JACKSONVILLE -- It was only a matter of time before a boys team from Florida made history.
That moment came on Friday during the FHSAA Class 3A Championships, with the Plantation American Heritage (FL) boys authoring the first sub-40 performance in state history for the 4x100 relay, clocking a U.S. No. 2 time of 39.39 seconds on the track at the University of North Florida.
That performance, a shattering of the former 26-year-old state record of 40.09 held by Boyd Anderson from 1998, was significant beyond the fact that it was historic.
A total of three sophomores were also part of the team, including anchor Zamarii Sanders and brothers Braylen Bennett and Brandon Bennett. The fourth runner on the team was Xavier Lucas.
American Heritage's 2018 team held the third-fastest time in history with a time of 40.14 seconds. Current Heritage coach Greg Barnes was also in charge of the former school record team, one that included former U18 100m record-holder Anthony Schwartz and Tyson Campbell.
Barnes' lineup focused on top-line strength on the curve. He led with Braylon Bennett, a 21.07 runner for 200m, followed by Lucas, Bennett's brother Brandon and then Zamarii Sanders, who held 20.50 200m speed.
Only Humble Atascocita, a Class 6A team from Texas that ran 38.92 seconds in April, has gone faster in history. That same team followed with an official NFHS record on May 4 with a time of 39.14 during the Texas state championships.
A total of six teams in the U.S. have gone under 40 seconds over the 2024 campaign.
But American Heritage's performance is the second-fastest effort ever recorded in an NFHS event.
American Heritage is now the only the second U.S. high school team from outside the state of Texas in history to go under 40 seconds for the 4x100 relay. The Florida team became the 11th in total to touch 39.
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Related Links:
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