Terriers' Green shines in Puerto Rico

Shortly after scratching three times in the long jump at last month's Class 3A meet, where he still finished sixth, Hillsborough junior Jeremiah Green insisted he would channel his frustration into every ensuing meet he entered.

This weekend, at the Caribbean Scholastic Invitational in Puerto Rico, he counter-balanced that chip on his shoulder with two first-place medals around his neck.

A day after winning the triple jump with a modest effort -- by his standards -- of 49 feet, 2 inches, Green won Saturday's long jump with a 23-3 performance on his second try. He also ran on a leg for the second-place 4x100-meter relay team at the event, held at the University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras.

Green was among 28 underclassmen from around the country chosen to compete for Team NSSF (National Scholastic Sports Foundation), which competes against various Caribbean athletes. The Times' male track athlete of the year for Hillsborough County, Green was among seven Floridians picked.