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Sports

Whiz Kid: Anthony Brown

Hillsborough High School track star is shocking opponents and having a surprising amount of success in his first year running track.

Anthony Brown is surprising everyone, including himself.

The junior at Hillsborough High School decided to run track this year after coach Joseph Sipp took notice of his natural speed during a football practice. Brown was looking for more ways to be noticed and decided to join Sipp for this spring on the track team.

"I figure why not, I got nothing else going on this time of year," Brown said. "I figured I needed to stay in shape so why not run track. Everybody has been surprised cause no one knew I was this fast. I'm a little suprised. I always thought I was fast, but I didn't really know."

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Brown and everyone around him know it now. He has found success quickly as sprinter, dominating events such as the 100 meters and 200 meters. An early sign of Brown's potential came in the form of a first place finish against Alonso High's Brandon Holloway, one of the top runners in the county, at the Charles Johnson Invitational. Since then he has gone on to contribute to the team's wins at the Steinbrenner Invitational and Manuel Griffin Relays.

"Nobody thought I could beat him (Holloway)," Brown said. "That was when I knew I was fast. I'll be seeing him again, so we'll see how it goes the next time. "

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For Sipp, the addition of Brown has strengthened a team that already had a chance to be very good. Now, the Terriers have taken four straight major meets including last weekend's Manuel Griffin Relays that were held at Hillsborough.

"It's been a real treat to have him on the team," Sipp said. "He fits right in and is of the same mold as of some of the great sprinters we've had here in the past. Everybody including himself is surprised at the times he is running. It's been great for us."

Brown being new to the sport hasn't been a hinderance to his development due to his attitude.

"This is my first year running track," Brown said. "Whatever coach tells me to do I do. I'm working on how come out of the blocks and how I move my arms, but they always just tell me to finish strong.

Brown is a soft spoken character whose confidence is growing as his running form improves. According to assistant coach Hassan Wadj, Brown is destined for success because of his willingness to learn new things and work hard towards his goals.

"This is his first year and he's done a lot in a short time," Wadj said. "He listens and he does what you ask him to. He's going to be good. It's rare that a kid has that kind of success in his first year but people around him say he should have been running track for a long time now."

Brown is hoping that the success in a second sport puts his name out there to be seen by a greater number of college scouts. That is something that he says was part of his motivation to join the team.

"I feel like since I'm doing so good it might help get my name out there," Brown said. "Now that someone knows who I am they might look at me for football too. They know I'm fast and I play football so maybe that will help my chances of getting a scholarship."

Hillsborough's success in big meets this season has been remarkable. Winning the Nash Higgins, Charles Johnson and Steinbrenner Invitationals as well as the Manuel Griffin Relays, Hillsborough looks likely to win districts and compete in regional meets for top honors.

"I've got a hard working group," Sipp said. "They come to work and don't complain. Our strategy has been the same when it comes to training and preparation over the last five years. We figure if it isn't broke, don't fix it."

 

Each week, Seminole Heights Patch will seek suggestions from readers for individual  kids, youth groups, teens, and even sports teams that wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as the Patch Whiz Kid.  Nominate yours .

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