JACKSONVILLE — To win Pinellas County’s first boys track team title in 43 years, Lakewood High had to get past the painful memories from last year, when a dropped baton in the 4x100 relay ultimately cost the Spartans.
Shaquem and Shaquill Griffin, the twins who are the unquestioned leaders of the Spartans, had a plan. The speed suits they wore when they dropped the baton had to go. So they set fire to them, burning the remains in their back yard.
“We had to do whatever we could to get over the hump, and win,” Shaquem said.
In a Class 2A state meet that was expected to be close, Lakewood squeezed out every point it could Saturday to win the team title by the slimmest of margins, beating Miami Washington 67-66.
“It was tough for these guys to lose last year,” Spartans coach Anthony Snead said. “But I think they used it as motivation. They were determined to do whatever it took to come out on top.”
The Griffins played a big role. It started in the long jump where Shaquem won his first state title in the event, leaping 23 feet, 5 inches to beat two-time defending state champion Janarion Grant of Pasco (23-2 1/2).
It continued in the triple jump, an event the twins dominated as Shaquill won his first title by going 49-10 to beat Shaquem, the defending champion (49-3).
But the crucial moment came in the 4x100 relay, which has caused Lakewood heartbreak for years. There still were anxious moments, with a nearly fumbled exchange between the twins in the preliminaries and an almost botched handoff in the finals.
The Spartans did not win the 4x100 relay, finishing second in 41.01 seconds. But the biggest thing was that the baton stayed firmly in the hands of Shaquem and Shaquill, as well as Jahaven Haye and Deandre Boykins.
“That was huge; a big hurdle to overcome,” Snead said.
Lakewood’s Tim Holmes, who is nationally ranked in the hurdles, took second in the 110 hurdles (14.18) and won his first state title in the 300 hurdles (37.98).
Holmes had to go up against the nation’s fastest hurdler, Walter Tucker of American Heritage, in the 110 hurdles. Holmes beat Tucker at the Florida Relays the last time they raced each other.
On Saturday, Holmes stumbled over the final hurdle, which cost him.
In the 300 hurdles, Holmes recovered from a bad start to chase down the rest of the field and win.
“I’m proud of what I was able to do,” Holmes said. “I had some trouble in both races, but I knew I still had enough in the 300 hurdles to recover and win. But I’m just as happy with the 110 hurdles because I picked that race up this year to help us win the team title.”
The biggest factor in Lakewood’s title came from Boykins, who wasn’t expected to make it to the finals of the 200. He not only made it, but he took fifth in the event in 21.69. More important, he scored four points, which the Spartans ultimately needed to win.
That set up the final race of the night, the 4x400 relay. Lakewood entered with the nation’s fastest time in the event. The team of Devontae Persha, Shaquill, Shaquem and Holmes was third in 3:17. Washington was second, but it wasn’t enough to overtake the lead in the team standings.
Afterward, the competition between the Griffins was not over.
“We’re tired, but we’re still going to see who is the fastest to get to the car,” Shaquill said. “It’s always that way with us.”
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