Key West and Coral Shores traveled to Burley Park in Miami on April 15 for the FHSAA 2A District 16 Championships, and when the final scores were tabulated, the Conchs were awarded the runner-up trophy in both the boys and girls competitions. The Hurricane teams each finished fifth. In total, Key West won seven individual golds while Coral Shores struck gold four times.
Lady Conch Audrey Smith, a senior, defended her district title in the javelin event, a distinction she has held since her sophomore year. Smith hurled the javelin 107’ 9” to make it three consecutive years she brought home gold in the event. Joining Smith on the podium in the top spot were juniors Ariel Newton, Jordan Greene and Alyssandra Camargo. Newton defended her pole vault title, clearing 11’ 10” in the event. Greene earned her district title in the triple jump, an event never before won by a Lady Conch at the district level. Greene leaped 34’ 8.25” for the win. Camargo also made school history, winning Key West’s first 800-meter district title. Camargo ran the two laps in 2:33 for the only Key West district victory on the track this season.
Key West’s boys also had their best luck in the field events. Senior Jeff Dejean came from behind to win the long jump event with a 21’ 6.75” leap. Dejean won his district title on his final attempt and claimed first by just over one inch. Classmate Leandro Batista won his event by four feet. Batista threw the shot 41’ 1.5” for a district gold. Jorge Sanchez was the final district champ for Key West; Sanchez cleared 11’ 10” in the pole vault for his title. Sanchez was second in the 110 hurdles, securing a second regional event for the multitalented junior.
Jeff Dejean rides out his district-winning long jump. 
Lady Conch Aly Camargo is all smiles as she crosses the line first in the 800-meter race at districts on April 15. 
Sophomore Ali Wheatley outruns the field in the 1,600. 
Conch Jorge Sanchez clears the bar for gold in the men’s pole vault event. 
Alaric-Rodriguez_1st- Senior Alaric Rodriguez cruises to a first-place finish in the 400 hurdles. 
Alaric Rodriguez breaks his own 400-meter hurdle record at last week’s district meet. 
Jordan Greene’s triple jump effort is good for district gold. 
Leo Batista focuses before unleashing a district title-winning shot put. 
Junior Ariel Newton wins the pole vault contest by nearly three feet. Photos by RICK MACKENZIE
The athlete in front of Sanchez in the 110 hurdle race was none other than Coral Shores senior Xavier Johnson. Johnson cruised for his third straight district title in the event in 17.11 seconds. Classmate Alaric Rodriguez, who traded in his distance flats for racing spikes this season, won the gold medal in the 400 hurdles, breaking his own school record in 59.47 seconds after just a few months competing in the event.
The Lady ’Canes picked up two district firsts, both on the track and both from sophomore Ali Wheatley. She won the 1,600-meter run in 5:38, then added to her expansive medal collection with a 12:26 3,200-meter finish. Wheatley outkicked her two-mile opponent by a half-second to be the only dual district gold winner at the 2A meet.
Recently the FHSAA instituted a new system for advancing in the postseason. The district champ and runner-up qualify for regionals automatically; the remaining eight spots are filled from the top performances at sanctioned meets during the season. The system gives Wheatley a third definite race at regionals: the 4×800 relay, which placed second with teammates Sammy Bates, Kate King and Jenna Mandozzi. The Lady ’Canes 4×400 relay, on which Wheatley also ran, has a solid chance of advancing as well after a third-place finish, right behind the second-place Lady Conchs team.
Other Keys 2A runners-up and individual qualifiers were Key West’s Ian Torrealba Lopez (pole vault), Audrina McClellan (javelin), Audrey Smith (discus), Christopher Barter (discus), Lilly Good (400-meter run and pole vault) and Coral Shores’ Julieanna Oddo (100 hurdles) and Will Roberts (400 hurdles).
Key West’s 4×100 (Greene, Mirakle Humphrey, Janiliah Moore and Damarla Thompson) and 4×400 (Katelyn Sambrana, Good, Camargo and Capri Miner) teams made the cut with second-place finishes, too. Multiple athletes are on the bubble as far as qualifying via the at-large spots, with the final list slated to come out when all districts have held their events. The qualifying Hurricanes and Conchs will have some time to prepare for their regional event, held May 1 at Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar.
Marathon’s district meet is Thursday, April 23 at Palmer Trinity School. Their regional event is also May 1 at Ansin Sports Complex. Athletes who finish in the top two in each region receive an automatic bid to states, with the 10 next best finishes in each event at the various regional competitions receiving at-large bids to states. The state championships will be held May 6 for 1A Marathon and May 7 for 2A Key West and Coral Shores. All state meets this season are scheduled for University of North Florida’s Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville.
