Paul Stafford Finds Redemption In Win at FSU Pre-State Invitational
Entering Saturday's elite boys race at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in Tallahassee, Florida, Paul Stafford was just hoping for some redemption.
The Lake Wales (Florida) High senior had finished 37th on the Apalachee Regional Park course during the state championships as a junior after dominating much of his season his season.
"I was kind of nervous coming into this race, understandably, because there were so many great guys out here," he said.
But Saturday's race was a chance to redeem himself.
And it was also advertised as one of the state's premier head-to-head matchups between Stafford and Citrus Park Christian's Trevor Foley, two of the region's best.
It didn't quite turn out that way.
Stafford ran away from the competition after sticking with the field at 2K and posited a stellar win at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in 15:29.20. Foley's race went downhill right after the first major hill.
| 17-18 BOYS 5,000 METER RUN FINALS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | ATHLETE | TEAM | RESULT | POINTS | ||
| 1 | Paul Stafford | 12 Lake Wales HS | 15:29.20 | -- | ||
| 2 | Benjamin Hartvigsen | 11 Sarasota HS | 15:37.00 | 1 | ||
| 3 | Nathan Jubran | 12 Bishop Kenny HS | 15:37.70 | 2 | ||
| 4 | Tristen Montalvo | 12 St. Cloud HS | 15:51.30 | 3 | ||
| 5 | Bryce Bell | 12 Lyman HS | 15:53.30 | 4 | ||
| 6 | Joshua Collins | 12 Belen Jesuit Preparatory School | 15:59.50 | 5 | ||
| 7 | Antonio Gomez | 12 Frostproof HS | 16:04.10 | -- | ||
| 8 | Canaan St. Lewis | 11 Lake Mary HS | 16:07.70 | 6 | ||
| 9 | Andrew Miller | 12 Fleming Island HS | 16:10.50 | 7 | ||
| 10 | Timothy Doyle | 12 Freedom HS (Orlando) | 16:11.70 | -- | ||
But as much as Stafford earned a huge personal victory, Miami Belen Jesuit was right in the mix as one of the best stories of the morning.
The strong class 3A boys program out manned four-time class 2A champion Trinity Prep to earn a convincing victory in the team competition. The squad saw senior Josh Collins finish fifth while its remaining scorers went 26-29-31-41 to topple Bishop Kenny by 39 points on a 16:44 average.
| TEAM SCORES | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | TEAM | POINTS | SCORERS | TIMES | ||
| 1 | Belen Jesuit Preparatory School | 132 | 5+26+29+31+41 (43+49) | 1:04 1-5 Split | 16:44 Avg | ||
| 2 | Bishop Kenny HS | 173 | 2+30+36+38+67 (85+86) | 1:47 1-5 Split | 16:47 Avg | ||
| 3 | Trinity Prep | 186 | 8+17+46+57+58 (138+143) | 1:01 1-5 Split | 16:51 Avg | ||
In the girls race, it was the Elizabeth Funderburk show, as the Colquitt County (Georgia) took over the girls elite race from the gun and never looked back.
Clearly confident after a big win previously at the Wingfoot XC Classic in Atlanta, Georgia, Funderburk flew like a jet through the ARP course, taking the difficult transitions flawlessly en route to a big win in 17:59.2, her second-straight performance under 18 minutes.
Funderburk was third in this race last year and likely is making up for lost ground last postseason, when the senior finished 93rd at the state championships in Georgia and 30th at the Foot Locker South Region.
| 17-18 GIRLS 5,000 METER RUN FINALS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | ATHLETE | TEAM | RESULT | POINTS | ||
| 1 | Elizabeth Funderburk | 12 Colquitt County | 17:59.20 | -- | ||
| 2 | Isabella Bartczak | 12 Dr. Phillips HS | 18:29.60 | -- | ||
| 3 | Maya Beleznay | 10 Pine Crest HS | 18:30.40 | 1 | ||
| 4 | Claire Openshaw | 10 Creekside HS | 18:41.40 | 2 | ||
| 5 | Mahdere Yared | 9 Pine Crest HS | 18:49.60 | 3 | ||
| 6 | Lily Henne | 8 Montverde Academy | 18:50.40 | -- | ||
| 7 | Alexandra Del Re | 10 Jupiter HS | 18:50.70 | -- | ||
| 8 | Grace Blair | 12 Oak Hall School | 18:55.30 | -- | ||
| 9 | Maria Fernandez | 12 G. Holmes Braddock HS | 18:59.10 | 4 | ||
| 10 | Mackenzie Czurak | 10 Winter Springs HS | 19:00.20 | 5 | ||
The team competition, as it was expected, was dominated by the Pine Crest girls, who earned their best performance of the season with a 19:13.32 average and 96-second spread.
Finishing four inside the top 11 and its fifth in 33rd, the program was well positioned to win from start to finish.
Sophomore Maya Beleznay surprised with a great outing and third-place finishing 18:30.4
| TEAM SCORES | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | TEAM | POINTS | SCORERS | TIMES | ||
| 1 | Pine Crest HS | 58 | 1+3+10+11+33 (50+120) | 1:37 1-5 Split | 19:13 Avg | ||
| 2 | Creekside HS | 124 | 2+24+25+31+42 (69+76) | 1:52 1-5 Split | 19:47 Avg | ||
| 3 | Niceville HS | 167 | 15+23+40+44+45 (57+60) | 1:09 1-5 Split | 20:12 Avg | ||
| 4 | Citrus Park Christian School | 186 | 9+13+43+59+62 (68+87) | 1:42 1-5 Split | 20:13 Avg | ||
| 5 | Trinity Prep | 235 | 18+19+41+78+79 (92+98) | 1:40 1-5 Split | 20:28 Avg | ||
Related Links: