Lee Trawick
Reporter2@riverbendnews.org
On Wednesday, May 4, the Branford High School varsity track teams traveled to Mount Dora Christian Academy for the Class 1A Region 2 Finals with an opportunity to advance to the State Championships on the line. In track and field events, the top four finishers from each event qualify for a spot in the State Championship. The Buccaneers arrived at the Regional Finals as the Class 1A District 5 Champions. However, none of that mattered as the Buccaneers laced up their shoes, knowing they were one run, one jump or one throw away for the opportunity to perform on the biggest stage in Florida. The Buccaneers' boys track team boasted three team members who are looking to return to the State Championships. Seth Humphries, Devin Mosley and Kyson Johnson led their teammates through their experience. The Lady Buccaneers relied on Nathalia Veal and Zamaria Granado as the veterans of the sport on the State Championships stage.
As the day's events got started, the Buccaneers' colors of orange and blue were seen throughout the field. Then, as the day came to a close, those colors were shining, as they saw result after result posted and found themselves with 13 different Buccaneers earning their way to the State Championship stage.
Justin Hernandez was the star for the Buccaneers' boys team, as he qualified in three separate events, including the 800 meter, 1600 meter and the 4x800 meter events. Humphries, Adrik Miller, Austin Malaguti, Josue Sierra Berrios, Devin Mosley and Kyson Johnson will join Hernandez at the State Championships, which will be held from Wednesday, May 11, through Saturday, May 14, at James G. Pressly Stadium, located at 325 Woodlawn Dr., in Gainesville.
On the Lady Buccaneers team, Veal showed up as the veteran she is, leading the team in qualifying for the State Championships in three events, such as the 100 and 300 hurdles events, along with the pole vault event, which is the favorite in this year's field of qualifiers. Joining Veal will be Granado, Zoe Richmond, Terry Hannah, Ann Marie Mower and Evie Pitts.