After Plant City Track & Field saw junior Trae’veon Smith and both their boys and girls 4×100 relay teams qualify at their regional meet, the Raiders made their way to the University of North Florida in Jacksonville this past weekend for the FHSAA Class 4A Track & Field State Championships.
With a time of 21.93 seconds, Smith finished 10th in the state in the 200 meters while the boys 4×100 relay team of Amauri Jackson, Jason Davis, Roderick Jackson and Smith finished 10th as well with a time of 42.18 seconds.
On the girls side, the 4×100 relay team of Makenzie Holmes, Makayla Holmes, Jalayah Shaw and Erica Holloman finished 11th in the state with a time of 48.31 seconds.
While the Raiders didn’t see any of their athletes make the podium this year, the ability for their Track & Field team to qualify for three events at the state level was an incredible accomplishment considering how young the team was as a whole — for example, this was Smith’s first season with the Track & Field team as he broke the Plant City High School record in both the 100 meter and 200 meter before qualifying for the state meet in the 200 meter.
Additionally, Smith and the entire boys 4×100 relay team will return next year, along with both Makenzie and Makayla Holmes from the girls 4×100 relay team.