You could make the case that in Florida High School athletics, class 1A is the oldest. A century ago, when the first Florida High School Track & Field Championships were contested in 1915, there was only one classification. 2A was a later invention, as were 3A and then 4A. So you could argue that this is the 100th anniversary of the first 1A State Meet, and the other classifications are just being allowed to crash the party.

What is beyond dispute, though, is that at the 100th anniversary edition of Florida’s State Meet on 1 May 2015, class 1A had the honor of being first on the track at 9:00 AM that Friday morning with the girls’ 4 x 800 meter relay. Evangelical Christian was in front at the end of the second leg, handing off to Elizabeth Wetmore eight-seconds ahead of the defending champs from Oak Hall. But on the third leg Oak Hall sophomore Nadiria Evans ran down Wetmore, grabbing the lead for the Eagles. Oak Hall frosh Grace Blair ran a 2:18 anchor leg, widening the gap on Evangelical senior Sarah Candiano, and the Eagles won the race in 9:20.87, with Evangelical taking second in 9:30.52. For the Oak Hall girls, it was a new school record and a new Alachua County record. The Eagles had set both marks earlier this season with a 9:24.53 at the Florida Relays.

The 1A boys’ 4 x 800 relay quickly developed into a Maclay School vs. Holy Trinity Academy affair. George Escobar grabbed the lead for Maclay at the end of the first leg, driving from 300 meters out. Going for it with 300 meters to go is a Maclay thing, George Gwynn explained.

“I know most of the guys here have big kicks,” said Gwynn. “Going with 300 meters to go seems to work.”

Even with Maclay’s patented long kick, Gwynn lost the lead to Holy Trinity near the end of the second leg. Holy Trinity sophomore Trevor Kattenberg stayed a step ahead of Maclay sophomore through the third leg. The anchor leg was Holy Trinity senior Daniel Welch racing against Maclay junior Steven Simpkins, with Simpkins trailing through the first lap.

“I really started to make my move at the 290 or 300 meter mark,” said Simpkins. Yes, he’s a Maclay runner.

Welch held off Simpkins till the homestretch, then the Maclay junior blasted by Welch and ran home to give his team an 8:07.54 win. Holy Trinity was second in 8:09.78, and Geneva third in 8:14.02.

In the afternoon session Admiral Farragut senior Brittany McGee won the girls' 100-meter hurdles in 13.98, but because of a strong trailing breeze, the times in the event weren't wind-legal. The same was true of the boys 110 hurdles, where FAMU High junior Christopher Jackson won in 14.39, the girls' 100 that was won by First Academy senior Teahna Daniels in 11.78, and the boys' 100 where Foundation Academy senior Kiande Phillips won in 10.77. But if the wind was the sprinters’ friend, it was the distance runners’ enemy.

“The wind was terrible!” said Sarah Candiano. “It was hard out there.”

Candiano had just won the 1A girls’ 1600 in 5:02.24, coming in ahead of Oak Hall eighth-grader Lindsay Rosenberg (2nd, 5:04.11) and Calvary Christian junior Hannah Brookover (3rd, 5:07.22). When Candiano went to the front of the field, though, she was exposed to the stiff breeze.

“I wanted to go with more than a lap left,” said Candiano. “But I got to the 300-meter mark and I just couldn’t move.”

Candiano did manage to move better than the other runners in the race, though, and added another state championship medal for the 1600 to the one she earned in 2014.

In the boys’ 1600 Windermere Prep senior Franco Martins couldn’t take shelter from the wind by tucking behind another runner. He was way ahead of the entire field for the all four laps, making the race look like a Franco Martins time trial and everyone else. Martins coasted home in a winning 4:20.39, while Holy Trinity senior Andrew Cacciatore outkicked Cardinal Mooney senior Cal Davidson Turner for second place, 4:27.03 to 4:27.09.

“It was good,” said Martins. “I just wanted to get the win, I didn’t care about the time. In the 3200 I can give closer to 100%, because it’s my last solo race.”

Solo race?

“I’ve got the 4 x 400, too.”

During the second lap of the girls’ 800 Evangelical Christian seventh-grader Sierra Oliveira made a move on the back stretch. But Grace Blair of Oak Hall made a later and winning move, taking the race in 2:13.70. Oliveira was second in 2:15.62, and Holy Trinity junior Shelby Smith placed third in 2:16.13. Recall that Blair had already run an 800 as part of Oak Hall’s state champion 4 x 800 relay. Was it harder or easier to run without a baton?

“In a way it’s harder because you aren’t doing it for the team,”said Blair. “But it’s also easier because you are doing it for the whole team.”

Tampa Prep junior Qaseem Wajd led the boys' 800 through the first lap and into the second. But on the backstretch of the bell lap, Calvary Christian senior Chris Robin rocketed out front.

“That was the plan,” said Robin. “I was planning to kick with 300 to go. I thought I might lead sooner, but he was a great runner. He ran a great race.”

Robin’s race was better, though, and his plan worked. The future UNF Osprey won the 800 state title in 1:57.23, with Wajd runner up in 1:57.71. Evangelical senior William Lunsford edged George Escobar of Maclay for third, 1:58.02 to 1:58.48.

The girls’ 3200 featured the return to the track of the 1600 champ, Sarah Candiano of Evangelical. For the first four laps, Mount Dora Bible eighth-grader Rebecca Clark set the pace with Candiano content to run behind her, while Brevard HEAT senior Emily Chapman followed in third. Late in the fifth lap Chapman charged into the lead. Candiano tucked in behind Chapman, and Clark maintained contact. With less than two laps to go, Candiano switched to a higher gear. Clark followed, but on the bell lap Candiano found yet another gear and left Clark floundering. Candiano hustled home in 11:01.30, winning the race and completing the 1600 / 3200 double. Clark was second in 11:06.90, and Oak Hall eighth-grader Lindsay Rosenberg overtook Chapman to take third in 11:14.60.

Candiano wasn’t the only athlete in class 1A looking for a 1600 / 3200 double, though. Franco Martins had won both events in 2014 and was looking to do it again in 2015.Seffner Christian junior Noah Perkins designated himself the rabbit, leading the first lap in 9:00 3200 pace. Martins didn’t set the pace but he was happy to follow it. As a 9:03.86 man, he was the only one in the field possibly capable of holding it.

“I had never run against him [Perkins] before,” said Martins. “I was really glad he took the lead. I could feel him getting tired, though, and I made a plan to go 100 meters before the start of the seventh lap.”

Which is exactly where Martins made his move. The Windermere senior ran away from Perkins on the last two laps to win the eight-lap race in 9:16.67, completing the 1600 / 3200 double for a second straight year. Perkins took second in 9:23.04, while Highlands Christian frosh Ryan Szklany was third in 9:46.39. Oak Hall won the girls' 4 x 400 in 3:57.08, running their team's total to 67 points. The Admiral Farragut girls scored no points in the relay, but they already had 76, enough to earn the 2015 team title. Maclay School won the boys' 4 x 400, but Maclay's team total of 39 was bettered by First Academy's 68.50 and Westminster Academy's 69. By only half a point, the Westminster boys were the 2015 FHSAA team champions.

Florida’s 101st High School Track & Field State Final was a great meet with close races and stellar performances. I’m already anticipating the 102nd.