Rockledge girls roll, Ocoee edges Rockledge boys at Toho Tiger Invitational
KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA – Nischa King posted four top-two finishes to help show Rockledge’s girls showed they have their depth on lock. Ocoee’s boys proved dominant in field events. That’s why they won the Tohopekaliga Tiger Invitational Track meet.
Ocoee’s boys put up a 62-18 lead over Rockledge, then had to sweat out the Raiders’ track prowess to give the Knights a 78-75 victory.
The meet featured several athletes ranked in the top 10 in the state’s FHSAA-TFRRS rankings in their events. No. 2 high jumper Drea Thompson of Harmony won, while Ocoee’s Dylan Horne swept the discus and shot put, events he was fourth and eighth.
Thompson won the high jump by clearing with a 5-foot-5.25. She waited until 5-foot-1 to enter the fray and cleared 5-1, 5-3 and 5-5.25 on single jumps. “I really try to visualize myself making it over and try to just zone in on it,” said Thompson, about choosing an opening height.
Photo by Lynn Ramsey
Some of the individual prowess got lost in the team battles. Rockledge’s girls had 118.5 points, more than double Timber Creek’s 55 and Lake Minneola’s 53. They did this despite sending several athletes to compete in the FSU Relays.
Rockledge boys coach Freddie Goins spoke about preparing for a brutal Region 4-3A. At the 2022 3A boys meet, South Florida swept the top four positions, with Rockledge taking 10th. At the 2022 3A state girls meet, five of the top six teams hailed from South Florida, including a 1-2 finish from Miami Northwestern and Miami Southridge.
Rockledge has a goal to improve on that third-place finish. King led the way, leading a 1-2 Raiders finish in the 100 meters ahead of Jaida Williams-Goins. She set a meet and track record with a 14.47-second time. She also took second in the long jump and second in the 400 hurdles. King also was part of a 1-2-4 finish in the 100, led by Allyson Watson-Bell’s 12.62.
“It’s good, because we’re able to have the young ones follow the more experienced ones,” Rockledge girls coach Beth Scarborough said. “What the more experienced ones do, they know they are there to lead not only physically, but emotionally and to bring the young ones up. That’s something that has helped us: Every time we get another group, our leaders are there ready to help.”
Rockledge freshman Sanau Jhagroo took second in high jump behind Harmony’s Drea Thompson the No. 2 jumper in the state entering the meet.
Jhagroo also ran anchor leg in the Raiders’ 4x400 victory, joining Williams-Goins, Hawkins and Laila Dupuch in finishing in 4:07.16.
Rockledge also won the girls 4x100 relay in 47.69.
“We see where we need to get a little better, tweak things out where we’re able to excel so we can get that conference championship, get that district and get those ones that should qualify for the next level,” Scarborough said.
Other top-10 athletes fueled Ocoee’s victory, especially with 54 points in throws alone. Horne, ranked fourth in discus and eighth in shot put, led a 1-2-3 Knights finish in the shot put with a track- and meet-record 53-foot-.25-inch mark, followed by Deandre Scott’s 49-0.5 and Keniel Carrasquillo’s 48-10.5.
Horne also led a 1-2 finish in the discus with a 151-4 mark, followed by Carrasquillo’s 136-0.
“I probably need to work on a couple more techniques,” Horne said. “I’ve got the majority of it. Just a couple more technique things and I’ll be there..”
Ahlston Ware led another 1-3 Ocoee throws finish, winning the javelin with a 151-8 mark. Teammate Miki Levi was third with 144-9
Ocoee coach David Peaco matter-of-factly said the Knights rely on field events. He lauded their work and the coaching of throws coach Buck Gurley.
However, he said he was holding out several runners due to injury. He wants them to heal in time for districts. His goal is to bring them back after next week’s Florida Relays
“All of our throwers are multisport athletes,” Peaco said. “They wrestle, they play football and the run track. They really work hard at it, and they buy into the work ethic we have. I’m blessed to have these seniors.
Rockledge’s Jacquez Lawson led a 1-3 Raiders finish in the long jump with a 22-1.75 mark, followed by Lorenzo Bell Jr.’s 21-5.
Photo by Lynn Ramsey
Rios Prude turned the momentum to Rockledge with victories in the 400 and the 200. The seventh-ranked 400 runner led another 1-3 Raiders finish with a 48.40, followed by Bell’s 49.88.
Prude then set a school record in the 200, edging West Orange’s Valentino Rudolph. The timers had to go to thousandths of a second to break their 21.31 time – Prude had 21.303, while Rudolph had 21.309.
“We don’t have a huge team,” Rockledge boys coach Freddie Goins said. “But the athletes we have are quality athletes. Unlike some schools, where they have one athlete in an event that does well, we had two boys go under 50 seconds in 400 meters.”
The Raiders also swept the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. The fourth-ranked Raiders team of Traven Green, Axzavian Alexander, Marquel Dean and Jaylen Heyward won in 42.29, edging Lake Minneola.
The 10th-ranked Rockledge 4x400 team of Bell, Alexander, Aaron Freeman and Kenneth Carter won easily in 3:23.47.
Tohopekaliga had three victories in their home meet, beginning with a pole-vault sweep. Angel Mendoza won the boys pole vault with a 13-3.5 mark. Brianna Rodriguez won the girls pole vault with a 9-4.25 mark. Johan Camacho led a 1-2 Tohopekaliga finish in the 3,200, setting a meet record in 9:44.75. Zeniel Lizardo was second in 9:57.25.
Winter Haven sophomore Dashanique Henry finished the day with three victories. She won the girls long jump (18-11.25) and 400 meters in 56.50; and 200 (24.74)
Lake Minneola’s Kai Evans also won two events. He won the 110 hurdles in a season-best 14.92. He also set a meet and track record in winning the 400 hurdles in 56.65, just ahead of Jalen Dickerson’s 58.32.
“I’ve been working my tail off all season,” Evans said. “It’s great to see a better time for me. I just need to improve. I hit a couple hurdles on the way down. I just need to improve my form. That should improve my time.”
Lake Minneola’s girls won 1600 and 3200. Ava Hendrix won the 3200 in a season-best 11:09.30, leading a 1-2 Lake Minneola finish with Ava Aseere. Lake Minneola’s Jasmine Williams, who finished fifth behind Timber Creek’s Ziza Russell, defeated her in the 1,600 in 5:29.22.
Timber Creek’s Shane Exilhomme broke a meet and track record in the with a 6-6.75. He beat the mark of 6-2.75 held by several athletes.
