- Buchholz boys cross country team won their second consecutive state title and four runners placed well in the FHSAA Class 4A track meet.
- Senior Dominick Diaz won the 1A pole vault state title with a 4.50m vault despite limited training conditions in Gainesville.
This past fall, the Buchholz boys took home their second consecutive cross country state title.
Four of those runners also took part in the FHSAA Class 4A Track and Field State Champions at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville in May. They helped lead the Bobcats to a 10th-place finish overall.
The four boys (junior Quinn Meyer, senior Davis Garrett, senior Samuel Freas and sophomore Andrew Sides), who made up the three All-American relay teams at the Nike Indoor National Championships in March, lead the way on the Bosshardt Realty Boys Track and Field All Area team for big schools (Class 3A-4A).
Sides finished third in the 1600 meters (4 minutes,12.55 seconds), which was just over 11 seconds better than his sixth-place finish at the Region 1-4A meet (4:23.83).
“Andrew’s work ethic and growing leadership skills has me as a coach very optimistic for the next two years,” said Buchholz boys distance coach Patrick Douma. “Last I checked, his 4:12.55 at the state meet was the No. 25 sophomore time in the country this year. For us to continue to have the same level of success in the next two years as we’ve had in the last few years, I think that will rely on Andrew’s leadership. And I’m sure he’s ready and looking forward to that.”
Garrett, who is heading to the U.S. Naval Academy, finished fifth in the 1600 with a time of 4:14.22 after a first-place finish at the Region 1-4A meet (4:18.35).
“Davis will be attending the Naval Academy starting later this month,” Douma said. “He’s made amazing progress all the way to 4:13 for the 1600 from his freshman year’s personal record of 5:29. His fifth-place finish at state was actually an amazing race considering he’s been running through an injury for about six weeks prior to that. His 4:14 at state was off very limited training.”
Buchholz only took five athletes to the 4A track and field state championships and four of those were distance runners.
Freas, a UNF signee, took fourth in the 3200 meters at the state meet with a time of 9:07.64. He improved on a time of 9:18.10 after taking third at the regional meet.
“Samuel has been on the varsity since his freshman year, which is uncharacteristic in our program,” Douma said. “He has figured out three years in a row how to run his best race at the state meet, as well as running his best cross country race at the state meet this year.”
The final Buchholz distance runner is Meyer, who finished eighth in the 800 meters at the state meet with a time of 1:54.94. He improved on his regional time of 1:56.22, as he finished second at that meet.
“Quinn really worked hard to break 1:55.0 on the 800 meters, and he did it at the right race (the state meet),” Douma added. “I think he’s excited to try to make some progress in cross country. Progress in the 800 meters next year will likely be based on making some progress with his base training in cross country.”
A total of six boys made the small school team (1A-2A), led by senior Dominick Diaz of Saint Francis Catholic Academy.
Diaz won the 1A pole vault event at the state meet as he vaulted 4.50 meters (14 feet, 9 inches). He actually had a better mark while finishing first at the Region 2-1A meet, vaulting 4.65 meters.
“Being state champion was a very gratifying experience, like all my hard work finally paid off,” Diaz said after the meet. “It’s difficult vaulting in Gainesville because poles are hard to come by and I had to practice at Santa Fe, but even though the conditions weren’t ideal, being consistent and practicing however I could, showed its results….”
Senior distance runner Andrew Eisner of Oak Hall was busy at the 1A state meet. He finished sixth in the 1600 (4:28.49) and seventh in the 800 (1:58.14) and was part of a team that finished second in the 4×800 meter relay (8:08.03) and eighth in the 4×400 relay (3:27.41).
The Eagles finished tied for 15th overall.
“Andrew has been an anchor of our boys’ distance program,” said Oak Hall coach Edwin McTureous. “He is a fierce competitor who leads by example, and the sheer grit he brings to every single workout and race defines what it means to be an Oak Hall athlete. He leaves behind a legacy of hard work and dedication that our younger runners will look up to for years to come.”
Hawthorne sophomore Willie Sutton finished sixth in the triple jump at the 1A state meet with a leap of 13.75 meters (45 feet, 1.5 inches), and Branford senior sprinter Blake Pilkington took seventh in the 400 at 50.22 seconds.
At the 2A state meet, senior Zachary Reed represented Eastside well.
Reed placed second in the 200 at 21.03, while taking eighth in the 100 at 10.85. He was also a member of the Rams’ 4×400 relay team that finished eighth with a time of 3:20.80.
The final member of the All Area squad is Suwannee (Live Oak) senior thrower, Frank Brookins.
“Frank’s goal all season was to make it back to state and this time make the podium,” said Suwannee coach Twon Williams. “He fell shy last season, so this season he made sure that would be a possibility with his weightlifting training and match schedule. He did what it took to balance both sports this season to get the reps in practice, even if that meant practicing for an additional 45 minutes after everyone else’s practice to get the reps in after his weightlifting workouts.”
Brookins placed seventh in the javelin at the 2A state meet with a throw of 47.56 meters (156 feet).
“He and I had a conversation early in the season and discussed the tremendous amount of dedication and commitment it would take for him to continue to progress in the javelin as well as continue to do what’s necessary to be successful in both sports this season,” Williams said. “He needed to find a balance that would not only allow him to qualify this season but also make the podium. His confidence and grit not only got him to state, but it also allowed him to come home with hardware.”
2026 Bosshardt Realty Boys Track and Field All Area Team
Small School Boys (1A-2A)
Andrew Eisner (SR) Oak Hall, Distance
Dominick Diaz (SR) Saint Francis Catholic Academy, Jumper
Willie Sutton (SO) Hawthorne, Jumper
Blake Pilkington (SR) Branford, Sprinter
Zachary Reed (SR) Eastside, Sprinter
Frank Brookins (JR) Suwannee, Thrower
Big School Boys (3A-4A)
Davis Garrett (SR) Buchholz, Distance
Samuel Freas (SR) Buchholz, Distance
Quinn Meyer (SR) Buchholz, Distance
Andrew Sides (SO) Buchholz, Distance