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Briley flies to region track title

Randy Lefko
Posted 5/4/17

FLAGLER PALM COAST – Oakleaf High junior triple jumper Melvin Briley has been hinting that he and coach John Carter have been slowly anticipating a 50-foot jump at the end of the season that could …

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Briley flies to region track title


Posted

FLAGLER PALM COAST – Oakleaf High junior triple jumper Melvin Briley has been hinting that he and coach John Carter have been slowly anticipating a 50-foot jump at the end of the season that could steal a state championship and the high-flyer flew to a 48 foot, 11 inch leap to take the region 1-4A title Thursday afternoon at Flagler Palm Coast High School.

Athletes head to Bradenton’s IMG Academy May 5-6 for the state championships.

Briley’s leap was the sole region title coming back to Clay County from the ranks of the strong 1-4A region with teammate Anthony Norris nabbing second in the high jump, Fleming Island junior Cameron Dill getting a strong second place in the 800 meters and Fleming Island distance ace Andrew Miller getting second in the 3200 with teammate Evan Fuller fourth to advance both.

Norris, overcoming a dinged ankle through most of the districts and into the regions, will return to the state meet in his specialty, the high jump, after surviving a long, hot afteroon of triple jumping and long jumping earlier in the day. Norris, fifth in the high jump in 2016, finished third at the region meet with a 6’-4.75” high jump behind the top jump of 6’-6.75” from Dakari Hill of Timber Creek.

Norris also advanced in the long jump with a second place jump and a second school record in two weeks of 23’-0.75”. Winner Nyron Tate of Colonial jumped 23’-7.5” to win with the 2016 champion measured at 24’-8”.

Oakleaf senior Nia Anthony also advanced in the high jump with a third place 5’-3” leap just under the top jump of 5’-5”.

Fleming Island senior distance runner Cameron Dill answered some questions about his fitness with a sterling second place finish in the 800 meters.

Dill, a 400 meter state meet competitor last year, pushed up to the two-lapper and has struggled through the season with nagging injuries and lack of fitness, but in Thursday’s region final, Dill let the state know he will be a contender.

Dill’s second place finish in 1:55.82 stamped a strong improvement in his times from his 1:59 district time and times through the season at just above two minutes. The winning split of 1:55.64 was just a step ahead of Dill but close enough for a shot of a medal at the state meet. Last year’s 800 final was won at 1:52.81.

Dill came back at the end of the meet to anchor the Fleming Island boys 4 x 400 relay to a third place finish behind region champion Lake Brantley. Fleming Island timed in at 3:21.51 with Lake Brantley winning at 3:18.18. Lake Brantley was fourth in 2016 at 3:19.48 with the 2016 4A champion at 3:27.53.

Dill teamed with 400 specialists Spencer Shaw, Felipe Fernandez and Paris Williams for Fleming Island.

In the sprints, Fleming Island senior Ashley Nelson missed in the 100, but came back to take third in the 200 in 25.66 to advance to the state meet.

Oakleaf also got a fourth from Khalif Copeland in the triple jump to advance and a third and fourth place finish from long jumpers Jaqueline Thomas and Loren Johnson. Johnson returns to the 4A championships in the triple jump with a third place finish at the region meet. Johnson finished fourth in triple jump last year with a 37’-5” jump, but jumped short of that at 36’-10.25” at the region meet. The top 4A triple jump in 2016 was 40’-6”.

In the 3200, Miller and Fuller both stayed close to eventual champion Calum McFetridge of Buchholz who won in 9:34.97 with Miller second at 9:41.21 and Fuller in fourth at 9:48.03. The 2016 4A champion won at 9:26.39.