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Locke sprints into history

Photo by SCOTT PURKS

Chamberlain's Dentarius Locke, center, sprints to a new state record in the 100-meter dash of 10.32 seconds.

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By BILL WARD | TBO.com

Published: May 9, 2009

Updated:

WINTER PARK - It's one thing to come to the state track and field championships and win the events you're favored to win. But it's an entirely different matter to do what Chamberlain senior Dentarius Locke accomplished in Saturday's Class 4A state finals: grab two gold medals and take down the records in each event.

Locke made history at an already storied Showalter Field when he defended his state crown in the 100-meter dash, won his first 200 title and, in the process, smashed the state record in both races.

Locke's winning time in the 100 final of 10.32 seconds broke the 2-year-old mark of Jeff Demps, who is the co-holder of the world junior record in the event. Locke's time in the qualifying round of the 200 (20.58) eclipsed the 5-year-old record of Walter Dix, a double bronze medalist at last year's Beijing Games.

With those performances, Locke has joined some elite company as a high school athlete. Now, he's on the verge of one day joining them at the international level.

"Sometimes it still shocks me, and I have a hard time believing it's really me doing this," said Locke, who is headed to the University of Tennessee. "I always want to do well and improve and become an Olympic sprinter. I think I'm making my way there."

His longtime mentor, Hansford Johnson, believes Locke has the work ethic and the ability to reach that goal.

"You always hear about good athletes who never become great because they don't want to put in the work," Johnson said. "All year long, he's never talked about the people he wanted to beat. It's always been the times he wants to run. People should see what he does in a workout. It's ridiculous. When he leaves the track, he's exhausted."

The same could be said about the area's other gold medalists: Gaither's Morgan Scherschel in the girls pole vault, Sickles' boys 4x800 relay team and Durant's John Mitchell in the 800.

The Gryphons won Hillsborough County's first gold of the meet with the 4x800 team of Marc DeJute, Dan Wehunt, Julian Gines and Derek Wehunt. That foursome ran a national top-10 time of 7:46.87, but it took an amazing final leg by Derek Wehunt to hold off Flagler Palm Coast anchor man CJ Lockhart for the victory. Lockhart nearly caught Wehunt, but Wehunt found one final surge in the final 25 meters despite a dive to the finish line by Lockhart.

Wehunt, however, paid for that effort. The heat of the track in thin spikes aggravated some blisters on his feet and forced him to seek help in the medical tent. He tried to run later in the 1,600 and 3,200 - two races he was favored to win - but he had to step off after about 700 meters of the first race and 150 of the second. Dan, meanwhile, came back to earn third in the 800 (1:54.78) and sixth in the 1,600 (4:25.01).

Scherschel followed with her first gold in the vault, matching her best of 12 feet for the county's second straight win in the event after London Enos of Wharton won the 3A title Friday. Scherschel's friend and occasional training partner, Nicole Smith of Sickles, was third at 10-6.

To cap the evening, Mitchell scorched the 800 field with his time of 1:52.93 - the No. 10 time in the nation this season. He was the 1,600 champion last season but did not qualify this year. With just one event to run here, his speed, talent and endurance were unmatched as he won by nearly two seconds.

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