It would be one thing if Daesha Rogers was winning state 1,600-meter titles at some point during her high school career. To be on a path to a title while she is still in the sixth grade -- in the hyper-competitive track and field hotbed of Florida -- is another accomplishment entirely.
Yet, that's precisely what Rogers is doing, with a stunning 1,600-meter victory at the Florida Region 4-2A meet, making her an early favorite to capture the state crown in that event. According to the Miami Herald, the 12-year-old mighty-mite runner moved firmly into the favorite role by blazing past the defending Class 2A champion, Stephanie Schappert, by more than a second.
"I knew if [Schappert] chased me the whole race, then the last lap she will try to push it,"�Rogers told the Herald. "This gives me a lot of confidence to know I can stay with the state champion."
Rogers' victory was the highlight of a regional girls team championship effort from her American Heritage (Fla.) High squad, a crown which Rogers and her teammates hope will propel them back to a second consecutive state title.
Whether they pull off that feat or not, the blazing 1,600 time that Rogers pulled off in an official regional competition�both turned the heads of her fellow competitors and made it clear that the pre-teen phenom is more than just hype; she's also the pure blazing speed that has long been advertised, with excitement building steadily since her victory in the Westminster Academy Invitational girls' small-school cross country title.
Now it appears all that promise is beginning to come to fruition, even earlier than most expected.
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