Posted on Fri, May. 02, 2008

Ethan Grant and Philip Pierre-Louis could be seen whooping it up inside the Citrus Bowl in Orlando after the St. Thomas Aquinas football team won the Class 5A state title in December.

Grant, a speedy sophomore halfback, and Pierre-Louis, a deep-threat receiver headed to Auburn, were celebrating the Raiders' breakthrough after three consecutive runner-up finishes.

On Friday at the Class 3A state track-and-field meet in Winter Park, Grant and Pierre-Louis want to do something similar for the boys' track team.

If Grant, who is seeking a sweep of the hurdles, and Pierre-Louis, who should figure prominently in the sprints and the 1,600-meter relay, score as expected, the Raiders might finally lose the tag as best team never to win a state title.

''The football team walks around with their state rings all day,'' Pierre-Louis said. ``It goes back to last year, when we lost it at the end to Lakeland then came through this year. Now we are trying to come through in track.''

Coach David Shepherd has witnessed the Raiders' near-misses at state, but believes this year's team could hold the winners' trophy.

''We have six runner-ups,'' Shepherd said. ``Most of the time, it was out of our control. We did what we had to do, but somebody else did better. We are the underdogs, but we are sitting pretty. I think this is our time.''

It sure looked that way at the Region 4-3A championships April 25.

Grant won the 100 and 300 hurdles. Pierre-Louis finished first in the 200 and third in the 100, and then teamed with Grant to finish fourth in the 1,600-meter relay. The Raiders rolled up 109 points to take the team title.

No race provided a bigger confidence boost for Pierre-Louis, The Miami Herald's 2007 Broward track athlete of the year, than the 200, when he defeated Dwyer's Leonardo Seymore, the defending state champion.

''Leonardo and I are real good friends off the track, but once we get on the track we are going to run against each other,'' Pierre-Louis said. ``I have been real strong in the 200. Focusing on getting off the curve and letting all my strength from all my 400 workouts bring me in. That is what I did. That is what I am going to try and do at states.''

The outlook is less certain in the 100. Pierre-Louis had a career-best time of 10.51 seconds at regionals but settled for third behind Seymore (10.42) and Northeast junior Sean Lange (10.50), the season's biggest surprise.

The 100 field, which some observers believe will be the fastest collection of 3A sprinters assembled at state, will be led by South Lake's Jeffery Demps, a UF football recruit who ran a state-leading 10.17 on April 4.

''We have enough firepower to come home with states,'' Pierre-Louis said. ``Last year we were young and finished third. We are coming a lot stronger than last year. . . . I am coming in more determined since this is my last year.''

Grant has not been as consistent as Pierre-Louis but has come on in the postseason. Grant cruised to the region 110 high hurdles title in 14.36 and enters as the state's top seed in the 300 hurdles after registering a school-record time of 36.74 at regionals.

''Regionals is when it hit me,'' Grant said. 'I didn't really realize until I watched the videos. I said, `Man this could be a major opportunity for me, so I am going to grab it.' My 300 hurdles felt so good coming down the track. Everything was on point. I just feel it can get even better.''

Raiders sprint coach Alex Armenteros credits Grant's progress to learning how to take fewer steps between the hurdles.

''The difference has been the speed between the hurdles and his confidence,'' Armenteros said. ``Usually it is hard for a ninth grader to three-step very well, but this year he has picked it up. That has been his improvement.''