A year ago, Berean Christian School’s Tajauni Elliot had a sensational sophomore season as a member of the Bulldogs track and field team. Not only was he new to the world of competitive track, Elliot surprised his teammates and coaches by advancing to the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 1A track and field state championships. It was an impressive feat for a rookie athlete.
Elliot, a Royal Palm Beach resident, finished in seventh place in the boys 400-meter run at the FHSAA’s Class 1A state meet last year with a time of 51.52.
Throughout the track season this spring, Elliot has been busy getting focused, fitter and faster.
“Tajauni’s progression in track for his junior campaign is going great,” said Mario Jackson, the assistant coach of the track and field team at Berean Christian School. “He has had an opportunity to put his talent against some of the best in Martin, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. His focus is on the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes this year.”
As Elliot has trained throughout the season, he has been motivated by what happened last year in the 200-meter run. A year ago, he was fast, but not fast enough. Elliot is focused on not having history repeat itself.
“Tajauni missed out on qualifying for the 2021 regionals in the 200-meter by one-tenth of a second,” Jackson recalled. “He is determined to qualify in both races — 200-meter and 400-meter — for the state meet and to make a major push at winning both.”
Just recently, Elliot ran a personal best in both races at the Palm Beach County qualifier with a time of 22.80 in the 200 and 50.36 in the 400.
“With the progress he is making, I would not be surprised to see a sub-50-second in the 400-meter and a lower time in the 200-meter by the district meet in late April,” Jackson said.
Elliot is more than just a track athlete at Berean, as he also plays football and basketball for the Bulldogs — and he’s a solid contributor to both teams.
“Tajauni’s junior campaign in football started strong offensively and defensively,” said Jackson, who also serves as the head football coach at Berean. “His season was cut short with nagging injuries. Nevertheless, I believe the values and work ethic fostered in football have catapulted Tajauni’s athletic career in other sports. He has become a tougher kid mentally and physically. He was most productive on the defensive side of the ball, ending the season with seven tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss.”
Berean’s boys varsity basketball coach John Lantz has strong words of praise for Elliot’s competitive desire on the hardwood.
“Tajauni was new to our team this year since he had not played competitive basketball since middle school,” Lantz said. “He had a good attitude, worked hard and was a good teammate. He knew his role, and he could jump high to block shots and grab rebounds.”
Right now, Elliot is focused on getting himself ready for the district track and field meet on April 27-28. After that, it’s the Class 1A regional meet, followed by the FHSAA’s Class 1A track and field state meet, which will be held on the Percy Beard Track in the James G. Pressly Stadium on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville from May 11-14.
Time will tell if Elliot’s junior year in track will be as memorable and sensational as his sophomore campaign, but his coaches are certainly steering him in the right direction.
