Five from Osceola County take regional track championships

Five regional champions headline a large contingent of Osceola County athletes that will compete in the FHSAA Class 3A (May 19) and Class 4A (May 20) track state championships on the North Florida University campus in Jacksonville next week.

That group will be led by Gateway sprinter Amela Johnson, who won both the 200-meter and 400 meter events at the Class 3A, Region 2 Championships at Davenport High School. Johnson won the 200 with a 25.15 clocking and the 400 in 56.99. She won the 200 by full half second over her closest competitor and was a full second faster in the 400.

Also gaining automatic qualifying status for the Panthers was the 4 x 400 Relay team of Darius Young, Kaleb Hill, John Pagan, and Lawson Chaponda, that finished second in that race. Jose Calderon (4th- 400 meters) and Williams Martinez (5th – Pole Vault) were awaiting a report of Region 3 Results to see if they secured at-large spots in their event.

Osceola County’s other regional champions came at the Class 4A, Region 3 Championships at Dwyer High School in Palm Beach. Those champions included Harmony’s Drea Thompson, who won the girls’ high jump with a leap of 5’-1 ¾”; Osceola’s Shannon Levy who won the girls’ 100-meters (12.01) Tohopekaliga’s Johan Comacho who took the boy’s 3200-meters(9:36.62).

The top two finishers in each regional event automatically qualify for the state championship meet. While up to 10 additional individuals (state wide, across four regions) could earn at-large spots in the state meet based on their performances at regionals.

Garnering automatic advancement to the state finals via second place finishes were Harmony’s 4 x 800 relay team of Byrnn Magner, Shelby Fertic, Rebekah Wiles and Lailana Decker; Toho’s Brianna Rodriguez in the girls’ Pole Vault (9’-4 ¼”), and Osceola’s 4 x 100 girls’ relay team of Quanaya Jenkins, Kadrea Varnado, Zanaya Bright and Levy (47.98).

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