Pine Forest sweeps track invitational

The powerhouse Pine Forest Eagles won the boys’ and girls’ team titles at the first Steven Garst Memorial Track and Field Invitational on Saturday, March 2, at Booker T. Washington High School in Pensacola.

The Lady Eagles easily won the girls’ competition, amassing 65 more team points than second-place West Florida (175-110). Pine Forest’s boys faced a slightly – but just slightly – tougher test, edging West Florida’s Jaguars by 12 1/3 points (117.33-105).

Navarre was one of 15 girls’ teams and 16 boys’ teams competing. Both squads finished in the middle of the pack; the boys finished eighth with 35 points and the girls were ninth with 21.5 points.

The Raiders again failed to win an event. Senior Johnny Robinson-Pettus had Navarre’s best result, finishing second in the long jump. His jump of 20 feet, 5.5 inches was 13 inches short of West Florida’s Lawrence Lee, who won the event with a jump of 21-6.5.

The boys’ 4 x 800-meter relay team of Trent Beck, James Mullin, Tanner Wilcox and Dominic Dudai finished third and Mullin and Beck finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 800-meter run.

Hannah Gullickson had the Lady Raiders’ best finish; she was fourth in the 300-meter hurdles.