The East Coast Classic featured 11 schools, with FPC boys winning it all March 26.
by Andrew O'Brien | Staff Writer
The Flagler Palm Coast High School track was speckled with coaches, athletes, trainers, fans and, well, weird socks on March 26, during the sixth annual East Coast Classic.
Gilbert Absolu, junior, sprinter for FPC track, said he and his 4x100-meter teammates like to stand out while competing.
"You can be fast and look good at the same time," he said.
Absolu and teammates Corey Shellings, Kent Coleman and Tyler Cue did look good in the preliminary round, posting the second-highest relay time at 42.71 seconds. But, Fleming Island High School managed to shave nearly one-half-of-one second off its preliminary time, placing first, with a time of 42.74, just four-tenths ahead of FPC.
In the end, the FPC boys won the meet with 163.5 points. Matanzas scored 51. The two local girls teams finished tied for fourth.
1,600 meters
The meet showcased many FPC sprinters, who won two of the three main sprinting events, but two Matanzas High School girls track athletes stood out among the rest.
Hannah Loder and Christine Marcano gave fans a glimpse into the future of MHS track. The two freshman came into the 1-mile run with two of the top seed times. Marcano, who has been running for about three yeras, won the event with a time of 5 minutes, 26 seconds, just one second ahead of her previous personal record. Loder, who has been running for about two months, placed third with a time of 5:36.
Marcano and Loder have been battling over the past few weeks, according to head girls track coach James Wolfe. He said that just a few weeks ago Loder was the owner of the school record for the mile with a time of 5:34. But Marcano then increased the pace and took over the record after running 5:27. Then, on Friday, Marcano broke her own record again by nearly a full second.
Loder won the 3,200-meter race with a time of 12:12.
Wolfe thinks the competition between his two freshman phenoms is healthy.
He said Loder joined track after playing soccer earlier in the school year, and her raw ability to run has helped Marcano shave nearly 20 seconds off her mile time. Because they are young, Wolfe has been working with the two girls to steady their pace.
"On the first lap, they come out a little hot, usually within the first 20 meters," he said. Wolfe added, "The good thing is, they don't get boxed in."
Wolfe believes the two have potential to contend for the district championship this year, and ultimately, a state championship during their four-year careers.
Pole vault
And on a day when times tended to be slower due to the windy conditions, FPC senior Kenlee Critcher underestimated how strong the headwind really was.
Critcher, a standout in the football as well as in track and field, competed in the pole vault, the 110-meter hurdles, the 300-meter hurdles and the 4x400 relay.
Critcher came into the pole vault, his first event of the day, with the highest seed height at 13 feet, 6 inches. As was the case with fellow FPC pole vaulter Cory Soard, Critcher didn't need to enter the competition until the height reached 12 feet. Because they both were able to successfully clear the 12-foot mark earlier in the meet, Critcher and Soard were alone in the competition for first place. Neither knew if they wanted to start at 13 feet, 6 inches, or jump right to the 14-foot mark. So, they left the decision up to one of the pole plugs, which served for the makeshift coin toss. Fate chose 13 feet, 6 inches.
But the wind proved too strong for both Critcher and Soard, and they failed to complete any of their three attempts. Instead, they settled for a tie, splitting the 18 points awared to first and second place between them.
"The headwind was stronger than I thought," said Critcher, sporting his Appalachian State University sweatshirt. He plans to attend ASU next year and play wide receiver. He played quarterback and kicked in addition to playing wide receiver during his high school career for the Bulldogs.
Despite the tie, Critcher knows it's good for him and his teammate, Soard.
"We're just trying to make each other better," he said.
In addition to Critcher's first place tie in the pole vault, he placed second in the 110-meter hurdles, third in the 300-meter hurdles and helped lead the 4x400-meter relay team to second place.
Another bright spot for Matanzas was senior Greg Harvey. Coming into the pole vault, Harvey's personal record was 11 feet. Fighting through the strong winds, Harvey launched himself to a higher personal record, vaulting 11 feet, 6 inches.
Contact Andrew O'Brien at andrew@palmcoastobserver.com.
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