Boys Seniors-Only LA City Section Semfinals Highlights
100 Dash
Macen Williams (Narbonne) came up just 0.03 seconds short of winning this event in 2019, but today he is in the driver's seat. He pulls away from his challengers, posting a 10.7 as he claims the title. The battle is for second place behind him, with James Jenkins (Crenshaw) holding off Michael Smith (Grant) as Anthony Williams (Sotomayor) and Kyrick Curl (Palisades Charter) finish just a few hundredths behind.
200 Dash
Jordan Smith (Westchester) was third in last year's section final, advancing to the state meet after edging out Matthew Edmonds (LACES). Today, it is Taiten McKiver (Venice Senior) that upsets both of them to close out a senior year in which he improved tremendously. Edwards nips Smith for second, all three moving on to the state meet to square off again. Curl, Edwards, and Jenkins all break 23 in one of the most exciting races of the day.
400 Dash
We knew coming into the season that this had the potential to be an amazing race, with four returning seniors that ran within 0.17 seconds of each other in 2019. Although one of those contenders, Christian Rodriguez, opted to focus on the 800, the race stayed super competitive with the improvement of McKiver. Westchester's Smith wins the title, barely holding off Jenkins as both dip under 50. Edmonds holds off McKiver for the third and final qualifying spot.
800 Run
Defending champion Christian Rodriguez (Dorsey) becomes a repeat winner today, pulling away from James Coomber (Verdugo Hills) before easing up in the last 30 meters. Rodriguez went to the state finals last year, and he has been ahead of that pace in 2020 - watch out for a PR next weekend. Cai Duran (Granada Hills) advances third with a 1:57, keeping him well ahead of German Sandoval (South Gate), Andy Duran (San Pedro), and Austin Kuromi (Marshall), all in the 1:59's.
1600 Run
James Corrigan (Eagle Rock) didn't run this race at last year's section final, choosing to concentrate on the 3200 (with good results). This year he tries the double, dueling with top returner Cai Duran through the race before pulling away slightly down the stretch. Quinn Garity (Granada Hills) edges out Coomber for third, moving on to the state meet.
3200 Run
Corrigan was dominant in this race even before he had a great cross country season this fall, and nobody is going to touch him today. His season best is under 9:10 and he will be looking for sub-9 at the state meet. Garity finds himself challenged by two big improvers this season in Christopher Park (Marshall) and James Zavala Sanchez (El Camino Real); like Corrigan, both ran well in the fall to set up a strong spring season. Garity's experience and closing speed are enough for him to hold onto second place, as Zavala Sanchez grabs third.
110 Hurdles
Nnamdi Onwaoze (Palisades Charter) was the defending champion in this event already, and then he went and got a lot better this spring, opening with two sub-15 times and never looking back. He rolls past the competition today as teammate Chandler Hooks takes second. Jhontez Toles (Taft) holds on for third ahead of teammate Jon Luis Mbakata and Kenny Davis (Palisades Charter).
300 Hurdles
It's another Palisades 1-2 finish, but this time it's Davis taking the silver behind Onwaoze. Toles punches another ticket to the state meet, staying ahead of Michael Bartle (Verdugo Hills), who emerged from a pack of athletes to take fourth.
Shot Put
Fidelis Okereke (King-Drew) entered the 2020 season as the returning favorite after finishing second in last year's final. Then, Alexander Maida (Granada Hills) opened his season with a 44-8 to take over the top spot in the rankings. Since then the two have gone back and forth several times; today, Okereke rises to the challenge and takes the title, with both throwing over 45 feet. Karo Mouradyan (Marshall) had a frustrating 2019, falling behind his sophomore marks. He makes up for it today, returning to the 43 foot range and moving on to the state meet.
Long Jump
Kenny Davis (Palisades Charter) led this event after 4 jumps in the 2019 finals before ending up in second place; today he leads from start to finish (and even gets to pass his final few jumps) as he claims the crown. Anthony Williams (Sotomayor) and Calvin Black (Hamilton) dueled for second place, while holding off Black's teammate Jerijah Freeman - all three post 21-plus marks.
Triple Jump
Mason White (Birmingham Community) narrowly missed out on making the state meet in 2019, falling just an inch short of taking third place. Today he leaves no doubt, going over 44 feet to win the title. Levon Melkonyan (Verdugo Hills) has improved greatly this season, his offseason work paying off with a second place finish and a trip to Clovis. Calvin Ma (Granada Hills) edges out Nate Davis (University Senior) and Kenny Davis for third place.
High Jump
In a very closely matched field and an event that can be very unpredictable, Ulises Flores (Legacy) and Julian Hicks (Van Nuys) have the most experience, having finished 2nd and 3rd in last year's finals. That helps them take the top two spots today, in the same order. Third place comes down to misses, with Durran Neal (Crenshaw) getting past Elisha Cofield (Birmingham Community) and Paul Man (Cleveland).
Pole Vault
This event was as wide open as you can possibly get coming into the season - there was only one returning senior from the 2019 finals! That returner is Gonzalo Orozco (Garfield), who has improved into the 10 foot range this spring. However, he ends up in second today: Audun Burton (Marshall) cleared 10 feet twice last spring before his season ended early, he earns the title today while getting over 11 feet. Lorenzo Aguirre (Verdugo Hills) claims the final spot in the state meet.
Team Results
Palisades Charter's overall depth across many events brings them the commanding win, almost 20 points ahead of Granada Hills. Verdugo Hills narrowly outscores Taft for third place.