When the FHSAA State Championships for boys weightlifting take place this weekend in Lakeland, Hernando County will have plenty of representation. That became assured in the Region 2A-3 meet on April 3 at River Ridge, when multiple county lifters won their weight classes in traditional (bench press and clean-and-jerk) or Olympic (snatch and clean-and-jerk), earning automatic berths into the state meet.
Central, which collected district team titles in both categories a week earlier, had one regional champion in Luke Redmile. The junior will make a return trip to states, winning in Olympic at 129 pounds, lifting 145 pounds in snatch and 200 in the clean for a 345 total.
Redmile was the lone county champ in Olympic, but there were three more in traditional. That included two from Springstead, both previous state qualifiers.
Senior Damyn Szatkowski, who has back-to-back third-place finishes the last two years at states, will get a chance to improve upon that after he benched 290 and cleaned 220 for a 510 total to take the 139 traditional regional crown. Mykel Theriault also won at 199, with a 330 bench and 290 clean for a 620 total.
Weeki Wachee’s Sean Campbell came in first in traditional at 154, benching 305 and hoisting 220 in the clean for a 525 total. Other state qualifiers will be determined based on the highest totals from all regional meets in each class.
The final Gulf Coast 8 Track and Field Championships were held on April 2 at Hernando High, with the Nature Coast boys and Springstead girls collecting the team titles.
Conference champs for the Sharks included Jasir Harvin in the 100 meter, running a time of 10.92 to finish first. Trent Montgomery won the 200 in 22.41, Noah Carpenter took the 1,600 in 4:47.52 and Dashawn Allan did the same in the 110 hurdles in 16.58.
The Nature Coast boys also took first in all three relays. Jonathan Edney, Carpenter, Brayden Barrett and Kason O’Neill ran an 8:52.73 to win the 4×800. Harvin, Ethan Warford, Montgomery and Zayden Mckenzie took the 4×100 in 42.72. Dominick Picariello, O’Neill, Barrett and Edney were first in the 4×400 in 3:38.62.
In the team standings the Sharks totaled 222 points, with Springstead in second with 182.5 and Weeki Wachee in third with 91. Keith Smith Jr. gave the Eagles a first-place finish in the 800 running a 2:07.15, and Chadiell Echavarria did the same in the high jump with a 6’3 1/2” and the triple jump with a 42’7” leap. Bradley Lewars came in first in the pole vault (11’1/4”), while Ryan Mongold won the shot put (44’3 1/2”) and discus (148’2”). Weeki Wachee’s Bakari Hodge-Mauldin won the 400 in a time of 51.29.
Springstead’s girls ran away with the team championship scoring 267, well ahead of Lecanto in second with 149. Tija Holland won the 100 for the Eagles in 12.75 and Briana Coleman took the 400 in 1:03.33. Lainee Mercer captured all three distance races, the 800 (2:25.13), the 1,600 (5:42.38) and the 3,200 (11:45.16).
De’Aijah Tullis earned a conference crown in the 100 hurdles (16.74) and the high jump (4’11 3/4”). Aliviya Schabilion was the winner of the pole vault (8’3 1/2”) and Addisson Osborne took the shot put (30’6 1/4”). Holland, Neriah Joseph, Tullis and Coleman won the 4×100 relay in 50.09. Hernando’s Lentajhae Smith came in first in the 200 in 26.03 for the county’s other conference champ.
In baseball, Hernando swept two games in four days over Springstead. The Leopards won 11-1 on the road on April 1, getting a complete game from Cadyn Williams, then pulled out a 7-1 home victory on Friday. Austin Knierim pitched 5 2/3 innings and had two RBI, Kaine Ellis went 3 for 3 and Palmer Looper drove in two for Hernando (13-9).
Weeki Wachee went 3-0 with two blowout victories. Jack Strong had three hits with a double and an RBI in a 3-0 win at Crystal River on April 1, while Jayden Allen struck out 11 in 6 2/3 shutout innings.
The Hornets (13-9) beat Hudson 15-3 on April 3, as Saul Melendez tripled and drove in four runs, Jacob Barnum went 3 for 4 with three RBI, and Strong was 2 for 2 with a double and three RBI. Strong threw six innings giving up one run and striking out nine in Friday’s 11-1 triumph over Crystal River. Derek Giordano, Barnum and Christian Zahora each had two RBI.
Springstead softball started the week with an 18-4 win over Weeki Wachee on April 1. Alivia Miller was 3 for 5 with two doubles, a home run, three runs and four RBI, and later in the week she fanned 16 in seven innings while permitting just an unearned run in a 4-1 win over Sunlake on Friday for the Eagles (10-3).
Hernando defeated Central in an extra-inning thriller 8-7 in eight innings on April 1. Ammarae Easton went 3 for 4 with three runs, and Murphi Blade had a home run and two RBI for the Leopards (10-6).
Hernando’s flag football team went 3-0 and improved to 10-2 overall. The Leopards defeated Citrus 20-13 on March 31, with Alexis Sway throwing for one touchdown to Ayana Kincade and running for two more.
On April 2, Hernando again topped Citrus, this time 32-0. Carlie Grant completed 13 of 17 passes for 215 with three touchdown passes against two interceptions. She and Sway added rushing touchdowns. Kenderlyn Hart caught two touchdowns and Sway hauled in one, and Hart also had an astounding eight interceptions on defense.
Then on April 3, the Leopards blew out Classical Prep 46-0. Sway had three rushing touchdowns and one receiving. Grant threw for two and ran for one. Kincade caught one score and Skyla McCorts ran for another.
Nature Coast’s flag football team notched two wins, beating Seven Rivers Christian 14-9 on April 1. Madelyn DePetrillo ran for two touchdowns. Then the Sharks (8-3) downed Sunlake 13-12 on April 3 with Lainee Tackett rushing for one score and Gabriella Dross catching the other.
Springstead (7-4) won 39-0 over Crystal River on April 3. Amanda Soults and J’Ziyah Munford had rushing touchdowns, and track stars Holland, Coleman and Osborne showed their football skills with receiving touchdowns.
