Chris's Musings - A Great Day for a Regional

We could not have asked for a better day Saturday. The conditions were set almost perfect for fast times. The excitement and nervousness swirled throughout the park. And the local athletes set the tone early. Kara Taylor led Chiles to a strong finish and Regional title. They are looking good for a possible championship next week. The Leon ladies were not far behind and very well might make the girls battle just as intense as the boys. Speaking of which, the boys switched rolls this weekend with Leon taking control and Chiles coming in right behind for second. Next week looks to be exciting.

In the 1A races the Maclay boys and girls swept the team titles. As always Coach Droze has his troops set for State. They will have a tough fight on their hands, but he has pulled it off before in the same situation. Individually Whitney Strickland of NFC has been getting stronger every week and has his eyes set on a state championship. Along with some help from the family he led his team to a 6th place finish and a return trip to Dade City.

2A closed off the day with Joe Franklin and Laura Hempel as the only people to advance out of this classification. Joe cruised to an easy victory in a very nice time of 15:37. Earlier in the day he saw his state leading mark taken down by Washington’s Eric Larson 15:18. This would have been a good match-up if they could have been in the same race.

So to sum it up and make it easier to follow, here are the teams and individuals who advance to next week’s State Championship in Dade City.

3A Boys Leon and Chiles
3A Girls Chiles, Leon, and Georgia Mitchell of Lincoln
2A Boys Joe Franklin of Godby
2A Girls Laura Hempel of Rickards
1A Boys Maclay and NFC
1A Girls Maclay and Aucilla Christian

On a sad note, former Wakulla Coach Dave Price passed away Friday evening. Most of us remember watching his son Tyler give his dad tons of great memories last year. From working closely with Tyler I know his dad was the driving force behind his motivation and success. Coach Price was a great coach, teacher, and father and will truly be missed. Please keep Tyler and the rest of his family in your prayers.