GAINESVILLE - Slashing down the runway, Plant senior Justin Semeyn drove down on the tip of his fiberglass pole and erupted into the air, clearing the bar with both fists as he plunged to the foam-padded pit.
Semeyn vaulted 14 feet, 6 inches and figured he had the title wrapped up. But he wanted more. Knowing that he had enough air between his belly and the bar when he cleared 14-6, Semeyn kept nudging higher.
On his third attempt in the final, he catapulted 15-feet, a mark that served as a warning shot to make sure the other vaulters a half-foot below did not get any ideas about overtaking him.
That vault came in handy.
Semeyn misjudged his lead. He had more misses than Nicholas Glaeser of Naples Barron Collier and needed that last vault to secure his first state title.
"Somebody told me I won with that vault," Semeyn said. "I was stunned. I thought I had already won. Good thing I kept going higher."
Semeyn wasn't the only boys county athlete to take home a gold medal.
Wharton's Kejuan Young leaped 47-4 3/4 to win the triple jump. His previous best was 45-9.
"I couldn't stop smiling after I hit that mark," Young said. "I felt I had a chance to do well today."
Young also finished seventh in the long jump (22.4) and teamed with Ryan Dixon, Jose Rodriguez and Sadat Kahin to take fifth in the 4x400 relay (3:21.55).
Middleton's O.J. Murdock took third in the 200 (21.32) and fourth in the 100 (10.77). He finished off the pace of Melbourne Palm Bay's Xavier Carter in both events. Carter won the 100, 200 and 400 for the second straight season.
Murdock's teammate, Jordan Pelaez, finished sixth in the 800 (1:55.77).
East Bay's Staley Suber rounded the place-winners for Hillsborough.
The junior was fourth in the 400 (48.11) and ran with Michael Verbosky, Mykheal Suber and Mack Jean-Pierre to finish third in the 4x400 (3:19.96).
