JACKSONVILLE — When we last saw Courtney Prengaman high jumping, she was sailing under the bar at regionals, unable to clear 5 feet, 4 inches, breaking into tears as she rolled off the mat.
“I was angry,” she said, then she was gone, driving back to Wesley Chapel before the event was even over.
Saturday in Jacksonville?
Overjoyed.
The Wildcat senior found her way over the bar at 5 feet, 6 inches without a problem, giving her the silver medal at the University of North Florida’s Hodges Stadium.
Suwanee’s Logan Boss and Anclote’s Emily Gauvey also jumped 5-6, but Boss had fewer misses to capture gold.
Prengaman said she jumped 5-8 at a meet at Anclote, but had been on a decline. She jumped 5-6 at two meets in early March, 5-4 in the two meets after that and 5-2 at district and regionals.
“I don’t know what happened,” Prengaman said. “Something happened; I just seemed to get a little out of it.”
Last week, she talked to her future college coach at Samford. He told, her, simply, to relax and get back to the basics.
Prengaman sailed through 5-0, 5-2, and 5-4. On her second jumped, she cleared 5-6.
“I’m actually very pleased,” she said. “I didn’t care how high I jumped today or if I won or not, I just wanted to make a clean jump. I’m happy I was able to go out on such a good note.”
Prengaman wasn’t the only defending champion to settle for second. In the long jump, two-time champ Janarion Grant of Pasco was 2.5 inches shy of a third straight title.
Grant jumped 23-2.5, behind gold medalist Shaquem Griffin (23-5) of Lakewood.
Grant, who came in seeded No. 1, said he was pretty hot after failing at the three-peat. “My head was about to explode,” he said.
But after a little reflection, he had moved on by the time he ran his leg on the 4x100 relay an hour later.
“I can’t be mad,” he said. “A lot of people don’t win two state championships. Sometimes it’s not your day.”
While the defending champions failed to repeat, they did pass the baton on to some of the area’s younger stars.
Gauvey, only a freshman, had beaten Prengaman at districts and regionals and was seeded No. 1 before settling for third.
And Grant passes the baton to fellow Pirate Alfreda Steele. Just a freshman, Steele finished third in the 100 meters (11.92), the first time she has ever run under 12 seconds.
“I got off to a good start, but the big thing was I finished strong,” said Steele, who had her left shin wrapped in ice afterwards. “I’m ecstatic.”
Other North Suncoast top finishes included Hernando’s Lauren Plaugher, third in the discus with a throw of 116-09, and Anclote’s Spencer Guerette, who used a big kick to pass four runners and take third in the 1,600 (4:22.42).
Nature Coast’s 4x100 boys team finished sixth in 42.37, and Hernando’s Ebone Plummer was sixth in the shot put (37-00.25).
Lakewood's boys pulled off a dramatic finish, placing third in the night's last event, the 4x400, to secure the overall title with 67 points, one better than Miami Washington.
2A meet at Jacksonville
Girls
Team results: 1. American Heritage 87, 13. Berkeley Prep 16, 18. Holy Names 12, 21. Tampa Catholic 11,
26. Hernando, 29. Wesley Chapel 8, 29. Spoto 8, 34. Pasco 6, 34. Anclote 6, 39. Robinson 5
Individual results: High jump: 1 Boss (Suw) 5-06.00, 2 Prengaman (WC) 5-06.00, 3 Gauvey (Anc) 5-06.00; pole vault: 1 Carroll (TC) 11-00.00, 5 Vaughan, Emily (Rob) 10-00.00; long jump: 1 Folston (Coc) 19-03.75, 15 Dugan (Hud) 15-08.00; triple jump: 1 Smith (Rock) 37-09.00; discus: 1 Holifield (God) 139-04, 2 Harden (BP) 124-02, 3 Plaugher (Her) 116-09, 10 Pope (Pas) 98-09; shot put: 1 Bullock (East) 42-11.75, 4 Harden (BP) 37-02.75, 6 Plummer (Her) 37-00.25; 4x800: 1 American Heritage (Alexander, Veve, Williams, Rogers) 9:21.04, 6 Robinson (DeYoung, Scanlan, Gordon, Hull) 9:47.47, 8 Holy Names (Mainzer, Ratchford, Doherty, Snyder) 9:53.41, 14 Nature (Burchhardt, Lacy, Deligio, Perlingieri) 10:26.39, 16 Gulf (Buckman, Savino, Patnode, Gazda) 10:28.51; 100 hurdles:
1 Kerrison (Jone) 13.86, 6 McEnany (AHN) 14.80; 100: 1 Hill (LHP) 11.72, 3 Steele (Pas) 11.92; 1,600: 1 Rogers (AH) 4:59.39, 9 Snyder (AHN) 5:14.68; 4x100: 1 Godby (Andrews, Crump, Evans-Jenkins, Wilson) 46.94; 400: 1 Parrish (AH) 55.06, 2 Caldwell (Spo) 55.73, 8 Washington (TC) 58.61, 14 Patrick (Her) 1:00.35; 300 hurdles: 1 Lovett (Jack) 42.96; 800: Rogers (AH) 2:12.08, 6 Price (BP) 2:17.83; 200: 1 Spaulding (AH) 23.59; 3,200: 1 Montgomery (PC) 11:01.86, 3 Snyder (AHN) 11:24.90, 13 Hull (Rob) 11:45.83; 4x400: 1 American Heritage (Alexander, Dooling, Williams, Parrish) 3:50.29, 7 Holy Names (Patterson, Lynch, Anthony, McEnany) 4:02.07
Boys
Team results: 1. Lakewood 67, 2. Miami Washington 66, 11. Jesuit 16, 25. Pasco 8, 30. Berkeley Prep, 7.50, 33. Robinson 6, 33. Anclote 6, 46. Nature Coast 3, 55. Middleton 1, 55. Gulf, 1
Individual results: High jump: 1 Campbell (Wal) 6-04.00; pole vault: 1 Catchur (Jes) 14-06.00, 7 McDonald (BP) 13-00.00, 10 Swanson (Rwd) 12-06.00, 13 Hughes (Jes); long jump: 1 Griffin, Shaquem (Lwd) 23-05.00, 2 Grant (Pas) 23-02.50, 6 Griffin, Shaquill (Lwd) 22-08.75, Hambrick (Mid) 21-09.50; triple jump: 1 Griffin, Shaquill (Lwd) 49-05.50, 2 Griffin, Shaquem (Lwd) 49-03.00, 15 Sampson (NCT) 40-02.00; discus: 1 Theus (Bol) 166-08; shot put: 1 Jones (MP) 58-05.25, 4 Taylor (Jes) 52-05.00, 8 Jackson (Jes) 51-03.75, 12 Scaife (Pas) 47-09.50; 4x800: 1 Lake Nona (Lovack A, Peralta, Lovack J, Velez) 8:00.40, 8 Robinson (Stanford, Peters, Jurski, Rogers) 8:13.20, 12 Nature Coast (Hessler, Harkless, Van Natter, Cicone) 8:23.46, 14 Middleton (Cassell, Derogene, Dean, White) 8:29.97; 100 hurdles: 1 Tucker (AH) 13.95, 2 Holmes (Lwd) 14.18; 100: 1 Myrtil (Jon) 10.63; 1,600: 1 Yarborough (BK) 4:20.89, 3 Guerette (Anc) 4:22.42, 8 Buliga (Gulf) 4:25.12; 4x100: 1 Washington (McPhee, Patten, Hopkins, Norris) 40.86, 2 Lakewood (Hays, Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin, Boykins) 41.01, 6 Nature Coast (Breida, Vincade, Villaizan, Smith) 42.37; 400: 1 Larry (Wash) 47.16; 300 hurdles: 1 Holmes (Lwd) 37.98; 800: 1 Jackson (Dun) 1:55.42, 5 Rogers (Rob) 1:56.30, 11 Persha (Lwd) 2:00.20; 200: 1 Strainge (AH) 20.97, 5 Boykins (Lwd) 21.69, 9 Moate (22.12); 3,200: 1 Pedraza (GG) 9:33.67, 3 Borland (BP) 9:40.96, 14 Buliga (Gulf) 10:10.62; 4x400: 1 American Heritage (Gibson, Strainge, McFadden, Herbert) 3:14.28, 3 Lakewood (Persha, Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin, Holmes), 8 Robinson (Peters, Preister, Baldwin, Hosley) 3:23.49