayes Invitational, Oakleaf Junior High, coached by Merlin Smith, got wins in the 800 by Tyara Vasquez-Williams in 2:27.30; the girls 4 x 100 and 4 x 200 relays; the boys 100 hurdles by Emmett Egger in 15.35, and the boys 4 x 400.

Strong second and third place finishes came from Ryan Mangome (3rd Long jump; Jack Strombeck, second in 1600; Leandre Washington, third in 400; Brooke Linscomb, second in long jump and 100 hurdles; Tamia Yarns, third in 100 hurdles; Skylar Smith, third in 400, and Jazmine Soto, second in 100, third in 200.

Green Cove Springs Junior High had 10 athletes with sixth grader Camden Ghisolfi finishing sixth in the 400 as top performer. Ghisolfi was 20 in the 200.