Sam Graves, a multi-sport Yulee (Fla.) High School graduate with ties to Douglas, has graduated as the Hornets’ top javelin athlete. Graves is the son of Will and Ashley Preston Graves of Yulee. His maternal grandparents are Bob and the late Norma Preston of Douglas.
Graves competed in several different sports during his four years at Yulee High, including golf, football, and tennis. But it is in the field events, in particular the javelin, where the 6’3”, 210-pound Graves made his mark.
He came to track a little late; he didn’t join the team until his junior year. “I had friends on the team and it looked fun. I was getting a little tired of tennis and I thought I could do well in track,” he says.
And do well he did. Last year, he set Yulee High’s school record in the javelin with a 38.06-meter (124’10”) throw. This year, he beat his own record with a 39.86-meter (130’9”) throw at a meet on March 4. Graves advanced to regionals this year. He also threw the discus for the Hornets.
One point worth mentioning that Graves leaves Yulee High with the same number of track records as the Hornets’ most famous alum, future Pro Football Hall of Famer Derrick Henry. Another is that Coffee County’s track guru, CHS teacher Jerry Hill, worked with Graves on both the javelin and discus.
Graves is spending the summer working at Academy Sports and Outdoors in Nassau County. He will attend the University of South Florida in Tampa, where he plans to pursue a career in medicine.
