It was only the third week of racing for Florida outdoor track and field, but several runners from Tampa looked liked they were ready for the FHSAA Finals already.  The cool temperatures on that March 11th evening not only produced 7 runners eclipsing the 2-minute barrier for 800 meters, but also saw 3 school records go down and many PRs along the way.  Even though this was a small Tri-meet between Jesuit, Sickles, and Robinson, the 800m race was not tactical by any means; the lead runners all came into this race fresh and ready to run lifetime bests.

     At the time, the crowd may have been shocked to see the winner of this photo-finish to be Sickles Senior Derek Wehunt.  The 1600m and 3200m phenom from seasons prior smothered his 800m PR by over 4 seconds to a 1:52.90 finish, which still ranks 11th in the USA as of early May.  The current school record holder was closely followed by his brother, Dan Wehunt, who also recorded a new PR – 1:53.80.  However, the next Gryphon finisher (Julian Gines) fell off the sub-2:00 crowd that night with his 2:04.80 effort.  Furthermore, Sickles lacked a fourth 800m runner in the fast heat that could contribute to a possible 4x800m team for the 2009 outdoor season.

     A few days later, Sickles gave that relay a shot at the 8:00 barrier, but came up well short with an 8:16.73 performance.  So, Derek and Dan Wehunt decided to concentrate on their individual performance as the 4x8 relay opened up slots for some Sickles teammates: Tre Bradford, Jonathan Bermudez, Julian Gines, and Marc Dejute.  Unable to run solid times simultaneously, this group struggled in their two attempts as a team on March 17th and March 24th, running 8:27 and 8:35 respectively.

     On March 31st, the art of the relay started clicking.  Sickles’ 4x8 race in March proved to be successful as the Gryphon’s new foursome recorded a new school record – 7:57.31.  From that point forward, it was clear that Derek Wehunt, Dan Wehunt, Julian Gines, and Marc Dejute would be the powerful quartet.  More impressive was that team this time was then ranked as #2 in Florida and the top time in 4A.

     The foursome pushed its luck once again at the University of Florida relays, hoping to prove itself truly worthy among this star-studded field.  Despite a spill during Julian Gines’ 2nd lap, the Gryphons once again lowered their PR to 7:54.82, placing 3rd overall and trailing the new 4A leader (Flagler Palm Coast) by about 8 seconds.

     Aside from Sickles’ obvious improvements as a whole in the 4x800m relay, Dejute and Gines started making some noise under the radar of there own, running 2:01 and 2:02 PRs going into the 4A District 5 Championship.  Thus, a new school record of 7:50.28 was set on April 30th at the 4A Region 2 Championship in front of a hometown crowd in Tampa.  Not only was Sickles zoning in only Flagler Palm Coast’s FL #1 PR, but the Gryphon squad ran the fastest relay time out of any 4A school in a Region Meet, securing the #1 seed going into the FHSAA State Finals.

     On May 9th, despite scorching 95-degree weather in Winter Park, Florida, several 4x8 teams seemed to be in contention for 1st place.  Marc Dejute ran the opening leg for Sickles, holding on to 4th place with his PR 2:00 split.  Next up was Dan Wehunt, who brought his team into even closer contention for the relay title with his 1:55 split.  However, the difference maker for the Gryphons surely was Julian Gines.  The junior recorded a new PR clipping of 1:57, beating his open PR by 4 seconds; he managed to move his team into the lead after his excellent leg.  Then, Derek Wehunt received the baton with about a 1 second lead ahead of Flagler’s anchor – C.J. Lockhart.  Wehunt realized he had company shortly thereafter, so he decided to surge after finishing his first lap.  “I wanted to try and spread out the race at the 400m mark, but when I heard him coming during the last 200m I knew I would have to find another gear,” Derek Wehunt said.  By the 650m mark, Lockhart had erased Wehunt’s 20m lead and came down the straightaway dead even with the Sickles senior.  Derek Wehunt (1:54 split) found that next gear indeed, edging out the FPC brigade by less than half a second at the line.  Not even the “Cool Runnings” of Flagler’s Jamaican Bobsled uniforms could take the heat away from Sickles’ blistering 7:46.87 team record.

     The trick to Sickles’ success on that brutally hot day was to keep their own cool and stay confident in the same plan that had brought them the most success during prior 4x800m races this season.  Once they eclipsed the 8:00 mark for the first time as a team, they stuck to that same order for the remainder of the season.  Furthermore, running with a more competitive field than most other 4x8 races and the atmosphere of a State Championship race had, in Sickles’ opinion, increased their chances of running to their full potential.  “We ran 7:50 at the Region meet by ourselves, so we knew if we had someone pushing us that we could go faster,” Dan Wehunt said.

     But even with that excellent strategy, it still took something more to emerge victorious.
“We truly were a team today,” Julian Gines said.  “We ran our best for each other, not for ourselves.”  For example, Derek Wehunt’s phenomenal finish down the homestretch was a completely selfless act.  “We knew Derek could do it.  He does it every race.  He always kicks it in as hard as he can as if it was his last race,” Senior Marc Dejute explained.  It was the only chance for the Sickles quartet to score gold and sure enough, they rose to the occasion.  “Everyone ran relay PRs today and for sure ran their hearts out.  I knew I had to win for them today, since I couldn’t let them down,” Derek Wehunt explained. 

     Exactly two months ago, Derek and Dan Wehunt stood tall with superb PRs and awaited their chance to team up with two other solid 800m runners in hope of winning their first State Championship.  It was sheer teamwork and determination to prove that yet another Hillsborough County relay squad could compete with any other team in the state.  And now there is no doubt – Sickles High School created the most impressive 4x800m squad at the FHSAA Finals, winning with Florida’s new #1 mark of the 2009 outdoor season.

Check out all the Flotrack coverage of the Florida High Championships this past weekend: 3A Coverage | 4A Coverage

Watch the Race from the Flotrack Coverage: