Freeport collects Class A crown

The boys from Freeport High School had a great showing Feb. 9 at the county championships at St Anthony’s. Once the meet concluded, it was the Red Devils that took home the Nassau Class A title and will now gear up for a run at some state medals.

Three Red Devils took first place in a variety of events during the evening. Senior Kazeem Scott finished first in the 55 meter dash and second in the long jump competition. Scott has been the complete package for Freeport this season and has received nothing but praise from his teammates and coaches.

“Kazeem is easily a top-three kid in Nassau County,” head coach Charles Gilreath said. “He’s a really good sprinter, one of the best long jumpers in the county and is very talented overall.”

Another crucial member of the Red Devils is senior Danzil Monk Jr, who placed first in the 1000 meter run and third in the 1600. Monk has taken Freeport to another level this season and gave Gilreath a big lift when they needed one most.

“He gave me an extra piece I was missing,” Gilreath said. “He was very valuable with that aspect of scoring us some more points.”

Freeport’s only non-senior to finish first in an event was junior Jordon Quinn as he took the top spot in the 55 meter hurdles. Not only will Quinn be around next year, but there are still high hopes for him this season as he hasn’t lost a race since December.

“Jordon has really put the work in this year,” Gilreath said. “He grew about two inches and put on about 25 pounds. He really has the potential to be a state champion this year.”

While the Red Devils don’t have a set group of captains, a good portion of the seniors have led the way on a weekly basis. This includes Monk Jr, Yvan Neas, and Matthew Drayton-Thomas as the go-to leaders.

“I lean on the seniors to lead the team,” Gilreath said. “Once we leave Freeport and go to meets, they’re instructed what to do and I basically just manage.”

Freeport took first place in the 4x400 relay as Monk, Neas, Lucca Noboa, and Chase Holt combined for the victory. Noboa and Holt are already making their marks as sophomores, finishing top-five in the 600 meter run, but will also have some big shoes to fill next year.

“I knew we could compete for a team title going in,” Gilreath said. “Lucca and Chase are going to be really important for this team going forward.”

For now though, the focus is on the state qualifier and getting as many runners as possible to the state championships set for March 4 at Staten Island’s Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex.

“It gets really tighter going into the state qualifiers,” Gilreath said. “I think we’re looking really good and I’m looking to get quite a few kids up to the state meet.”