- June 21, 2025
Matanzas freshman Peyton Cerasi placed second in the 3200 meter run in 10:56.56 at the FHSAA Class 3A State Championships on Saturday, May 10. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland sophomore Ethan Figueroa (center) stands at attention during the national anthem before the start of the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Friday, May 9. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland senior Khalil Wilmore (right) prepares to run the lead leg of the 4x800-meter relay at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Friday, May 9. Photo by Michele Meyers
New Smyrna Beach (right) leads the start of the 4x800 relay then finishes the race in fifth place at the 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Friday, May 9. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland senior Khalil Wilmore (right) passes the baton to Dray Wood (center) in the 4x800-meter relay at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Friday, May 9. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland senior Dray Wood (right) passes the baton to sophomore Liam Ciferri in the 4x800-meter relay at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Friday, May 9. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland senior Antonio Wilson Jr. places tenth in the discus with a personal best throw of 45.16 meters at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Friday, May 9. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Ethan Figueroa makes his second high jump attempt at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Friday, May 9. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland's Ethan Figueroa takes another high jump attempt at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Friday, May 9. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland sophomore Liam Cifferi runs the third leg of the 4x800 at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Friday, May 9. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland senior Kajuan Curry Jr. (left) focuses on running the anchor leg of the 4x800-meter relay after Liam Ciferri (right) hands off the baton at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Friday, May 9. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland senior Kajuan Curry Jr. finishes up the last lap of the 4x800-meter relay at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Friday, May 9. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze junior Logan Smith (second from right) warms up for the javelin throw at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Friday, May 9. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze junior Logan Smith (center) warms up for the javelin throw at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Friday, May 9. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze junior Logan Smith (center) launches the javelin at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Friday, May 9. Photo by Michele Meyers
Matanzas freshman Peyton Cerasi stays in the pack at the start of the 3,200-meter run at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Saturday, May 10. Photo by Michele Meyers
Seabreeze junior Logan Smith finishes up his last two attempts in javelin at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Saturday, May 10. Photo by Michele Meyers
Matanzas freshman Peyton Cerasi finishes second in the 3,200-meter run at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Saturday, May 10. Photo by Michele Meyers
Matanzas freshman Peyton Cerasi finishes second in the 3,200-meter run at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Saturday, May 10. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland senior Amyah Watlington (third from left) runs in with Liusmar Rivas Velasquez (left), Janae Jones (second from left) and Nyla Christian (right) in the 100-meter hurdles at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Saturday, May 10. Watlington finishes tenth at the meet. Photo by Michele Meyers
Matanzas freshman Peyton Cerasi (second from right) moves up to second in the 3,200-meter run at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Saturday, May 10. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland senior Antonio Wilson Jr. places fourth at the Region 2-3A track meet with a 44.92 meter throw which was enough to qualify him to compete at the Class 3A state championships. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland senior Amyah Watlington committed to South Carolina State University for track and field. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland track athlete Kajuan Curry Jr. (left) and Terry Anthony (right), athletic director and head track coach. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland track athlete Kajuan Curry Jr. said he would like to compete at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in the 800-meter run this June in Oregon. Photo by Michele Meyers
Mainland senior Amyah Watlington (third from left) runs with Liusmar Rivas Velasquez (left), Janae Jones (second from left), Nyla Christian (second from right) and Alexia Reid (right) in the 100-meter hurdles at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Saturday, May 10. Watlington finishes tenth at the meet. Photo by Michele Meyers
Peyton Cerasi of Matanzas High holds second place in the last laps of the 3,200-meter run at the Class 3A state championships held at UNF Hodges Stadium on Saturday, May 10. Photo by Michele Meyers
Class 3A state championship 3,200-meter run winners (left to right): Masha Dorofeev, Daisy Ross, Lainee Mercer, Ciara McCloskey, Peyton Cerasi, Celina Coryell, Lydia Vincent and Isabel Harter. Photo by Michele Meyers
Class 3A state championship 3,200-meter run winners (left to right): Masha Dorofeev, Daisy Ross, Lainee Mercer, Ciara McCloskey, Peyton Cerasi, Celina Coryell, Lydia Vincent and Isabel Harter. Photo by Michele Meyers
Lightning was a last minute addition to the Class 3A Track and Field State Championships event list on Friday, May 9, wreaking havoc with the Florida High School Athletic Association’s meet schedule. Following an over three hour weather delay, the FHSAA decided to combine the 3A with the Class 1A meet already scheduled for Saturday, May 10 at the University of North Florida’s Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville. Class 3A was scheduled ton resume at 7:30 a.m. Saturday.
Matanzas freshman Peyton Cerasi was in the first group on track and competed in the 3,200-meter run. She hung with the pack at the beginning of the race, moved to the number one spot then finished second in 10:56.56. Ciara McCloskey of Gulf Coast won title in 10:54.17.
Cerasi was in her start lane for the 1,600 meters when a lightning delay was called at approximately 8:45 a.m. — the first one of the day. The meet reconvened more than three hours later when she ran the 1,600, placing 12th with a time of 5:15.25.
Cerasi said in middle school she was not interested in running long distance events. The 800-meter run appealed to her more.
“I did a lot of tempos and base training which has progressed me to (be competitive) in a 3,200,” she said. “It’s just been my event ever since. At first I was denying it, but now I am embracing it, saying, yes, I am doing so good at this event.”
Even though Cerasi was the sole Matanzas athlete to qualify for state, her teammates came out to support her on Friday and returned on Saturday.
“I told them not to worry about it, but they all came back anyway,” she said. “I was so touched.
“I’m just so grateful for this opportunity,” she said of her runner-up finish. “I give it all to the Lord above — it’s God’s plan. I’m just a freshman, so I know later I am going to get that first place. I’m really happy with how I did.”
Mainland completed the boys discus, high jump and 4x800 relay before lightning delayed the meet Friday afternoon. Seniors Khalil Wilmore and Dray Wood, sophomore Liam Ciferri and senior Kajuan Curry Jr. finished 17th in the relay with a time of 8:35.15 — off their Region 2-3A time of 8:05.04.
This was Curry’s second visit to the state championships. He said he felt more confident walking in to Hodges Stadium this year.
“It felt really good coming back in to the stadium,” he said. “If we would have run the night we were scheduled to run, I think I would have run really well because everything felt good — my body, my breath. I was feeling 1:54. 1:53. That’s what I was feeling that night. When they canceled the meet and scheduled it for the next day, that’s when everything went downhill.”
Antonio Wilson Jr. threw a personal-record 45.16 meters in discus for the Bucs. He was bumped from 11th to 10th after New Smyrna Beach’s Brison Sullivan was disqualified in the discus and javelin where he placed eighth and first, respectively. Wilson said he will take the 10th place but it does not take away from the fact that he respects Sullivan as a talented athlete.
He credits his PR to coach Demond Noelien who helps the throwers with their technique. Wilson said he did not start throwing in the 40-plus meter range until Noelien began coaching this year.
“I probably wouldn’t have gotten that throw if it weren’t for Coach D,” Wilson said. “I really appreciate him taking the time ... to help all the throwers get better. At the beginning of the season, I wasn’t even touching the 40s. As soon as he started, I never threw lower than a 40.”
Javelin thrower Logan Smith was the sole competitor for Seabreeze. On Friday afternoon, he warmed up and threw twice before the meet was suspended due to lightning. The javelin throwers resumed the following day to complete the event. Smith finished 15th with his final throw of 48.12 meters on Saturday.
“There was a lot of drama with the rain delays,” he said. “It definitely broke my concentration. You get four throws when you’re competing and I was only able to get two of them in. When I get all four, I’m really in my groove and can really hone in on what I’m doing.”
Seabreeze graduates Chandler Mitzo and Logan’s brother, Landon, were there to support him. Mitzo throws the javelin at Florida International University and has been Logan’s mentor since last year. Mitzo introduced Logan to coach Carlos Baker who has been a key factor to Logan’s progress throughout the season.
“I feel very blessed and grateful that I was able to be a part of that event,” Logan said. “It was really special. That UNF track field is something else. It was really cool to be there and be surrounded by all the amazing athletes.”
Mainland’s Amyah Watlington ran the 100-meter hurdles Saturday morning before the meet was delayed. She placed 10th with a time of 14.96. It was Mainland’s last event before packing up and returning to Daytona Beach. Wilmore, Wood, Patrick and Curry would miss competing in the 4x400-meter relay and Curry would miss the 800-meter run.
Mainland head track coach and athletic director Terry Anthony said some of the athletes were scheduled to work that day so he opted to let them decide whether or not to leave.
“I am not going to let the way the season ended with the weather delays and not being able to compete at state detract from what a successful year it was,” he said. “I was thoroughly impressed with our team effort this year — both boys and girls. We had a lot of record-setting performances and personal bests this year. Overall we had a great season with new kids coming in and learning. Even though some did not make it to the big meets, they improved and that’s what we’re looking for. We got three rules — work hard, get better, have fun. If they’re doing those things, we become a better program.”
