State

Ava Povich, ECS

First, I apologize for not writing more about this wonderful season of high school track and field produced by Lee County athletes.  Life comes at you pretty fast and this 67-year-old just couldn't lock in and put forth the effort to follow all of the great performances that were produced this season.

This week a strong contingent of Lee County distance runners will travel to the University of North Florida to compete at the Florida High School Track and Field Championships.  Before I delve into the results class by class, I will state my biggest complaint about the sport in this state.  The season is way too long.  Meets started in early February and run through mid-May.  Given the awful temperatures and humidity in Florida the season should end the last week of April.  Ten weeks of competition is more than enough to separate the wheat from the chafe.

We're going with the biggest class first, Class 4A where two girls will compete. First is Gianna Del Pizzo.  The Lehigh junior will run in the 1600, her strongest event, and the 3200.  Del Pizzo is one of a handful of Lee County girls to break 5:10 this season.  She appears ready to make a run at a sub-five clocking and has a good shot at making the podium in the 1600.Second there's Riverdale junior Ansley Kelley who burst on the scene this spring. She's got a shot at a podium finish in the 3200.  If he can rebound with a performance like the one he had at Districts he's got a shot at a top eight finish.

Class 3A is chock full of individuals and teams that could podium.  At 800 meters Dunbar's Joshua Dorestin barely scrapped through the qualify for State.

Over 1600 JoJo Koraya of Fort Myers hasn't quite shown the brilliance of his sophomore campaign.  Koraya will need a sub-4:20 effort to medal as will his senior teammate Timmy Shultz.

Koraya and Shultz will help put the Green Wave in a position to win the 4x800.  The dark horse team will be the Dunbar Tigers in this event while Cape Coral could make the podium as well.

The Cape Coral 3200 duo of Declan Ziomek and William Canales will certainly put their nose in this super competitive event.  Ziomek has the best chance to podium but it will take a big PR to claim a spot.  

On the girl's side Fort Myers will send its 4x800 team while it has one girl competing in the 1600 and 3200.  Sophomore Masha Dorofeev will need to score a big personal best to score in either event.

Class 2A is where Bishop Verot has stamped itself as the distance power of Lee County, both boys and girls.

Grayson Tubbs has a great shot at making the podium in the 800.  His rival from Estero, Max Sedmak, has an outside shot at a top eight finish.

In the girl's 800 Bishop Verot senior Kylie Thomas will need to run yet another personal best to score in the 800.  Don't count her out as her season has been one PB after another.

Another Verot senior Julia Reitz came close to breaking 5:10 earlier in the season and may need to run that fast to make the podium.

Verot super sophomore MacKenzie DeLisle joined the exclusive sub 11 club earlier in the season.  She will need to run one of the fastest times in Lee County history to win the state title but she appears to have a lock on second.

The best chance for gold for the Verot girls is in the 4x800 with DeLisle, Reitz, Thomas and Sofia Roman leading a solid squad.  The Verot boys could also snag a gold in the 4x800.  Regardless, this season has been a real feather in the cap of Verot distance coach Tyler Stowell.

We wrap it up with Class 1A which includes one of the best female preps in Lee County history.  As of right now ECS senior Ava Povich is looking at a 4x800, 1600 and 3200 triple.  She's a competitor who appears to run better the more she races.  It wouldn't surprise me if she skips the 1600 and opts to race the 3200 only as it's her best bet to finally take an individual state title.  ECS had a shot at a team championships but those chances slipped away when sprint star MacKenzie Travis tore her hamstring.  Povich may consider cutting back to a double since those team points won't matter as much.

ECS also has a stellar entry in the 800 Casey Johnson.  The girls from ECS will compete in the 4x800 with a squad from SFCA.  The boys from SFCA has a real shot at making the podium with 800 finalist Jack Gifford and distance ace Hayden Tank leading SFCA's boys squad.

Two other Lee County seniors look to podium in the 3200 in their final state meet. Tank appears ready to run another PR and should land on the podium even if he doesn't.  As should Canterbury Gabriella Santucci who has finished 10th and 9th respectively, missing the podium by one spot last year.