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ALL-AREA BOYS TRACK TEAM
athlete of the year israel nelson
All-Area First Team
Nehari Crawford
Zach Garland
Ira Graham
Matt Jones
Isaiah McFadden
Kenny Murrin
ALEX SLITZ/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS
Derek Nails
Tyler O’Brien
Justin Peabody
Caleb Pottorff
Treasure Coast High School’s Israel Nelson is the 2014 Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers All-Area Boys Track Athlete of the Year. To see more photos, go to TCPalm.com.
Nelson conquers hurdles Israel Nelson is the ’14 Scripps Treasure Coast boys track star
By Jon Santucci jon.santucci@scripps.com 772-692-8932
Edwin Thomas
Reche Thomas
NEHARI CRAWFORD
Fort Pierce Central junior jumper/sprinter Season bests: 23.37 seconds in the 200 meters (St. Lucie County Championships); 22 feet, 0 inches in the long jump (Vero Beach Invitational); 44 feet, 5.25 inches in the triple jump Postseason results: First in District 9-4A in the long jump, second in District 9-4A in the triple jump; fifth in Region 3-4A in the long jump and triple jump
ZACH GARLAND
Martin County senior mid-distance Season bests: 1 minute, 57.73 seconds in the 800 meters and 4 minutes, 40.88 seconds in the 1,600 meters (Holy Trinity Invitational); 24.54 seconds in the 200 meters Postseason results: First in District 9-4A in the 800; first in Region 3-4A in the 800; eighth in Class 4A in the 800
IRA GRAHAM
Vero Beach sophomore sprinter Season bests: 11.07 seconds in the 100 meters (Bulldog Showdown); 22.57 seconds in the 200 meters (Region 3-4A); 53.21 seconds in the 400 meters (Royal Palm Beach Invitational) Postseason results: First in District 9-4A in the 200, second in District 9-4A in the 100; sixth in Region 3-4A in the 200, ninth in Region 3-4A in the 100
MATT JONES
Sebastian River senior jumper Season bests: 5 feet, 10 inches in the high jump (Astronaut Invitational, Cobra Relays, Sebastian River Sprints); 22 feet, 8 inches in the long jump (District 13-3A); 44 feet, 7.5 inches in the triple jump (Region 4-3A) Postseason results: First in District 13-3A in the long jump and triple jump; first in Region 4-3A in the long jump, third in Region 4-3A in the triple jump
Treasure Coast High School hurdler Israel Nelson didn’t go to the Class 4A state track meet this year. After a pulled hamstring sidelined the junior from the postseason, Nelson couldn’t bring himself to watch the race that he thought he was destined to win. “It was pretty sad,” Nelson said. “I think about it every day. I was on pace. I was running the times I wanted to run and I felt like I could have won a state title. I just didn’t want to see other guys running that race.” Even though he missed out on the ultimate prize, Nelson still had an outstanding season. He won every 110-meter and 300-meter hurdles race he entered this season — usually in convincing fashion. For his efforts, Nelson is the 2014 Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers All-Area Boys Track Athlete of the Year. This is the second consecutive year a Treasure Coast athlete has won the honor. Sprinter Justin Williams — now a freshman defensive back at Michigan State University — took top honors in 2013. “Israel’s on another level from other hurdlers,” Treasure Coast coach Anthony Prince said. “I’ve never seen a kid in hurdles who just dominates and gets better every year. The only kid I’ve seen dominant like that was Justin — where you just knew he was going to win. You knew that and he knew that.
Athlete of the Year
Coach of the Year
ISRAEL NELSON
DEREK GIBSON
Treasure Coast junior hurdler/jumper Season bests: 13.98 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles (Cobra Relays); 38.93 seconds in the 300-meter hurdles (Walter Jshombach Memorial Invitational); 6 feet, 3 inches in the high jump (St. Lucie County Championships) Notable: Nelson won every race he entered in 2014. Postseason results: N/A Coach Anthony Prince: “He has a real calm spirit about himself. When he gets out there, he gets excited but he tries to be perfect at every aspect of the hurdle. Some kids have a swagger, he’s a little more humble and it really drives him. Nothing is a surprise. He sets goals for times and he accomplished them in both the 300 meters and the 110.”
“If Israel was healthy, I don’t think anyone would have beaten him (at the state meet). Looking at the 4A track meet this year, there are guys that would have pushed him, but I don’t think they would have beat him. They ran their best time at 13.7 (seconds) and all year long he was at 13.9. When you’re pushed by great athletes, the best comes out of you.” Nelson is drawing interest from a number of Division I programs, including Oral Roberts, Indiana, USF, Purdue, Illinois, Penn, Cornell and Brown. He finished sixth in Class 4A in the 110 hurdles in 2013 and spent the offseason training, primarily on his start and getting out of the blocks. Nelson spent countless hours at the track with his father, Lynberg Nelson, trying to perfect his technique and improve on his times. Israel Nelson ended up cutting 65-hundredths of a second off his time in the 110 (from 14.63 to 13.98) and 63-hundredths of a
second from his 300 time (from 40.56 to 39.93). He also added 3 inches to his best high jump — topping out at 6-feet, 3-inches this season. “Sometimes it’s difficult as a tall hurdler,” Prince said. “He’s 6-(foot-)3 and he jumps with ease. I mean, 6-5 is his goal in the high jump and he doesn’t really practice it. “He just gets better every year. From his freshman year to now is unbelievable — the way he’s corrected his mistakes and shaved his time. Some of the guys that were beating him then wouldn’t beat him on his worst day now.” Even though Nelson wasn’t able to compete in the postseason, he still is thinking about what to do for an encore to his season. Prince wants to enter Nelson in better meets in 2015 as he rarely was challenged this season. “It’s me and the clock,” Nelson said. “That’s what I focus on in every race. But it’s like you want
John Carroll, seventh year This season: John Carroll won the District 13-1A championship for the second consecutive year. The Golden Rams, which have only a handful of seniors, also finished fourth in Region 4-1A. John Carroll had three individuals and two relay teams qualify for the Class 1A state meet. Quotable: “We had a lot of kids returning from last year. We didn’t have a lot of seniors and the underclassmen competed and really worked out. They scored a lot of points for us. Winning districts back-to-back really made the season special.”
someone to push you to make you faster but, at the same time, you’re running against the clock so you’re not worried about the competition.” Nelson isn’t too focused on the competition — not in the state of Florida anyway. He has his sights on a national championship. “If he’s healthy, I see this as a guy you could consider saying that he could compete for a national championship,” Prince said. “It’s far beyond the state. If he’s healthy, I don’t see him less than a national champion. It’s a goal he can reach.”
First Team continued ISAIAH MCFADDEN
PSL senior sprinter Season bests: 11.19 seconds in the 100 meters (St. Lucie County Championships); 22.53 seconds in the 200 meters (Region 4-3A) Postseason results: First in District 14-3A in the 200, fifth in District 14-3A in the 100; seventh in Region 4-3A in the 200
KENNY MURRIN
Jensen Beach junior pole vaulter Season best: 12 feet, 6 inches in the pole vault (District 14-3A) Postseason result: First in District 14-3A in the pole vault
DEREK NAILS
Jensen Beach senior sprinter Season bests: 10.84 seconds in the 100 meters (District 14-3A); 22.49 in the 200 (Walter Jshombach Memorial Invitational) Postseason results: Second in District 14-3A in the 100; sixth in Region 4-3A in the 100 Poll: Nails topped the TCPalm.com all-area readers poll with 66 percent of the votes.
TYLER O’BRIEN
Martin County senior distance runner Season bests: 4 minutes, 28.91 seconds in the 1,600
meters (Pepsi Florida Relays); 9:23.48 in the 3,200 meters (Class 3A) Postseason results: First in District 9-4A in the 3,200; first in Region 3-4A in the 3,200; fourth in Class 4A in the 3,200
JUSTIN PEABODY
Sebastian River senior pole vaulter Season best: 12 feet, 6 inches in the pole vault (Region 4-3A, Embry Riddle Spikes Classic) Postseason results: Second in District 13-3A in the pole vault; fourth in Region 4-3A in the pole vault; 12th in Class 3A in the pole vault
CALEB POTTORFF
Lincoln Park freshman distance runner Season bests: 4 minutes, 26.61 seconds in the 1,600 meters (Region 4-2A); 9:34.28 in the 3,200 meters (Class 2A) Postseason results: First in District 14-2A in the 1,600 and 3,200; third in Region 4-2A in the 1,600 and 3,200; third in Class 2A
EDWIN THOMAS
John Carroll senior sprinter/jumper Season bests: 10.92 seconds in the 100 meters (Region 4-1A); 22.72 in the 200 (St. Lucie County Championships); 20 feet,
2.5 inches in the long jump (St. Lucie County Championships) Postseason results: First in District 13-1A in the 100 and 200; second in Region 4-1A in the 100; 10th in Class 1A in the 100
RECHE THOMAS
Vero Beach junior thrower Season bests: 146 feet, 1 inch in the discus (Cobra Relays); 48 feet, 7 inches in the shot put (Sam Burley Hall of Fame Invitational) Postseason results: First in District 9-4A in the shot put; fourth in Region 3-4A in the shot put; 14th in Class 4A in the shot put
Honorable Mention SEAN BARRICLOW Martin County junior distance runner NICHOLAS BOROWICK Martin County senior jumper JALYLEN BROOKS-CARTER PSL senior hurdler/jumper
CARL ELLIOT Central sophomore hurdler JUSTIN FINK John Carroll freshman sprinter/ jumper DIQWOUN HARRIS Treasure Coast senior sprinter
AUSTIN LASZEWICKI John Carroll senior hurdler AUSTIN LETTENGARVER Pine School junior distance runner SHELBY LICKLITER LPA senior mid-distance runner
SPRICKLEY MARTINO Vero Beach senior sprinter MICHAEL MATTHEWS Lincoln Park senior jumper TYRELL MORING Port St. Lucie senior sprinter/ jumper
ANTHONY PEARSON Vero Beach junior jumper C.J. ROBERTSON John Carroll junior mid-distance/ pole vaulter DAMIAN STRONG Sebastian River senior jumper
BRANDON WAY Port St. Lucie senior thrower TREMAIN WILLIAMS Vero Beach junior hurdler JALEN WYATT Treasure Coast senior sprinter