Bracy is the defending state champion in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and 4×100-meter relay. He posted the fastest 100-meter time in the country as a sophomore with a wind-aided mark of 10.19 seconds.

Over the weekend, Bracy recorded a time of 10.26 in the 100-meter dash at the Florida Relays in Gainesville. Jones High School sophomore Levonte Whitfield (10.53) finished second.

A number of other local student-athletes also turned in impressive marks at the annual meet.

Chris Curtis of Dr. Phillips took fourth in the triple jump (44-feet, 5 inches) while Colonial’s Derek Knott came in sixth (44-feet).

The 4×1600-meter relay team from Dr. Phillips placed second (18:05.96) and the 4×100-meter relay team at Jones placed third (41.72).

Wekiva senior Jovan Davis took second in the 110-meter hurdles (14.37) and third in the long jump (22-09.75), while Wekiva’s 4×200-meter relay team took third at 1:28.07 to finish just ahead of Jones.

Bracy will be challenged in the Dream 100 by Remontay McClain of Covina, Calif., who was the winner of the adidas Meet of Champions. The defending California state champion in the 100 meter and 200 meter has recorded a top-time of 10.35 seconds in the 100.

In its seventh year, the adidas Grand Prix will take place at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island. Visit www.adidasgrandprix.com for more information.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com and follow at Facebook or @OrlandoSportsJC ) –

Jones (25-6) lost 60-54 to Tallahassee Rickards despite a game-high 29 points on 9-of-19 shooting from senior Angelo Warner. Matt Williams finished with 12 points and seven rebounds while DeMarcus Croaker added 11 points for Jones.

The Tigers trailed for much of the night before Warner put Jones up 24-22 on a drive to the hoop with close to five minutes to play in the third quarter. The teams battled back-and-forth throughout the second half.

Warner helped Jones go up 46-39 with four minutes left in regulation, but Rickards closed out the fourth on a 9-2 run from there. A free throw by Rickards’ Jakari Bush with 1:22 remaining eventually sent the game in overtime tied at 48-all.

The Tigers quickly fell behind by six points in the extra period and never recovered. Jones knocked down only 3-of-18 tries from beyond the arc on the night. Rickards made 51-percent of its shots from the field.

In the early game, The First Academy lost 53-41 to Weston Sagemont after blowing an eight-point halftime lead.

The Royals held Sagemont to just 28-percent from the field in the first half but were outscored 38-18 in the final two quarters. TFA (25-6) gave up the lead for good with 7:44 to play when UCF signee Rod Days, Jr. hit two free throws to put Sagemont up 30-29. Days was held to just nine points on 3-of-8 shooting.

The First Academy had trouble shooting from long-range throughout, connecting on just 2-of-16 shots from three-range. The Royals were also outrebounded 42-20.

Dillon Graham led TFA with 18 points and four rebounds. Taylor Akers chipped in 12 points with four rebounds and two assists.

On Wednesday, Orlando Christian Prep’s bid at winning a fourth-straight title ended in the Class 1A semifinals, where the Warriors (24-6) lost 42-41 to West Palm Beach Summit Christian.

Three more local teams hit the hardwood today in semifinal matchups. Leesburg (26-4) takes the court first against Tampa Blake (28-2) at 2:30 p.m. in Class 4A.

In Class 6A, Dr. Phillips (26-5) faces Miramar (20-7) at 4 p.m. while Winter Park (26-5) takes on Miami Columbus (29-3) at 7 p.m. The Wildcats defeated Dr. Phillips in the state title game a year ago.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com and follow at Facebook or @OrlandoSportsJC ) –

Whatever the extent of that animosity was, some back-and-forth between players over which team’s uniform sponsor held the most clout clearly bothered members of the Wolfpack.

The feud led to an intensely physical football game in front of an announced crowd of 48,962. And N.C. State got the last word with a 23-7 statement win over the Mountaineers (9-4).

Jarvis Williams (5) and James Washington (24) returned to Orlando on Tuesday in the Champs Sports Bowl. (Photo by Scott McCall)

“We came out with a chip on our shoulder,” said former Boone High School running back James Washington. “They challenged us at the luncheon and we just wanted to come out and show that a team that wears Adidas can beat a team that wears Nike.”

Whatever source of inspiration is necessary, I suppose.

“The Nike team was talking a lot of mess,” former Jones High School standout Jarvis Williams confirmed. “They were underestimating us. We could tell that they thought they had this game in hand all week long.”

Williams finished his final game at N.C. State with a game-high six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown with 3:55 to play. Washington, a sophomore, ended the night with a game-high 62 yards on 18 carries and caught two passes for four yards.

“We knew that we were going to come in the underdogs, but sometimes it takes you being the underdog to win the game,” Washington said.

The homecoming for the college teammates capped off a 9-4 season for the Wolfpack. It also brought back a flood of memories for the Orlando natives.

“Jarvis has really grown – off the field and on the field,” N.C. State Coach Tom O’Brien said. “He’s matured a lot. He was elected as one of the captains by the team this year and was excited about the opportunity to come back here and play in the shadow of his former high school.”

Williams, who played his home football games for the Tigers at the Citrus Bowl, was thrilled about having one more chance to play in front of his hometown fans.

Jarvis Williams (Photo by Scott McCall)

“We got some new grass here, I see,” said Williams with a smile as he looked down at the newly planted artificial turf.

But it wasn’t really all about where his last collegiate football game was being played, rather how it would end once the clock ran out.

“I wanted to make sure I left (N.C. State) with a big statement and helped our team have a positive note to end the season,” Williams said.

For Washington, he was able to leave the Citrus Bowl field on a much brighter note than he did as a senior for the Braves in 2007.

“Last time I was in this stadium we lost in the state championship, but we’re just happy that we won this game today,” Washington said.

Turns out, though, that it was the hard work he put in while in high school that led him right back to Orlando after all.

“He’s another guy that was very excited to get back here,” O’Brien said of Washington. “One of the things we liked about him in high school was that he carried the ball about 40 times a game and never tired. He was about as strong in the fourth quarter as he was in the first quarter.”

Washington, who O’Brien said was not fully functional until sometime in November, pulled his hamstring in training camp and missed out on a chance to play in Orlando against UCF in the second game of the season.

Yet when a second chance presented itself, he took the ball and ran with it the best he had all year long.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

Oak Ridge (8-3) is at Dr. Phillips (11-0), Winter Park (11-0) is at Seminole (9-2), and DeLand (9-2) is at Orange Park (7-4) in Class 6A games. Oviedo defeated Osceola 10-0 in Class 5A and hosts this week against Lakeland, who beat Hagerty 56-35. Bishop Moore (9-2) hosts two-time defending Class 2A champion Cocoa. Lake Highland Prep (9-2) defeated Fort Meyers Dunbar 20-6 in Class 2B and will host Island Coast.

Last week the season ended for a couple local teams. East River lost 27-7 on the road against Lakeland Lake Gibson in 5A and Jones lost to Cocoa 14-9.

In other action… South Daytona Warner Christian (11-0) defeated Orangewood Christian 60-6 in Class 1B. Daytona Beach Mainland lost to Orange Park 29-28 in Class 6A. The First Academy lost 42-20 against Jacksonville Trinity Christian in 2A.

All second round games begin at 7:30 p.m. Keep up with all the action at Varsity Sports, WFTV Channel 9 and Bright House Sports Network.

Below is a look back at last week’s first round involving state-ranked teams, with a little help from those that covered each game for the Orlando Sentinel.

– Class 6A –

Dr. Phillips 52, Olympia 3

The Panthers defeated Olympia for the fourth time over the past two seasons by building a 24-3 lead at halftime…

Wrote Kyle Hightower:

“Running back Demetrius Hart rushed for 118 yards and accounted for three touchdowns – two rushing, one receiving – to lead the Panthers… Quarterback Nick Patti was also spot-on, connecting on 5-of-8 passes for 181 yards and three scores. He also ran in another.”

Oak Ridge 34, Apopka 14

The Pioneers won their first playoff game since 1977 by getting out to a 28-7 lead at halftime…

Wrote Joe Williams:

“Dominating may not be a strong enough word to describe Oak Ridge in the first half. Oak Ridge had 286 yards of total offense to Apopka’s 53… Only a lapse on special teams allowed Apopka to score.”

Winter Park 35, Lake Brantley 21

Wildcats’ quarterback Sam Richardson got banged late in the first quarter while his team trailed by a touchdown, but returned to lead Winter Park to the win…

Wrote Buddy Collings:

“Winter Park again had difficulty holding a big fourth-quarter lead against Lake Brantley on Friday. But again the Wildcats were able to respond at crunch time. Undefeated Winter Park marched 80 yards to seal a 35-21 victory over the Patriots with an 8-yard touchdown run by Brandon Brown-Dukes with 1:44 remaining.”

Seminole 46, Timber Creek 14

The Seminoles took control late in the first half as T.J. Thompson passed for 217 yards and three touchdowns…

Wrote Carlos Pineda:

“The Seminoles broke away with 4 minutes, 37 seconds left in the second quarter when Ronnie Moore scored on a 53-yard run to give them a 17-7 lead.”

DeLand 6, Jacksonville Sandalwood 0

A touchdown run by Jo Jo Kemp in the first quarter, set up by a big interception return by De’Ante Saunders, held up for DeLand…

Wrote Craig Castille:

“LB Joe Herndon’s goalline interception on fourth down with 20 seconds remaining sealed a 6-0 victory for DeLand.”

– Class 4A –

Lakeland Kathleen 27, Edgewater 24

Edgewater could not hang on to a 23-12 lead at home with eight minutes remaining…

Wrote Bill Gronvold:

“A 92-yard pass play… with 1 minute, 12 seconds left Friday night lifted Lakeland Kathleen past host Edgewater. Aaron Baysdon caught the ball around midfield, broke two tackles and then ran the rest of the way for the score.”

– Class 2A –

Bishop Moore 25, Astronaut 7

The Hornets get the two-time defending state champs from Cocoa at home this week after getting out to a 25-0 lead on Friday…

Wrote Jeff Gardenour:

“Senior QB Mike Calabro passed for a TD and ran for another score, and Bishop Moore’s defense forced four turnovers in beating visiting Titusville Astronaut.”

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

On Friday a number of top-ranked teams from the Orlando area open the first round of the playoffs. With so much talent entered into the field, some intriguing matchups will get the postseason in motion.

– In Class 6A there are five local teams ranked in the state’s Top 10, led by No. 2 Dr. Phillips (10-0). No. 4 Winter Park (10-0), No. 5 Apopka (9-1), No. 9 East Ridge (8-2) and No. 10 Olympia (7-3) round out the list. East Ridge did not advance out of District 5.

This week Dr. Phillips hosts Olympia; Winter Park hosts No. 14 Lake Brantley (7-2); Apopka hosts Oak Ridge (7-3); No. 11 DeLand (8-2) hosts Jacksonville Sandalwood; and No. 13 Seminole (8-2) hosts Timber Creek (4-6).

– In Class 4A, No. 12 Edgewater (7-3) hosts Lakeland Kathleen. The Eagles won District 7 over second-year East River (9-1), who will be on the road against Lakeland Lake Gibson.

– In Class 2A, No. 5 Jones (9-1) is on the road against Cocoa while No. 6 Bishop Moore (8-2) hosts Titusville Astronaut. Bishop Moore won District 4 with a one-point win over the Tigers.

All games begin at 7:30 p.m. Keep up with all the action at Varsity Sports, WFTV Channel 9 and Bright House Sports Network.

– (email JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com or follow @OrlandoSportsJC and Carnahan Chronicles) –

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Just 16 seconds remained when Rawlings withstood a ferocious rush from the West Seniors at the line of scrimmage and connected on the 32-yard game-winning field goal.

“It was very tense,” said Rawlings of lining up for the attempt. “I was just focused on getting my leg through it and getting the ball through the upright. That’s all I had on my mind.”

The tense part came when Rawlings was given a little extra time to think things over as he was held up by a timeout from the West sideline. Once the ball was snapped a fierce collision took place up front before the kick hit its mark with plenty room to spare, prompting the celebration to get underway.

“It was indescribable,” Rawlings said with a grin while reliving the moment. “I knew right there that it was the game winner.”

The field goal capped off a 13-play drive that began midway through the fourth quarter and drained the remaining five-plus minutes to virtually nothing. Oak Ridge quarterback Baylin Trujillo converted on fourth-and-two during the drive on a keeper up the middle while several others played key roles.

The East got big gains on the ground from Colonial’s Jermaine Broomfield and University’s Curtis Riley, along with a 23-yard pickup on a throw from Pine Castle’s Michael Slack to Orlando Lutheran tight end Faysal Shafaat down the stretch.

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Slack finished 6-of-9 passing for 126 yards as he delivering precise passes that landed right on target while Broomfield tallied 52 yards on eight carries. Shafaat caught four balls for 66 yards, one of which he kept a hold of even after taking a jarring hit over the middle from an opposing player.

“He told me ‘Great throw. If you would of threw it any higher I would have gotten laid out even worse’,” said Slack of the good-natured encounter they shared in the huddle following the play.

It was Slack’s touchdown toss of 39 yards to Boone’s speedy Denard Lucas, while in stride with 3:27 remaining in the third quarter, that tied the game at 14-14 and breathed new life into an East squad that had little trouble moving the ball. If only they could have turned those yards into points by reaching the end zone earlier.

Lucas was eager to get the call though after already having told a teammate he was bound to score a touchdown. He did so two plays after hauling in a 42-yarder from Trujillo.

“The (defensive backs) were playing man (coverage) and they were trying to bump me, but it wasn’t happening,” said Lucas, who finished with three receptions for 94 yards in the win.

Boone's Lucas Rawlings (Photo by Justin Kane)

Those two scores in the second half by the East were set up by a stingy defensive effort, most notably from defensive lineman Jordan Little from Cypress Creek who was in on two sacks on third downs which resulted in punts the other way.

They came on drives where the West routinely found themselves working for room to run from deep in their own territory as they tried to hang on to a 14-7 lead after returning to the field from the halftime break.

Among the East defenders making it tough on the West were Joseph Jones and Andres Jurado of Cypress Creek, Ryan Moore and Sean Brown from Colonial, Conrad Walko and Josh Kerlin of Pine Castle, along with Timber Creek’s Jacob Wainwright and Winter Park’s Corey Gonslaves.

Those efforts proved to be beneficial after having watched Ocoee’s Chris DeVaughn jump on a Trujillo pass in the flats for an interception which he raced 72 yards along the sideline to paydirt less than three minutes into the night.

But the equalizer was set up when a fumble that Boone’s Tabarie Sullivan landed on in a pile of players was recovered following a muffed punt near midfield. Eleven plays later, which included a fourth-down conversation, the game was tied at 7-7 just a minute into the second period as Riley faked to a running back, swung around wide to the right, and sprinted his way into the end zone past defenders.

“When I took off towards the sideline I seen some people in front of me and I knew I had to put a move on them,” said Riley. He would finish with 53 yards on 10 carries and 29 yards passing on 2-of-4 attempts.

The West Seniors promptly replied with their best drive of the game two series later. They took the lead with a minute left in the first half when Robbie Matay hooked up with Dr. Phillips teammate Greg Slones in the corner of the end zone from four yards out. Only the momentum wouldn’t carry over into the final two quarters.

In the loss, Dr. Phillips running back Matt Williams had five strong runs for 39 yards and Apopka’s Joe Dennis made big tackles on defense for the West. Other defensive standouts included Matt Hunt and Matt Lambert of Bishop Moore, Delroy Steele (Jones), Jarret Leppert (Apopka), Michael Lewis (Ocoee), Cornelious Sigler (West Orange) and Donnie Bartolomucci (Olympia).

Lake Highland –

The Highlanders turned two onside kicks into touchdowns in the third quarter to build a 35-19 lead Friday night. Those plays came after trailing 19-13 at the break. Lake Highland’s defense had to turn away a feisty fourth quarter push to help ensure a perfect start to the season.

- Senior QB Bobby Borcky – The leader of LHP’s option offense helped moved the ball along with quick decisions, several runs of nine yards or more, and a touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone in the opening quarter.

- Senior RB/DB Zack McCarrell – On the first play from scrimmage he took the handoff and sped 62 yards for a touchdown. He would go on to score again on runs of 70 and eight yards in the second half. He also pulled down an interception with a minute remaining to close the gate on Jones’ comeback. An open-field tackle he made in the final seconds of the first half proved to be a touchdown-saver.

- Senior LB/TE Jason Root – Put the ball on the ground twice but provided plenty of positives on both ends of the field. Defensively he clogged up the middle and made tackles in the backfield while also recovering a fumble and blocking an extra point in the second quarter. He remained active the entire night and managed to rumble for a gain of 36 yards on one of a handful of carries.

- Freshman RB/DB Mike Dorcely – Opened the game with two big kick returns before Jones abandoned the idea of kicking to him altogether. He played the entire game on defense manned up with a big senior target for Jones and came away from it no worse for the wear. In fact, he broke up several passes, pulled in a one-handed interception in the second quarter, and scored a touchdown in the third quarter on a run of nine yards.

- Freshman RB/LB BJ Simpson – Made big hits on the Jones quarterback for sacks; forced a fumble at the end of the first half and also found the end zone in the win. He recorded runs of 28 and 26 yards while crossing the goal line in the third quarter.

- More Lake Highland (2-0) contributors – Senior Cameron Uranick was in on tackles-for-loss; Sophomore Ty Law broke up a 2-point conversion pass in the end zone; Junior Cody Leiffer caught a pass for 20 yards, made a tackle-for-loss and recovered a fumble; Junior Eric Fernandez recorded a sack for a loss of seven yards; Freshman Landon Stokes recorded a sack of minus four yards; Senior Blake Castillo caught a pass for 13 yards and had several nice runs included one for 24 yards; Senior Tyler Kirkland caught an 11-yard touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone by out jumping a defender in the first quarter.

Jones –

Try as they might, the Tigers fell short largely due to special teams. Yet even while trailing 42-25 in the fourth quarter they rallied back and gave themselves a shot at completing the comeback with more than a minute to go. The trouble for them began with having an extra point blocked in the second quarter. The visiting team was successful on just one of four two-point conversion attempts from that point on.

- Junior QB Angelo Warner – Did everything in his power to put the ball in the hands of his receivers, even if they had trouble holding on for the reception when the pass was on its mark. He took some tough shots by defenders, one in particular on the team’s opening possession. But on that play he was rewarded for it once his pass found it’s way into the end zone.

- Senior WR/FS Stacy Robinson – Might be too good for his own good. Had a tough start to the game, as he seemed to outrun most passes, resulting in too many battles while having to come back for the ball. Although he lost several of those matchups he did shake off his defender for a 91-yard touchdown reception and another big catch of 44-yards that set up a 1-yard touchdown run. Defensively, he used his speed to get in the backfield where he was in on two sacks.

- Senior RB Travis Jones – Showed off his field vision Friday night with some nice runs. Most notable was the 27-yard touchdown he scored by following a smashing lead block by sophomore Joshua Bembery with 5:16 left in second quarter. The score gave Jones the lead, 19-14, at the halftime break.

- Senior WR/RB Raysean Brown – Lined up in the Wildcat formation on offense throughout the night and mainly made his presence felt in the second half. He routinely picked up big gains while on the run (and even catching a pass) and scored twice in the fourth quarter on runs of 12 and three yards.

- More Jones (1-1) contributors – Freshman Levonte Whitfield caught a 38-yard touchdown pass and had another reception of 42 yards; Senior Dante Rogers was on quarterback sacks of minus-three and five yards; Junior Steven Michel was in on a sack of minus-five yards; Junior Lex Edwards caught passes of 13 and 23 yards; Senior LeNorris Lamoute scored on a 1-yard touchdown run; Senior Fillimore Wynter recorded a sack.

– More Lake Highland Prep vs. Jones coverage:

Game story at Orlando Sentinel

Player videos and program info at LHP Athletics

Video interview with Jones WR Robinson at WFTV 9