JACKSONVILLE - Fleming Island High's boys and track teams advanced a handful of athletes on both the track and in field events, led by senior defending 3A champion triple jumper Mikayla Shavers, as area track athletes prep this week for one final shot at a state title.

Also, a region champion and defending state runner-up in long jump is Orange Park's Nethan Verger stormed the latter half of his season with a season best of 24-foot-1 1.25 win in Pensacola getting him eighth ranked for the state meet behind a 24-3 top jump.

Shavers, tops in her district and region championship events, and also top ranked in all of Florida, blew up here specialty, the triple jump by nearly 5-0 with a state best 42-2.75 leap in Pensacola. Shavers, also a region champion in long jump this year, won that event with a 19-3 leap to win by almost two feet.

"She is a uniquely talented athlete as I have said before because she can flip the switch to do both jumps better than anyone around," said Fleming Island jump coach Konner Achors. "The difference in approaches is very tough to be good in both, but she is able to go full speed to the long jump board and then be able to run through the triple jump board to not affect her skip and jump part of the jump."

Shavers is also on the Fleming Island girls 4 x 100 meters relay team with teammates Meadow Schubert, Juliannah Santana and Jayla Mixon.
Schubert is also a double state track specialist in the hurdles with qualifying times for both the 100 hurdles and 400 hurdles. Schubert has a shot at four state events with a leg of the 4 x 400 relay with Santana, Brooke Reynolds and Mixon.
Reynolds is in on the 4 x 800 with Chloe Bourre, Karissa Lou and Samantha Whitin as well as the 1600.

The rest of the Fleming Island girls squad headed to state include 400 specialist Halle Steeves and pole vaulter Hannah Forte.

For the Fleming Island boys, top qualifier goes to sprinter Lennox Ivey who finished second at regions in the 400 with a 48.07 split to get in the top 10 state wise with a 46.92 top time.

In the 3200, Fleming Island sends two of its three finishers in the 3200 at regions with J.P. Atherholt and Marcos Serrano advancing while Ryder Muyres barely got eliminated in a strong Golden Eagle showing in Pensacola. Strombeck's 9:39.02 best is 11th ranked behind the top time of 9:17.80 by defending 3A champion Marcelo Mantecon of Belen Jesuit.

Fleming Island hurdle duo of Avery Savage and Tysen Janda had strong region finishes with Savage getting to state in the 400 hurdles.

Ridgeview High got junior Bennett Smith as the last qualifier in the 110 hurdles with a 15.57 split with 13.62 the top time among three hurdles under 14 seconds.

Ridgeview's girls got javelin thrower Rhiyanna Dachoute to state with a brilliant 120-7 toss putting her within 10 feet of a podium spot. The leading toss was an astounding 146-3.

From Middleburg, sophomore discus thrower Annabelle Underwood will follow sister Madison's legend with a ticket to the state meet. Madison Underwood was a four-time state qualifier and a third-place finisher last year.

For Oakleaf, in region 1-4A with a bevy of sprinters and jumpers doing most of the work for both girls and boys, the Knights got top five region team finishes with senior sprinter Rayna Lawson — third last year in the 100 and ninth in the 200, earning those same two state tickets — and sprint wingman Jasmine Silkert also getting a 100 ticket. Lawson, Silkert and the third Oakleaf sprint specialist Timia McMillan finished third, fifth and eighth in the region 100 with McMillan outside the state meet qualifying split. Lawson was third in the 200 as well to get that state ticket.

In the field events, shot-putter Rayna Autry, seventh last year for shot put, finished third at regions and is within two feet of a podium spot with her 35-8.75 just behind 3A lead put of 38-7.

For the boys' team, fourth in team points, a third and fifth place finish for triple jumpers Khamari Harewood and Jace Jackson got both to state in contention for a top 10 finish.

In discus, Dominic Aliaga advanced with a fifth place throw of 138-11.
In javelin, junior Emmett Egger missed by one inch with a best throw of 161-3 being just a hair off the final qualifying throw of 161-4 by Joey Lane of Nease.
On the track, Oakleaf's 4 x 400 and 4 x 100 advanced with Emmanuel Souffrant making the 200-state list with a third place 21.52 at regions while 800 specialist Jelani Chester got his ticket with a fourth at region 1:57.68.

For the girls 800, Kennedi Proctor smashed a 2:17.10 split to earn her ticket with a top 10 seed behind a best time of 2:12.06. The 4 x 100 boys relay of Miles Francis, Isaac Young, Kashe Johnson and Souffrant was second with a 41.78 split to Lake Howell at regions and got an eighth in 4A seed. Three teams are under 41 seconds in Class 4A.

In Class 1A, St. Johns Country Day School will have Ashantii Williams in the 400 plus both girls and boys 4 x 800 relay teams. The boys 4 x 800 — Wyatt Hollingsworth, Nathan Kipnis, Arlo Kistner and Thomas Nichols — are ranked 10th with the girls — Catherine Staten, Matilda Morris, Olivia Morris and Ella Rose Hanna — 15th.

In Class 2A, Keystone Heights had no state qualifiers but got a seventh at region finish from 100 hurdler Kaylee Park and, for the boys 4 x 800 relay, also a seventh-place finish.