After finishing 12th in the 110-meter hurdles at last year’s Class 1A state championships, Jeremiah Smith went to work.

The talented Chaminade-Madonna junior dual-sport athlete won both the 110- and 400-meter hurdles at this year’s FHSAA Class 2A state track and field championships at Hodges Stadium the University of North Florida in Jacksonville in impressive fashion.

He established personal bests in both events and his 110 hurdles time was nearly 1.5 seconds faster than last year’s 15.71 clocking. This year he ran 14.34 in the hurdles and then 54.68 in the 400. He won the 400 by two seconds and was also a member of the first-place 4×400 relay team.

“My coach improved my technique each and every day leading up to the state meet,” Smith said. “And he worked on the explosiveness that allowed me to get over the hurdles faster. I just can’t do anything but thank my coaches. We put in a lot of work this season, and it paid off at the meet.

“Winning both hurdle events after coming 12th last year in the 110 hurdles was a joyful experience,” Smith added. “And it erased my previous disappointment in track last year because I was very disappointed and frustrated. This year’s performance was great!”

Smith, who is the cousin of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, also did well on the gridiron as the junior All-American had a season-high 113 yards receiving and two touchdowns to help Chaminade-Madonna to a 48-14 rout of Clearwater Central Catholic in the FHSAA Class 1M state championship game.

Smith, who has given an oral commitment to Ohio State University, played 13 games for the Lions in 2022, catching 58 passes for 1,073 yards and 20 TDs. Chaminade-Madonna finished the year ranked No. 10 in the country by MaxPreps. He indicated that he may focus solely on football next year.

“Football-wise (I want to) just go undefeated and win a state championship and possibly a national championship,” Smith said. “I don’t think I’m running track next year.”

Chaminade-Madonna coach Damian Sutton said don’t let Smith’s quiet demeanor fool you.

“Jeremiah is the type of athlete that literally lets his actions speak,” Sutton said. “He doesn’t say a word and just works hard in practice and competes at the highest level. Jeremiah was one of the top hurdlers this season and was able to win both hurdles and led off our state-winning 4x400m relay securing the boys’ team runner-up finish.”