Scorching temperatures didn’t stop fantastic performances on Friday on the first day of the UF Pepsi Florida Relays as area high school teams held their own against national-class competition.
Buchholz senior Gino Palazzolo dropped down from his best event, the 3200-meter run, to get more competition in the 1600m. Palazzolo led the first two laps before the pack swallowed him up and he fell back to second place with a lap to go, but with 200 meters to go, he took back the lead.
Dillard senior Joshua Gammage moved from fourth to challenge Palazzolo at the 200 meter and the two fought to the end with Gammage winning in 4 minutes,13.14 seconds to Palazzolo’s 4:13.22.
“I didn’t even make it here my freshman year,” said Palazzolo, a Florida State signee. “Last year I won the 3200m and second here this year, I can’t complain. Tactically, going out fast favored me because I’m racing guys who were much faster than me over shooter distances. Kudos to Joshua. He won the 3,200-meter earlier and that takes it out of your legs.”
Buchholz senior Davis Garrett had a great race, lowering his personal best in the 1600 by 2.06 seconds to finish 10th in 4:19.95.
“I’ve been trying to get this for a while,” said Garrett. “This year has been a really good year for me so I’m really happy with that time. I didn’t think I would get that today.”
The Buchholz distance juggernaut was a big reason the Bobcats won the boys’ county title on Monday.
Earlier on Friday, Buchholz junior Sam Freas finished fourth in the 3200 in 9:25.19 and junior Demteria Meyers finished 15th in 9:41.64.
The Buchholz girls also did well. Senior Eleanor Whisler, a Navy signee, finished eighth in the 3200m meter run in 11:16.56 and was followed closely by freshman Alanna Doyle, who finished 10th in 11:21.78, a personal best by 2.85 seconds.
Two area relay teams qualified for Saturday’s finals.
The Buchholz girls 4×400 relay foursome of seniors Jayla Davis, Gianna Rizzo, Tonie Harmon and junior Chelsea Moonah claimed the ninth and final qualifying spot with a personal best and school record of 3:51.79. The final will be at 5:05 p.m. on Saturday.
“We got a new coach [Greg Meyers] this year and we’ve made so much progress,” said Moonah. “Last year, we could barely run 4:06 and running anything under four minutes feels so great. Getting into the final means a lot for us. It shows that all the work and dedication has paid off. There are so many great teams out here.”
GHS’s girls 4×100 meter relay team foursome of senior Primaya Johnson, freshman Te’Niyah Bradley, junior Aaliyha McClellon and sophomore Nadia Walton-Hood finished ninth with a 47.27, 0.4 seconds better than the 10th place team, North Miami, who finished with a 47.31. The Hurricanes will run in the final at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday.
The second day of the Florida Relays will begin at 9 a.m. with the high school competition with the college and open races starting at noon and finishing with the 4×400 relays at 5:40 p.m.