The meet was delayed by weather, but it didn't stop Poinciana’s Levi Lee from dipping into a pot of gold.
Lee brought home the gold at Saturday's FHSAA Class 4A track meet in Jacksonville, winning the 1600 meters in a time of 4:14.93.
Lee, who was seeded first in the event, was in third with 500 meters to go, took the lead then out-kicked Vero Beach’s Parker Banzhaff to win the event by four-tenths of a second. His winning time was nearly nine seconds faster than his 13th place finish in the 2024 state meet.
"I was a little nervous in the pre-race because I was sick during the week going into it," Lee said. "Saturday, I woke up, prayed, and left it all on the track. I'd run against nearly everyone in that race before this season. I normally don't play games and just try to run the fastest race possible, but I told people, 'If I can run a 4:30 and win state, I will.' But I really committed to running my race, and it worked out."
It was the ending to an outstanding career for Lee, who won the 1600 at every event this season – including the Orange Belt Conference, district and regional competitions. Lee also qualified and competed in the 800.
He was not the only athlete from Osceola County to earn All-State honors in the 4A meet. Osceola’s Aaliyah Strachen finished fifth in the long jump with a leap of 18’-3”. St. Cloud senior pole vaulter Mason Shafer placed fifth at 13’-3 ½”, and the Bulldogs' 4x800 relay team of Isaiah Casiano, Jayden Chofooklun, Silas Corchado and Adon Elienist finished fourth in 7:59.86.
Two other county athletes came agonizing close to top eight finishes. Celebration senior Gavin Konopka qualified for both the shot put and discus events and finished ninth in the shot at 50’-0 ¾”. Poinciana’s Tyler Jones also placed 9th in the triple jump at 44’-11”. St. Cloud junior Kyla Perez finished 12th in the girls 800 meter (2:20.65).
The Class 3A state championship, scheduled for Friday, was pushed back to Saturday morning by storms in the Jacksonville area, forcing the Gateway High contingent of coaches and athletes to seek unplanned overnight accommodations.
That didn’t stop three Panther athletes from earning all-state recognition. Despite running with a hamstring injury, Jose Calderon placed fifth overall in the 400 – running in 48.26 seconds. It was his second all-state performance in the event after earning a 7th place finish last year.
Maxwell Garcon qualified for the state championship in both the high jump and triple jump – earning all-state in the later with a 5th place effort of 45’-7 ¼”. Dalton Gould claimed a seventh-place finish in the pole vault at 13’-9 ¾”.
“I’m incredibly proud of all of our state qualifiers, especially the three place winners,” Gateway coach Tane Crossley said. “Jose was running on a bad hammy, in a bad lane, in the slower heat and still battled for a fourth-place finish. Dalton did a personal best in the pole vault. To top it all off, Maxwell was one of only two underclassmen to place in the triple, which is a great sign for next year.”
2025 FHSAA State Track and Field Championships
3A Meet
Jose Calderon, Gateway, 400 Meters, 5th Place, 48.26*
Maxwell Garcon, Gateway, High Jump, No Height
Maxwell Garcon, Gateway, Triple Jump, 5th Place, 45’-7 ¼”*
Dalton Gould, Gateway, Pole Vault, 7th place, 13’—9 ¾”
Jazmin Brown, Gateway, Girls Discus, 17th Place, 101’-0”
4A Meet
Gavin Konopka, Celebration, Shot Put, 9th Place, 50’-0 ¾”
Gavin Konopka, Celebration, Discus, 15th Place, 139’-7”
Claire Reburn, Rylie Kieran, Carly Robbins, Sophia Meadows, Celebration, 4 x 800 Relay, 16th Place, 10:01.52
Isaiah Casiano, Jayden Chofooklun, Silas Corchado, Adon Elienist, St. Cloud, 4 x 800 Relay, 4th Place, 7:59.86
Aaliyah Strachen, Osceola, Long Jump, 5th Place, 18’-3”*
Korbyn Jones, Osceola, Girls Triple Jump, 13th Place, 35’- 3 ¼”
Cheyene Price, Osceola, Girls Triple Jump, 14th Place, 35’-3 ¼”
Levi Lee, Poinciana, 1600 Meters, State Champion, 4:14.93**
Levi Lee, Poinciana. 800 Meters, 18th Place, 2:23.15
Mason Shafer, St. Cloud, Pole Vault, 5th Place, 13’-3 ½”*
Brooke Bonesteel, St. Cloud, Girls’ Pole Vault, 10th Place, 9’-10”
Kyla Perez, St. Cloud, Girls 800 Meters, 12th Place, 2:20.65
