Ichiban: Raines boys dominate state track, Bolles girls split title

Owen Kaye sensed it coming all along. "We knew, from the second this season started, that the state series was ours," the Raines senior sprinter said. He was right.

Staking their claim as the Sunshine State's best before a jubilant hometown crowd, Raines returned to the pinnacle of boys state track and field with a dominant Class 2A team championship on May 7 at the Florida High School Athletic Association meet. The Vikings swapped their traditional cardinal red for neon green and earned the fourth state championship in program history, blowing away the pack and making the school motto of Ichiban (number one) a track reality for the first time in 28 years. Raines wasn't the only Jacksonville school celebrating team hardware.

Bolles rode field strength to a share of the Class 2A girls team title, finishing in a rare exact tie with Montverde Academy at the University of North Florida's Hodges Stadium. RAINES ON TOP OF THE STATE Raines claims the 1976 and 1989 boys championships, under Hall of Fame coach James Day. The 1998 Vikings, too, under Kim Anderson.

Now, add the 2026 team of Steven Bellamy to the list. There never was much doubt. Iason Williams set the tone in the first event of the main boys track session, seizing the lead from the blocks and winning the 110-meter hurdles in 14.