WOW: World Class Sprinter Anthony Schwartz Prepares For The Road To States


PLANTATION, FL -- Anthony Schwartz leans against a metal fencing and swings his legs back and forth, opening up his hips. 

"I've been mainly working on my start and the middle of the race, from the drive to opening it up," he said. "That's where all my drops are coming from." 

And it's here in these daily moments where one of the nation's best high school sprinters focuses on the little things. The Plantation American Heritage (Fl.) High junior knows that without a strong core, he won't have a strong body. 

"Right now we've been doing strength work," he said. 

From February until now, the work has paid off for Schwartz, who landed a U18 Youth World record in the 100m dash in April at the Pepsi Florida Relays with a time of 10.15 seconds. It was the sixth fastest high school 100m of all-time and the fastest effort in March ever. 

But overall, his season has been one of remarkable consistency. From March 18, when he ran 10.31 seconds a the Miami Hurricane Invitational in the 100m, until April 20, when he won the District 2A-15 Championships in 10.21 seconds, the junior has stayed within 17-hundredths of a second  between his performances. 

He hasn't run slower than 10.84 seconds in the 100m all season. It's been two years at under 11 seconds. The District 2A-15 Championships also saw Schwartz run his fastest 200m of his career at 20.66 seconds, ranking US No. 2, and marked his second performance under 21 seconds. 

Schwartz's coach is a big reason why he's dropping so much time. 


Gregory Barnes is a graduate of Miami Northwestern and a former professional sprinter in track and field. He ran for Puma and Mazda, then eventually became a high school coach, first helping Miami Booker T. Washington to a No. 1 ranking in the sprints. 

Three years ago, he joined American Heritage just as Schwartz and a handful of his teammates were entering the high school ranks. 

"When I was coming in, they were coming in as ninth graders," Barnes said. "This school had been down. They were a powerhouse at one time. So I said, 'Let's see what I can do. I made the decision. I called the AD and I told her I would take the job.'"

Barnes has quickly established Heritage as one of the best programs in the state - if not the country. His sprint relays are all ranked in the top 10 nationally, with the 4x100 tops in the country with a time of 40.17 -- that also includes the 4x200 (US No. 3) and 4x400 (US No. 8). 

And along with Schwartz, junior Tyson Campbell is ranked in the top 10 in the 100m and the top 25 in the 200m. 

But perhaps what makes Heritage so unique is its crossover on the football field. Several of its track athletes are highly regarded football prospects. 

Schwartz is among the gems, too. According to 247 Sports, he's a four-star prospect and has 26 scholarship offers from Division I programs, including interest from track powerhouses like Oregon, Florida, LSU, Baylor and Kentucky, among others. 

Schwartz has intimated that his college future will lie somewhere in the middle, with an option to star in both sports. 

"It's very important to me because I love both sports equally," he said. "I want to see in college which sport I'll have a better shot at." 

Schwartz says Heritage's boys football team understands the value that track has for its team. 

"Most of us know that track will get us better," he said. "Some people want to do 7-on-7 the whole year. Our guys, we want to do track so we can get better for football season." 

"I feel like I'm balancing it really well," he added. "When football season ends, I take my one week break and then come to track. And so when I go to track and spring happens I'll probably do track during spring and probably come back to football in August."

Over the spring, it's a constant display of breathtaking speed. Barnes says he has to often move athletes to other groups so that it doesn't become a competition - essentially against your own teammates. 

But ultimately, the team's corps of sprinters contribute to their success on a daily basis. 

"It feels good because they're all my friends from football," Schwartz said. "They're good track runners too. I push them and they push me." 

Over the last three years, Schwartz says his biggest transition was developing speed out of the blocks and in his drive phase. 

"I've never had track speed," he said. "I've always had the end part of the race and the turnover, so coming to track I really had to work on my start and I feel that was what made me make the transition even better." 

However fast Schwartz ends up getting, Barnes also believes his sprinter knows how to handle successes the right way. 

"You have to talk to your guys because you don't want that to happen and get too big," Barnes said. "All of them, they level headed. They don't get too big. They stay humble. That's how we got here. Of course we had talent. You have talent in you. But you need to have it brought out of you. You have to work for it." 

And it starts first on that fence, one stretch at a time. 

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The Workout

4x30s w/ wickets + 2x60s


Related Links: 

- Anthony Schwartz profile

- Boys 100m rankings

- No pressure on Anthony Schwartz choosing between football and track

- Newborn rivalry offering the best in the sprints in Florida