TAMPA — As Kyle Tucker stood in the on-deck circle Thursday night, Plant leading St. Petersburg by seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning of a Class 8A region quarterfinal, Stephen Chamblee gave his teammate a little last-minute reminder before he walked up to the plate.

“Hey, we need three more,” Chamblee told Tucker.

Just moments later, the junior centerfielder hit his state-leading 10th home run of the season, driving in the three runs Plant needed to end the game. The Panthers beat St. Petersburg 10-0 to advance to their first region semifinal since 2009.

“Whenever he gets up to bat, we’re always expecting a home run,” catcher Ryan Ellis said of Tucker. “I guess at that point it wasn’t a bad idea to take a hack.”

The thought of a game-ending blast had crossed Dennis Braun’s mind, too, so the 12-year Plant coach gave Tucker the green light to swing at a 3-0 pitch. But for the first half of the game, things didn’t go quite as smoothly for the Panthers at the plate.

Through the first three frames it was three up, three down for Plant, the third inning ending in a double play. St. Petersburg (17-9) had its chances early, as Jake Ferguson singled in the first inning and Aaron Haughton doubled in the second. But both times Plant (23-5) right-hander Jake Woodford — who gave up just four hits and struck out six in six innings pitched — worked his way out of the inning before any damage was done.

Once Plant made its way through the lineup one time, the offense picked up where the defense left off. Tucker singled in the top of the fourth and advanced to second on a passed ball. Then Ellis and designated hitter Matt Vaka followed with back-to-back, two-out RBI doubles to give Plant a 2-0 lead.

“Tucker is the best player on the team, so when he gets going, we all kind of follow,” Ellis said. “One guy gets a hit, then the next guy gets a hit and it keeps rolling.”

Plant added four runs on St. Petersburg throwing errors between the fifth and sixth innings, and Cooper Dickens singled to drive in the seventh run in the top of the sixth before Tucker came up with his big blast.

It was an ending Braun might not have expected just an hour earlier, when his team struggled to get so much as a hit.

“My initial thought is we just have to get a run across the board and we’ll go from there, and we did that,” Braun said. “We get that big inning, that’s just icing on the cake.”

More 8A: Logan Crouse was more effective with his bat instead of his arm.
Bloomingdale’s junior right-hander struck out eight, but his RBI triple tied the score in the seventh inning and the Bulls eked out a wild 6-5 win at Sarasota Riverview.

Julian Ossias ran for Crouse after the tying triple plated Josh Mote, who also tripled. Ossias came home on a suicide squeeze bunt by Cody Wilson.

Crouse kept Riverview (15-13) off the board in the bottom of the seventh. He struck out eight, but allowed nine hits. Only two of the Rams’ five runs were earned. Crouse was 3-for-3 with a double and triple.

Doug Sandberg, Conrado Skepple, Mote and Wilson each had two hits for the Bulls.

Skepple’s throwing error from rightfield allowed the Rams to take a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth.

The Bulls trailed 4-1 before they turned three hits and two walks into three runs in the top of the sixth off Rams starter Alex Detweiler, who was in control until that frame.

Jody Royce, Herald-Tribune

TAMPA — For the first three innings of Thursday’s Class 6A region quarterfinal, Jefferson looked very much like a district champion while Osceola looked like a flustered team whose bus was an hour late.

By the end of the fourth inning, things changed dramatically. The Warriors scored five unearned runs in the fourth to erase a two-run deficit. It was the clear turning point in their 7-3 win, which sends Osceola to Tuesday’s semifinal against King.

“We started a little slowly but the second time around we settled down and started to play some good baseball,” Osceola coach Stefan Futch said. “We were hoping to get a spark somewhere and we finally got it.”

The game started an hour late because there was no bus scheduled to pick up Osceola. The Warriors looked a little rusty in the first inning.

Starter Keith Weisenberg gave up consecutive hits to leadoff hitter Jose Cuellar and Trey Robinson. A wild pitch put runners on second and third, and Nelson Maldonado followed with a groundout to first that scored Cuellar.

Weisenberg, who struggled with control early, threw a wild pitch that bounced away from catcher Mike Kleinman and allowed Robinson to score and put the Warriors in a quick 2-0 hole.

Trailing 3-1 in the fourth, Johnathon Diaz struck out the first two Osceola batters. It looked as if he would retire the side in order when Buddy Dougherty hit a high fly to shortstop. But Cuellar dropped the ball.

Jake Rek walked and Joey Coca singled home a run to make it 3-2. Diaz then balked home a run to tie the score at 3.  He was relieved by Jordan Norman, who didn’t have much luck either.

Abiezer Jimenez singled home Coca to make it 4-3. Jaret Helinger tripled to left for another run, and Helinger scored on an RBI double by Kleinman. Six straight Osceola batters reached base with two outs before Jefferson ended the inning.

“(Cuellar) makes that play 99 out of 100 times,” Jefferson coach Pop Cuesta said. “Then they get a walk and then a hit and then a balk and then a hit. Hey, that’s baseball.”

Osceola tacked on a run in the sixth when Rek scored on a throwing error to first base. Of Osceola’s seven runs, only one was earned.

Jefferson had a chance in the sixth inning when it loaded the bases with two outs. But Daniel Almonte flew out to deep centerfield to end the threat.

Weisenberg pitched seven innings and struck out 10, including the final three batters he faced. But he did walk six, threw three wild pitches and had two errant pickoff attempts.
 

Academy of the Holy Names guard Ashley McWilliams has signed to play with Embry-Riddle and will be a part of the school's inaugural women's basketball season, athletic director Kevin Vargas said.

McWilliams, who returned after missing much of her junior campaign due to a knee injury, led the Jaguars last season with 13.6 points and 3.5 assists per game. 

The 5-foot-7 guard is the second Hillsborough County girls basketball player to sign with the school in Daytona Beach. Last November, Seffner Christian guard Sabrina Whiting became the program's first signee.

Academy at the Lakes will honor three athletes at a signing ceremony at the school’s gym Thursday at 9:30 a.m, athletic director Tom Haslam announced.

Jake Fishman will sign with Lake Forest College, a Division III program in Illinois. He had 123 receiving yards, two fumble recoveries and 23 tackles through the first six games last fall.

Teammate Ahkil McGill is headed to Heidelberg University, a D-III school in Tiffin, Ohio. He rushed for a team-high 614 yards last season for the Wildcats.

PG Malik Hall will sign to play basketball at Pfeiffer University, a D-II program in North Carolina. The 5-foot-9 Hall was the Wildcats’ second-leading scorer last season, averaging 17.6 points and 3.5 assists for the Class 2A region finalists.

PLANT CITY — Eight months ago, junior Austin Carswell had almost no experience playing quarterback. In fact, the 6-foot-1 athlete didn’t even begin playing football until his freshman year at Strawberry Crest because he thought he was too small.

But when the Chargers’ starting quarterback, Tristan Hyde, went down in the third game of the 2013 campaign with a season-ending injury, Carswell — then a utility player — was forced to lead a team on the fly.

“I knew what I was doing because I would watch (Tristan) in practice, and he would help me and teach me a couple things,” Carswell said. “When he went down, it made me learn more stuff and helped me step up to the plate.”

Now Carswell, who threw for nearly 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns in 10 games at starting quarterback, will again step up where he’s needed. But this time, it’ll be at neighboring Plant City High.

Carswell lives just blocks away from Plant City High. But since his older brother, Alex Carswell, a defensive end and wide receiver, went to Strawberry Crest, too, the brothers rode together to school every day. 

Now that the elder Carswell is off to college, Austin Carswell decided to transfer to make it easier on his mother, who will drop him off in the mornings. 

Strawberry Crest’s loss is the Raiders’ gain. 

Plant City assistant coach Greg Meyer reported in January that Carswell had transferred. Meyer, who said he cannot comment on Carswell until he gets cleared by the district transfer board, said then that the Raiders would give the “versatile” junior a look at the filling Landon Galloway’s quarterback position.

If anyone knows how big a job that is, it’s Carswell. But once again, he longs to be tapped to take over.

“It’s kind of nerve-wracking because everybody’s looking at me, not just in the school but around the community, to lead the team and go further this year,” Carswell said. “So I think that’s what I’ll be able to do.”

Two new Spartans

ST. PETERSBURG — Lakewood doesn’t have the amount of transfers it did a year ago, but there are two familiar names who are now Spartans. Former Boca Ciega athletes Sekendric Biddines and Saivion Smith have transferred to Lakewood and are participating in spring practices.

Biddines, a rising senior, played wide receiver last season but will be used as a defensive back at Lakewood. Smith, a rising junior, was Boca Ciega’s quarterback but will also play defensive back for the Spartans.

“They have fit right in for us,’’ Lakewood coach Cory Moore said. “They still have some adjustments to make as far as how we do things here, but they have worked very hard during the offseason and now in the spring.’’

Prior to the start of the 2013 season, Lakewood had six players transfer from Northeast, including starting quarterback Ryan Davis. That isn’t likely to happen this season, but Moore said there is plenty of talent and depth as spring practices begin. 

“This is the best offseason we’ve had around here,’’ Moore said. “The guys are very excited to continue from where we left off last season. We have depth at running back, I think both of our lines will be strong. It’s exciting right now.’’

New regime at Hernando  

BROOKSVILLE — Hernando got an early start on practices, organizing most of their activities late last week.

With new coach Bill Vonada taking the reins, that extra time came in handy to institute his system with both a new staff and players.

Vonada estimates he will have 40 players out on the field by kickoff of the Leopards’ spring classic. Hernando, 3-7 last season under former coach Dwayne Mobley, hosts Crystal River on May 16.

The one leg up the team has is the return of quarterbacks with experience. Rising seniors Tyler Kline and John Colman saw time under center in 2013.

Kline started most of Hernando’s games, throwing for a team-high 539 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions. Colman played sparingly in six games, passing for 41 yards and three interceptions.

“The biggest thing we’re looking at from the quarterback position is to manage the game and make good decisions,” Vonada said. “Every player at this level is going to make his fair shares of mistakes, but you just don’t see a propensity for it from (Kline).”

Recruiting nuggets

Two Tampa Catholic 2016 prospects landed offers. Defensive end Malik Barrow claimed his first major college offer, from Mississippi State. The four-star recruit is 247Sports’ No. 206 prospect in his class. New teammate and Pasco transfer Nate Craig added an offer from Georgia.

• Their classmate, Plant City athlete TJ Chase, continues to reel in offers, too. The latest this week came from Tennessee and Ole Miss.

• Jesuit senior-to-be running back Kevin Newman claimed his first college offer, from Ball State.

• Robinson receiver Jahrvis Davenport landed an offer from Georgia Southern.

Staff writers Rodney Page and Matt Baker, and correspondent Derek J. LaRiviere contributed to this report. 

JACKSONVILLE — Alfreda Steele wanted to run faster than she did last year, and midway through the Class 2A state meet Friday in Jacksonville, that’s just what she did.

But in her best event, the 100 meters, it wasn’t enough.

So the Pasco sophomore made sure in the 200 it was.

After coming up just short in her first three events of the day, Steele broke through in the 200, becoming the first Pasco girls track athlete to win a state track and field gold medal.

And she wasn’t alone in making history at Hodges Field on the campus of the University of North Florida.

While Pasco had to wait decades for its first title, Bishop McLaughlin didn’t even have to wait one, as Desiree’ Nathe high jumped 5 feet, 2 inches to win the first state championship of any sort for the Hurricanes.

“It’s a pretty big deal and my coaches told me I needed to get it because they told too many people that I was going to win,” Nathe said. “And I  needed it for myself because it is my last year.”

Nathe jumped 5-2 on her first try; silver medalist Brooke Allen of Cedar Key  also jumped 5-2, but after scratching.

Nathe, who will walk on at FAU next fall and compete in track, said originally she thought she had finished second. With the bar set at 5-4, the Hurricane senior clipped the bar with her left leg, and she fell into the mat disappointed. Then she learned Allen had more scratches, giving her gold.

Steele started her day by finishing second in the long jump (18-3.75) even though she was seeded seventh. Then  in her marquee event she failed to run down defending champion Deanna Hill of Lake Highland Prep in the 100, despite a time of 11.99 seconds.

But in the 200, Steele finally caught her, building a lead and holding her off in a career-best 24.05 seconds; Hill ran a 24.13.

“I wanted to come in and run faster than I did last year, so I did that I would be happy,” Steele said. “But of course, I wanted to win a state championship, too.”

Steele also anchored the Pirates’  4x100 team that finished seventh, and accounted for 28 of Pasco’s 30 points, good for a seventh-place finish.

Eunique Byrd scored the other two Pasco points with a seventh-place finish in the shot put (38-1).

The North Suncoast had a number of other strong performances:

• Nature Coast Tech’s Alicia Gentz ran in the slower heat of the 100, but that didn’t stop her from scoring points for the Class 2A Sharks. Gentz finished sixth in a time of 12.6 seconds, and added an eighth-place finish in the 200 (25.58).The 4x400 team was also

• Anclote’s Emily Gauvey, who was third at last year’s state meet in the high jump, was one spot better Friday after going 5-4 and grabbing silver. Gauvey, a sophomore, was also eighth in the 300 hurdles.

• Ridgewood’s Chris Branfield was eighth in the discus (145-11).

• Hernando’s Jasha Patrick was sixth in the 300 hurdles, running it in 46.52 seconds.

• Anclote’s Devonte Luis was seventh in the triple jump (44-1.5) and Jamaree Ried, was eighth in the 110 hurdles (15.26).

JACKSONVILLE — Tampa Catholic’s Nicole Carroll didn’t feel like the defending state pole vault champion Friday morning.

With each miss, her confidence sank.

With each miss, her chances faded.

“It started off as probably the worst meet I’ve ever had,” she said.

But it ended entirely differently.

At one point Carroll was one miss from elimination, but she finally found her footing and cleared a career-best and school-record 12 feet to win her second straight Class 2A state championship.

“I wanted to win it because I won it last year, so there was a little extra pressure,” said Carroll, a junior.

Jesuit’s Nick Catchur, the defending 2A boys champion, wasn’t as fortunate, but he would have needed a career-best vault and then some to catch winner Harry Glasser of Jacksonville Bolles (16 feet), who cleared 2 feet more than his seeded height.

Catchur finished fourth at 14 feet (down from last year’s winning vault of 14-6), and teammate Jack Hughes was fifth, helping Jesuit to 17 points and a 10th-place finish, tops among local boys teams.

Carroll was the only state titlist from Hillsborough County competing in the Class A and 2A state meets, held simultaneously at the University of North Florida.

Carroll had already missed twice at 10 feet, 6 inches when she took off down the runway in a light rain and soared over the bar to stay alive.

“She pulled a rabbit out of the hat today,” said Bobby Haeck, her coach at Pole Vault City in Melbourne, where she trains on Sundays during the season.

“First of all, she’s down to her third attempt at 10-6, and she could have easily gone out of the competition. She comes through like a champ, and then she turns around and PRs at 12 feet in the rain. You don’t see people do that.”

Carroll wanted to go for the state record of 12-10, but the weather did not permit it. But she was prepared for the rain — her poles were kept in tubes, she wore surgical gloves to keep her hands dry, and there was plenty of chalk, tape and sticky spray to help grip the pole.

“We were probably the most prepared people out there,” she said.

Tampa Prep’s Oscar Skjaerpe nearly pulled off his own remarkable comeback.

Running in fifth place of the 800 heading to final curve, the Terrapin senior figured a medal was out of the question.

But the runners ahead of him started to fade, giving him hope for gold.

“Honestly, I was kind of skeptical, but then I caught one, and then another …and then I saw (winner Daniel Welch) and thought maybe I could catch this kid,” said Skjaerpe.

Welch, though, crossed the line just four hundredths of a second ahead of Skjaerpe, 1 minute, 56.96 seconds to 1:57.

“It was close,” the Terrapin said. “But he got it.”

Other top finishers from Friday’s A and 2A meets:

• Seffner Christian was the top local boys finisher in Class A, taking 11th behind Jamari Johnson and Robbie Shell. Johnson finished second in the discus (153-9) to account for eight of Seffner’s 14 teams points, and Shell was third in the long jump (21-5.75) to score the other six.

• Cambridge Christian’s Madison Cox was fifth in the 400 (59.32).

• Jesuit’s Jack Taylor finished fourth in the shot put (51-8) while teammate Vincent Jackson was eighth (47-103/4), and Taylor also finished seventh in the discus (146-4).

• Berkeley Prep’s Addi Harden threw the shot put 39-41/4 feet to finish fourth, one spot ahead of Tampa Catholic freshman Alise Davis (39-21/4).

• Tampa Catholic’s Nathan Nammour was eighth in the boys 400, finishing in 49.75 seconds.

Each week, our HomeTeam staffers nominate male and female Hot Shot athletes from each of the counties we cover. Then we turn the voting over to readers. These nominations span Saturday, April 26 through Friday, May 2. The winners get a T-shirt and bragging rights over every other school in the area. Read up on all of our nominees then vote until noon Monday.

Female nominees

Nicole Carroll, Tampa Catholic track: The junor repeated in the pole vault in Friday's Class 2A state meet,  clearing a career-best and school-record 12 feet for gold.

Emalee Jansen, Carrollwood Day softball: The freshman ace delivered a masterpiece in the region semifinals: Four hits allowed in a 2-1 victory over Lakeland Christian.

Bobbi LaBrant, Indian Rocks Christian track: The versatile junior won her first state title in the pole vault, clearing 10 feet in wet, windy conditions at the Class A state meet

Brittany McGee, Admiral Farragut track: The junior won the first state titles of her career at the Class A state meet, taking first in the 100 hurdles (14.83) and 300 hurdles (46.44). She also was third in the long jump (18-3 1/4).

Desiree' Nathe, Bishop McLaughlin track: The senior had to pass on running the 200 and 400 in the postseason because of sore knees, but the decision to focus on the high jump paid off with a 5-2 leap for gold at state track, the first state title, boys or girls or team, of any kind in Bishop McLaughlin's short history.

Alfreda Steele, Pasco track: Steele turned in the greatest state track performance for a girl in Pirates' history, finishing second in the long jump and 100 and winning the 200, the first-ever state title for a Pasco girl.

Male nominees

Dante Bosnic, Berkeley Prep baseball: The Brown commit pitched five innings of the Bucs' 7-0 region quarterfinal win against Lakeland McKeel. Bosnic threw 47 pitches, 37 for strikes, and allowed just two hits. He threw just nine pitches in the fifth inning, striking out three batters.

David Castillo, Sunlake baseball: He allowed only one earned run off of three hits while striking out 11 batters in a 2-1 win over perennial power Hernando in the region quarterfinals. It was the first playoff victory in Seahawks history.

Alex Goebel, Wiregrass Ranch baseball: The junior catcher hit a walk-off single to leftfield to lift Wiregrass Ranch over Brandon in the region quarterfinal with a 3-2 win in the bottom of the seventh inning. Wiregrass Ranch trailed the Eagles heading into the seventh frame, but the Bulls walked and strung together a pair of singles, the last from Goebel, to advance.

Ahmad Middleton, Dunedin track: At the Class 2A state meet, the senior won his first title in the 300 hurdles in 37.12, a time that is second-fastest in the state and seventh-fastest in the nation. He also was third in the long jump (22-0 1/2).

Steven Plaskett, East Lake baseball: There were many heroes in East Lake's 2-1 region quarterfinal win over Sarasota, but Plaskett came up big in the final innings. He relieved Brad Deppermann in the eighth and allowed no hits and struck out five to earn the win. In the bottom of the 10th, Plaskett got the Sailors, the No. 9 team nationally by USA Today, in order to end the game.

Kyle Tucker, Plant baseball: The junior centerfielder hit his state-leading ninth home run of the season in the Panthers' 10-0 region quarterfinal win against St. Petersburg. Tucker leads Plant with a .416 batting average and 32 RBIs.

JACKSONVILLE — The other 14 competitors were gone, eliminated at lower marks in the girls pole vault at Saturday’s Class 3A state meet.

That left Mitchell’s Taylor Anderson and Osceola’s Jen Kistemaker, friendly rivals who were engaged in a duel to win their first state title in the event at North Florida’s Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville.

They were the only ones to clear 11-6 in the finals and each tried to push the other to new heights when the bar was raised to 12 feet.

Neither was able to successfully clear that mark, forcing a jump-off with the bar lowed to 11-9. They each missed their attempts — again. Now, it was back down to 11-6.

Anderson, using an intricate blend of physical agility and superb timing, coordinated perfectly to loft herself over the bar. The competition ended when Kistemaker missed her attempt.

The state title capped a remarkable ascension for Anderson, a junior who had not qualified for a state meet in her marquee event until this season. Her winning height of 11-6 also set a personal record by a foot.

“It was such a great competition,” Anderson said. “Jen is such a great competitor, and I knew I was probably going to have to jump 11-6 to win. Having Jen there pushed me and kept the adrenaline going.”

Kistemaker was hobbled going into the meet. She tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee three weeks ago and decided to hold off surgery in order to compete for what has been an elusive state title.

Kistemaker wore a bulky brace as she sprinted down the runway. Her knee locked up on one of her jumps, but she found the wherewithal to continue. But after so many misses when the bar was raised past 11-6, she began to get fatigued.

“Jen is so tough,” Anderson said. “To have that happen to her and to hurt herself again and keep going is amazing.”

This was Anderson’s second state title in a sport this school year. In the fall, she took first in the 50 freestyle in swimming.

Three years ago Anderson decided to try pole vaulting. Her foray into that event almost had a quick ending. Russell Jerothe, who coached Mitchell’s vaulters during that time, considered cutting Anderson because he did not think she was coordinated enough to master the event.

But Jerothe kept Anderson because he knew how good — and versatile — she was as an athlete. Now Jerothe coaches Anderson in the vault at the club level.

With state titles in two sports, Anderson is trying to figure out which one to do in college.

“Actually, I want to do both,” Anderson said. “Hopefully, I’ll get that chance.”

Anderson wasn’t the only girls champion from the North Suncoast in the 3A/4A meets. Scarlett Lawhorne, a Zephyrhills senior, won the adaptive shot put (12-7 1/2).

Springstead’s Wilena Little cleared 18-1 ¼ to take second in the girls 3A long jump. Little hit that mark on her second jump in the finals. Teammate Erin Blackwell was sixth in the 800 (2:18.75).

Land O’Lakes’ Hallie Grimes placed third in the 400 (56.08).

Mitchell’s Emily Kerns was seventh (5:13.42) in the 1,600 and 11th in the 3,200 (11:43.00).  

JACKSONVILLE — The torn anterior cruciate ligament in Jen Kistemaker’s left knee twas supposed to eliminate her from contention in the pole vault and change the calculus for the rest of the field in Class 3A.

But the Osceola junior was given permission by doctors to hold off surgery and continue vaulting, as long as she was able to withstand the pain.

Wearing a bulky brace, Kistemaker zeroed in on her ultimate goal of winning what had been an elusive state title. She won district and region titles and was seeded second heading into Saturday’s Class 3A state meet at North Florida’s Hodges Stadium.

Kistemaker showed grit to get past 14 competitors. The only rival left was Mitchell’s Taylor Anderson. Both engaged in a duel for the title and were the only ones to clear 11-6 in the finals.

Neither was able to successfully clear 12 feet, forcing a jump-off with the bar lowed to 11-9. After each missed her attempts it was back down to 11-6.

“It was a little bit of a bummer not to win,” Kistemaker said. “But I was glad just have the chance to compete.”

When the bar went to 10 feet in the final, Kistemaker’s left knee gave out. It happened again when the bar was at 12. Each time, Kistemaker found the wherewithal to keep going.

“That was one of worst pains I ever felt in my life,” Kistemaker said. “When my knee gave way at 10, I tried to do everything I could to mask it because I wanted to continue to vault, and I knew if I showed too much pain my coach would have made me stopped.”

In the end, the number of misses once the bar was raised past 11-6 took a toll on Kistemaker. She became fatigued, missing on her seven attempts at three different heights.

“It was tough because I felt like I was just wearing down,” she said.

Still, Kistemaker’s resolve helped push Anderson to her first state track title.

“Jen is so tough,” Anderson said. “To have that happen to her and to hurt herself again and keep going is amazing.”

The state title capped off a remarkable ascension for Anderson, a junior who had not qualified for a state meet in her marquee event until this season. Her winning height of 11-6 also set a personal record by a foot.

“It was such a great competition,” Anderson said. “Jen is such a great competitor, and I knew I was probably going to have to jump 11-6 to win. Having Jen there pushed me and kept the adrenaline going.”

Largo’s Daisha Brown was seventh in the triple jump (36 feet, 1 ¼ inch). Osceola’s Jeanna Cube tied for seventh in the high jump at 5 feet. And Clearwater’s Erin Avers was fifth in the 800 (2:17.44).

JACKSONVILLE — In the past year, Andrew Llewellyn has come to fully understand the strategy behind conquering distance races. Instead of hitting the accelerator, the Countryside senior applies the brakes.

At the start of the 3,200 meters in Saturday’s Class 4A meet, Llewellyn purposely fell off the chase pack, waiting until the seventh lap before he reeled himself back into contention. Though Llewellyn was sixth at that point, he noticed the race had become an agonizing slog for those who initially pushed the pace. In the backstretch, Llewellyn made a final surge, sprinting toward the finish with a devastating kick.

With his final ounce of energy, Llewellyn overtook Miami Coral Reef’s Kurt Convey. The only runner Llewellyn was unable to catch was Plant’s Jack Guyton, who also won the 1,600. Still, Llewellyn took second in nine minutes, 22.27 seconds, shattering his personal record by 15 seconds. He also did it at the University of North Florida, the school he plans to sign with in the next few weeks.

“For me, this race was not about who could go out the fastest,” Llewellyn said. “It was all about strategy.”

He started his day by teaming with Billy Fitch, Jordan Santa-Maria and Robert Davis to finish sixth in the 4x800 meter relay (8:01.93). Llewellyn also was entered in the 1,600 but ignored his coaches’ advice and dropped the event in order to concentrate on the 3,200.

There was strategy behind that, too.

“I wanted to see who was going to run the mile, and if they were entered in the 2-mile, as well,” Llewellyn said. “There were enough runners in both that I figured I would be fresh enough to do well if I just ran the 2-mile. I guess I played my cards right.”

Osceola’s Carson Waters not only wanted to win a state title in the pole vault, but break the state record of 16-8.

The senior didn’t come close.

He entered at 13 feet, which was the only height he cleared, to finish fifth.

“I was just off for some reason,” Waters said. “I was using the same pole I did last week when I cleared 15-6. This week, I can’t even get past 13 feet. It’s disappointing.”

Many of the best vaulters acknowledge they experience moments of failed assurance, fear or even a kind of competitive paralysis.

The rain was persistent, twice delaying the event. Waters also said he was having trouble with his takeoffs.

“The weather threw everyone was off,” Waters said. “For some reason I wasn’t able to get the drive that I wanted. It’s a tough way to end because I was hoping to least go 16 feet.”

East Lake’s George Campbell, a two-sport star ranked nationally as the top football athlete in the 2015 class, finished fifth in the 100 in 10.79. Teammate Chigozie Atavwigho was seventh in the 110 hurdles (15.25).

St. Petersburg’s boys 4x100 relay team of Lionel Hart, Darius Miller, Jon’Ta Edwards and Dawwon Conyers was eighth in 43.50.

JACKSONVILLE — After lofting himself comfortably over the bar at 14 feet, Devon Jerothe stood in the pole vault pit and pumped his arms in celebration and relief.

No one else cleared that height, which assured the River Ridge senior of winning his first state title.

“It’s such an incredible feeling, but one I was not expecting,” Jerothe said.

His quest to win at Saturday’s Class 3A meet at the University of North Florida ended almost at the start.

Jerothe landed awkwardly in the pit during warmups and felt something pop in his elbow. The trainers said it was more of a strain, allowing him to continue.

Jerothe entered at 13 feet, but missed his first two attempts. Battling wind and consistent rain that delayed the event twice, Jerothe was down to his final jump. He paused only for a moment on the runway, allowing himself no chance to think of failure. Then he began his run-up and easily lifted himself past the mark.

“I was terrified at the beginning,” Jerothe said. “I missed those first two attempts. The weather was bad. I was down to that last one. But I decided I wasn’t going to change anything. I just went out and jumped.”

Jerothe needed his final attempt to clear the next height, too. But as the bar kept rising, so did Jerothe’s confidence.

He caught a break when the favorite, Osceola’s Carson Waters, failed to clear 13-6. Waters entered with the top seed at 15-6, a foot ahead of Jerothe.

Waters finished fifth.

“It feels great to win, but at the same time I feel so bad for Carson,” Jerothe said. “We’re great friends, and in all honesty, he’s probably a better vaulter than me. I came in here thinking he was probably going to win this.”

Said Waters, who was hoping to have a shot at the all-time state mark of 16-8: “I was just off for some reason. I was using the same pole I did last week when I cleared 15-6. This week, I can’t even get past 13 feet. It’s disappointing.”

The state title caps off Jerothe’s career in the event. He is attending the University of West Florida, which doesn’t have a track program, and he will be 19 by the summer and unable to compete on the AAU circuit.

“I would have loved to continue vaulting, but didn’t get any offers,” Jerothe said. It’s a great way to go out.”

Jerothe was the only boys champion from the North Suncoast in the 3A/4A meets.

Springstead’s Bobby Harris, the defending state champion in high jump, finished fifth with a mark of 6-4.

Land O’Lakes’ Stefan Zapata leaped 44-7 to take third in the triple jump. Teammate Jake Poore was sixth in the 3,200 (9:18.68).

JACKSONVILLE — Spoto middle distance runner Janae Caldwell brought home Hillsborough County’s lone state title in the Class 3A/4A state meet on Saturday.

No county team could challenge Miami Northwestern, which in 3A earned its seventh straight team title and 11th overall. The Bulls scored 154 to runnerup Miami Carol City’s 37. Thanks to Caldwell, Spoto (15 points) was the county’s top 3A girls finisher, in 13th place.

Caldwell was the 3A champion at 400 meters. She ran the top qualifying time in prelims, then blasted the final turn in the final.
“After that first turn, I knew I had it,” Caldwell said. “My problem has been my start, I’d been losing races at the beginning.”

Caldwell won in 55.50 to improve on her runnerup finish from a year ago. Chamberlain freshman Savyon Toombs finished fifth at 56.87. Caldwell was also fourth in the 200 (25.22).

Gaither senior Rachel Cazares battled a familiar field in the girls 800, with four of the top five finishers from a week earlier taking the top spots at state. Like last week, Cazares came out strong and led until the final turn, where Sarasota’s Emily Harding surged past. Cazares finished third in a scorching 2:15.61, almost two seconds faster than the region meet.

Hillsborough’s Jada Roberson (12.26) was fourth in the 100 and Toombs (25.46) was sixth in the 200. Middleton senior Deja Rodgers was fifth (12.32) and seventh (25.48), respectively, in those events.

Roberson also claimed third in the girls long jump at 16 feet, 9-3/4 inches.

In 4A, Wharton freshman Bryanna Rivers helped the girls take fourth in the 4x800 relay in 9:34.35, just ahead of rival Steinbrenner, and was sixth in the 800 in 2:15.63.

Ashley Wilson of Freedom nabbed third in discus at 126-8, more than seven feet better than her region mark. Ty’china Bush of Plant City was eighth. Riverview’s Maia Carter secured sixth in the 100 hurdles at 15.02. Plant distance duo Bailey Sullivan and Anna Montgomery finished fifth and seventh, respectively, in the 4A 3,200.

Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas won the 4A title with 109.5 points. Wharton (10 points) was the top county finisher, in a tie for 17th.

Durant’s quest for a fourth trip to state since 2002 fizzled in Sunday’s rough offensive outing at Harmony. The Cougars’ season ended with a 3-0 loss to the Longhorns in a Class 7A region final delayed two days by rain.

“We just made a couple mistakes, and they took advantage,” Durant coach Matt Carter said.

Freshman pitcher and Florida Atlantic commit Sloan Hammons kept Durant (20-9) in the game before Harmony (27-2) came through with a three-run fifth inning. Two Cougar errors helped fuel the barrage and secure the Longhorns’ third trip to state in the last four years.

Even then, Durant didn’t fold.

The Cougars put runners at first and second to start the sixth but couldn’t capitalize.

“We just could not get it across the plate,” Carter said.

Harmony pitcher Aleshia Ocasio — a Florida signee — handed the Cougars their third shutout loss of the season. Madison Farrell’s double was Durant’s only extra-base hit.

Carter said a disappointing end in a close game shouldn’t overshadow a season in which Durant toppled Strawberry Crest and Plant City to win the district title on its way to the final eight.

“I don’t think anybody expected us to get out of districts,” Carter said. “We proved a lot of people wrong there.”

TAMPA — Despite giving up a run that put her team in a first-inning hole on Sunday, Chamberlain pitcher Olivia Dwyer didn’t panic as she walked back to the dugout.

Even with the stakes raised against North Fort Myers in a Class 6A region final, the sophomore knew she could count on her offense to pick up the slack.

Right on cue, it delivered.

A two-run bottom of the first for the Chiefs — including a mammoth home run by Lauren Williams — provided a lift, and Dwyer stymied the Red Knights the rest of the way en route to a 3-1 victory to give Chamberlain its first state final four berth since 2012 when it won the 7A state title.

“I try not to let the little things get to me,” said Dwyer, who yielded five hits with two walks and struck out five. “It was still early in the game, and I knew my team would come back to help me.”

Katelyn Kelly singled to lead off for North Fort Myers (22-6) and scored on a fielder’s choice.

But the Chiefs (23-3) quickly squashed any confidence that the Red Knights gained in the bottom of the first as Williams crushed the second pitch from Mackenzie Peterson over the centerfield wall to tie the score 1-1.

Chamberlain took the lead on Elizabeth Diaz’s fielder’s choice after singles by Hope Hernandez and Jenna Brownell. But longtime coach Bob Diez was frustrated that his team stranded a runner in scoring position, one of six in the game.

“Lauren picked us up and got us going,” Diez said. “We made this much harder. I’ll give (North Fort Myers) credit, but … we should knock in runs better than that.”

Brownell provided an insurance run in the third on a sacrifice bunt by Kelsi Mays.

“This is a really young team and this is a big accomplishment,” Diez said. “You always hope you do this, but they’ve really worked their butts off and they’ve come up big."

Canterbury senior middle hitter Kayla Perry has signed to play volleyball at St. Petersburg College.

Perry was a three-year starter for the Crusaders and ended her career with 640 kills, 175 blocks and 417 digs. Perry was selected to play in the Pinellas senior all-star game.

The Titans are a two-year school athletically and play in the Suncoast Conference.

I had far more information than space in Sunday’s story on why Florida high schools have only produced three first-round quarterbacks in the history of the NFL Draft. A couple leftovers that didn’t make the final version:

* Maybe it’s just a fluke.

That’s a paraphrased version of Scout analyst Jamie Newberg’s theory. Newberg said he’s looked into the issue many times over the years, asking scouts, recruiters, college coaches and high school coaches.

“There was no common answer,” Newberg said. “It’s funny. I still haven’t put my finger on it.”

Some more evidence toward Newberg’s theory: Florida might have had others, if not for injuries (see: Plant products Aaron Muray and Robert Marve). But every other state has had injured quarterbacks, so maybe that’s irrelevant.

* Florida has a claim in three other first rounders: Matthew Stafford was born in Tampa, while Steve Spurrier and Rich Campbell were both born in Miami.

* The consensus is that this year’s draft class might be the start of a trend. Whether it’s because of 7-on-7 football, more spread offenses or better coaching, the state’s quarterback crop is improving.

“I’m starting to see guys now that have the potential to be draft picks,” said Ken Mastrole, the south Florida-based director of the Mastrole Passing Academy.

“There’s more opportunities for kids to get specialized training at the quarterback position,” said John Kaleo, who runs his quarterback academy in Tampa. “You’re going to see more polished and more quarterback ready kids coming into college and producing.”

Darin Slack– who founded the Quarterback Academy in Orlando – thinks more colleges are going to go toward mobile quarterbacks instead of pro-style passers. Florida is known for its athletes, so maybe that can change things, too.

“The love affair with 6-3, 6-4, 6-5 kids is over,” Slack said. “They don’t care any more. They want to know if they can run.”

* Some good news for USF fans: Mastrole loves one of his pupils, Mike White, who threw for 1,083 yards in six appearances as a freshman last fall.

“I feel very strongly he can be the next guy that can be (like Bridgewater or Bortles)…” Mastrole said. “He’s still learning. The edges are so rough, but there’s so much there that he can absolutely explode on.”