By Rod Gipson
MaxPreps.com
For Dentarius Locke, the close wins at the Class 4A, District 6 track meet were just what he needed.
Sure, Locke (of Tampa Chamberlain) captured first place in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter but he was not without challengers. Locke barely got past Lakeland’s Benjamin McRoy in the 200, winning in 21.46 seconds to McRoy’s 21.48 time.
“It felt good to win but I wasn’t happy," Locke said. “That was a dogfight. I had to hit an extra gear at the stretch. I have to work a little harder before the regionals and state."
And he’ll get his chance April 24 at the regional meet. Tampa Gaither’s boys and girls teams also will be at the Class 4A, Region 2 due to their team victories at districts. The Gaither boys were led by Aaron Overton’s wins in the 110 and 300 hurdles and high jump.
Gaither’s dominant girls team captured nine events, led by sprinter Rikka Lovely, who took first place in the 100 and 200-meter dash races and the triple jump. Yesenia Perez also performed well for Gaither, winning the 100 and 300-meter hurdles.
Other standout playoff track performances were turned in by:
· Palm Harbor University’s Madison McNary, who won the long jump, 100 and 200 meter dash races and was part of the 4x400 relay team.
· Connor Revord of Tampa Jesuit, who won his third straight 1,600-meter race regional crown at the Class 2A, Region 3 meet.
· Tampa Hillsborough sprinter Lindsey Lamar won the 100 and 200 meter races at the Class 3A, District 9 meet and was part of the winning 4x100 meter relay team.
· Amani Bryant won four events at the Class 3A, District 10 meet to help Wharton girls capture a team win. Bryant won the 100 and 300-meter hurdles, the long jump and ran a leg of the first-place 4x400 meter relay team. She set personal records in both hurdles events.
· Tarpon Springs distance runner Kailand Cosgrove won both the 1,600 and the 3,200 meter races at the Class 3A, District 9 meet.
Softball: District Roundup
Sara DeMuth’s two-run, two-out single in the bottom of the eighth inning was the highlight of the contest for Plant City Durant, which came from behind for the extra-inning 2-1 win against Plant City in the Class 6A, District 8 title game. Also, in a matchup of two of the area’s top teams, Tampa Chamberlain beat Tampa Plant 6-2 in the Class 5A, District 10 final.
Tampa Cambridge’s 12-2 dismantling of Tampa Bayshore Christian earned the Lancers their 14th straight Class A-10 district title. Meanwhile, a 23-2 record didn’t help Dade City Pasco in the Class 4A-8 championship game. The Pirates lost 3-2 to Zephyrhills.
In Class 6A-7, Clearwater Countryside topped Tampa Gaither 1-0. Also, Lithia Newsome captured its second straight Class 5A, District 8 championship after beating Valrico Bloomingdale 7-5. Meanwhile, Tarpon Springs East Lake upset Pinellas Park 2-0 in the 5A-9 final and St. Petersburg Catholic improved to 20-3 on the season after beating Tampa Academy of the Holy Names 4-3 in the Class 3A, District 11 championship.
Tennis: Tampa Wharton a State Regular
For the ninth straight season, Wharton’s boys tennis team will be represented at the state meet, which begins this week. After a second-place finish last year, the Wildcats, led by Michael Alford and Mitch Wong could help Wharton push for a team title.
Other local teams competing include Tampa Plant, Tampa Berkeley Prep, Tarpon Springs East Lake and St. Petersburg Catholic on the girls' side and Seminole, St. Petersburg Shorecrest Prep and St. Petersburg Catholic in boys' competition.
Three individual players who could make some noise at the meet include St. Petersburg Catholic senior Michael Kopelman, Tampa Catholic junior Meghan Sullivan and Tampa Chamberlain senior Jamie Mera. Kopelman went undefeated during the regular season, Sullivan has gone as far as the state semifinals before and Mera is making her fourth trip (with no wins) to the state tournament.
Weightlifting: Freshman Shows Power at State Meet
Wesley Chapel freshman Hunter Joyer placed second at the Class 2A boys state weightlifting finals. Joyer, 14 and 238 pounds, had a 445-pound bench press and a 275-pound clean and jerk to post a 720-pounds total. He came up five pounds short, placing second behind Flagler Palm Coast’s Robert Paxia, who totaled 725 pounds.
Meanwhile, Hunter’s older brother Kamran finished ninth in the heavyweight division. New Port Richey River Ridge’s Justin Russell (169 pounds) and Mario Stewart (129 pounds) placed fourth and ninth, respectively.
Hudson’s Travis Tindell placed third in the heavyweight division in the Class 1A meet.
