Hardware Hunt By CHRIS BERNHARDT JR.cbernhardt@hernandotoday.com Published: Apr 26, 2008
For the four male Hernando County athletes competing in today's Class 2A FHSAA Finals at Winter Park's Showalter Field, this meet represents a new experience.
Nature Coast Technical's Tony Roberts, Antwan Story and Howie Williams, and Hernando High's Tyler Maier, are all competing at states for the first time.
Yet for the two local female athletes taking part in the event today marks the next chapter in their legacy.
Nature Coast sophomore Danielle Doucet and Hernando senior Gina Potito are both returning state medalists from last season and are looking to add to that with another stellar performance today.
The meet officially begins at 9 a.m. with the girls' pole vault; though no one from Hernando County will compete until Potito in the high jump at 3 p.m. Williams will take part in the boys' high jump at 5 p.m.
Running prelims are set to start at 4 p.m. and finals at 7 p.m. The top eight in prelims advance to finals; the top eight overall earn medals.
One last time
Potito has now reached this level all four years of her prep career, all in the high jump. As a freshman in 2004 she came in third place with a leap of 5'4”.
Following a disappointing 11th-place finish (4'10”) as a sophomore, she again cleared the bar at 5'4” last year to come in fourth.
She reached 5'4” to win the high jump at districts, though only leapt 5'2” to tie for third at regionals. Her goal remains to hit 5'6”. No girl is seeded higher than 5'4”.
“I'm really hoping for 5'6”, 5'6” would be a really good thing for me,” Potito said. “I'm kind of struggling. Hopefully 5'6” will creep up on me. I'm hoping for the best.
“It's my last year so of course I want to make it the best. It's the most stressful of the four, trying to go out and do the best I've ever done.”
Doucet has her second opportunity to shine at states, but unlike the other five county athletes, she will compete in two events.
Last year she advanced to states in the 400, 200 and 100. In the 400, she ran a 59.00 to take sixth place, good enough for her first state medal. However, she failed to make it out of prelims in the other two races.
This time she will compete in the 400 and 200, as she did not enter the 100 this state series.
She was the only county athlete to win a championship at last week's Class 2A, Region III Meet at Titusville-Astronaut, taking the 400 in 58.81. A 26.12 in the 200 placed her third. She is seeded seventh in the 400 and 14th in the 200.
“She wants to beat certain girls on that (seeding) list,” Nature Coast coach Ryan Wilson said. “She's definitely focused. She's working on coming out of the blocks everyday. She thinks that's her weakness. Otherwise, she's working, getting rest, getting ready to give all she has.
“With her right now she's competing with herself. We're trying to get her in the top five (in the 400). We want to do better than last year. In the 200 we want to do better. She wants to medal in two this year.”
Wilson hopes to see more than one of his athletes up on the medal stand. At 6'4” in the high jump, the junior Williams find himself tied with four others for the third-best seed.
The sophomore Roberts (300-hurdles) and junior Story (200) will also try to make the most of this experience, though neither is seeded in the top eight.
“It's a big deal with them being so young,” Wilson said. “We'll definitely have some leaders for next year. The kids are going to see how it is. Next year coming back, it'll make them work a lot harder.
“Howie definitely has got a chance of being top five. He's seeded in the top three and we know he can jump better. He's focusing on the high jump now, so he should definitely jump higher.
“Antwan, you never know. I think now he knows what he has to do. Tony is getting more comfortable in the hurdles. His time is dropping. He hasn't peaked yet. I think he'll peak at states.”
Though a senior, Maier has never competed at states. Still, at 9:52.48 in the 3,200, he is seeded fifth.
“I think he'll treat it like any race,” Hernando coach Ernie Chatman said. “There are certain things he has to do. I'm sure he'll go out and try to run a smarter race, probably a little more tactical than last time.”
AT A GLANCE
WHAT: Class 2A FHSAA Track and Field Finals
WHO: Hernando’s Tyler Maier and Gina Potito, Nature Coast’s Danielle Doucet, Tony Roberts, Antwan Story and Howie Williams.
WHERE: Showalter Field in Winter Park.
WHEN: Fields events start at 9 a.m. Running prelims are set for 4 p.m. and finals at 7 p.m.
AT STAKE: Top eight earn medalist honors.
DIRECTIONS: Take State Road 50 east into Orlando. Turn left on U.S. Highway 436 (Semoran Boulevard). Turn left on Banchory Road. Turn right on South Ranger Boulevard. Turn left on Cady Way. Turn right on Perth Lane. The entrance to the parking lot is on the right.
2A FHSAA FINALS: HERNANDO COUNTY ATHLETES
Name Year School Event
Danielle Doucet* So Nature Coast 400, 200
Tyler Maier Sr Hernando 3,200
Gina Potito* Sr Hernando High jump
Tony Roberts So Nature Coast 300-hurdles
Antwan Story Jr Nature Coast 200
Howie Williams Jr Nature Coast High jump
* Denotes returning state medalist
