Field Events Preview
Girls Long Jump
Yinka Braimah (Peninsula) is the top seed, and she isn't even entered at her season best - she jumped 18' 9.5 indoors in Boise last weekend, which is US #19 this season. Noelle Schiller (Westlake) is in the same boat, having posted a mark of 18' 1.75" indoors, enough to consider her a contender. Katherine Jackson (Rodriguez) had her 18-foot jump outdoors, and Jaylah Herron (Mira Costa) is not far behind at 17' 10". Any of the four could emerge victorious Saturday. Dominique Ruotolo has jumped over 18 feet in the past, as has Micah Fulton.
Boys Long Jump
This is shaping up to be a two-man battle, although with the jumps you can never really predict what's going to happen. Matthew Zimmer (Alta Loma) has a season best of 22' 1", with Mark Nunez (Dorsey) not far behind at 21' 7". Nobody else has exceeded the 21-foot mark in qualifying meets, although there are several guys in the upper 20's that could catch a big jump and threaten the favorites.
Girls Triple Jump
Mater Dei's Ruotolo is the favorite here after putting up a 39' 6" this winter, but she won't be able to walk away with the win. Micah Fulton (John Muir) has a season best of 38' 8", and both girls have consistently jumped close to their top marks all winter. Justice Smith (Highlands) could also be in contention, but after her the qualifying marks drop off a bit. That can be deceptive, though - for example, Fulton has the best PR in the bunch, having gone 40 feet last spring, and both Elizabeth Weeks and Akaylah Hill have been well over 38 in the past.
Boys Triple Jump
Although nobody in this meet has gone beyond 45 feet this winter, this event should be incredibly competitive. That's because the top 6 are all between 43 and 45 feet, with the #2 through #6 seeds separated by only 9 inches. The favorite is Vedavit Shetty (Burbank), the only athlete in the field to have broken 44 this winter (and he was only 1 inch shy of 45 feet). Keep an eye on Arrun Palacio (Dorsey), who has a best of 45' 7" last spring but is seeded 4th here.
Girls High Jump
This is the only event in the meet that can claim to have the top three athletes in the state overall this winter. Asia Smith (MIssion Hill) is the narrow favorite, having cleared 5' 6"; however, Abigail Burke (Riverside Poly) is the #3 returner in the state from the spring season, with an all-time PR of 5' 8". Alysah Hickey and Caitlin Bailey should also be in contention, and this could come down to who hits her rhythm earlier and has less misses.
Boys High Jump
Kamar Wilson (Pacifica Oxnard) is the favorite in a very small field of boys jumpers, as he is the only one over 6' 4". If he can't duplicate that height, he will find himself battling a pair of 6' 2" jumpers in Spencer Kemmerer (Dos Pueblos) and James Phillips (Yorba Linda). If you look at PR's, that three-way match-up gets more exciting: Phillips has been over 6' 8", with both Wilson and Kemmerer clearing 6' 6" last spring.
Girls Pole Vault
Brooke Tjerrild (Clovis North) has already nearly equalled her PR by clearing 12' 8" this winter, and you can bet she's aiming for 13 feet every time she jumps. If she is on, it will take a strong improvement by one of the three 12-foot entries to overtake her. Jacqueline Ahrens (Peninsula) does have a PR of 12' 8", though, which means she could emerge as the primary challenger.
Boys Pole Vault
If any event is going to be dominated by a single athlete this weekend, this is the one. Tate Curran (Redondo) has cleared 16' 7" this winter, which would put him at US #5 if it was indoors (and you can argue that indoor vaulting is actually easier, with no chance of wind to interfere). The rest will be battling for second, and there are two 14' 6" jumpers along with four 14' entries to make that battle interesting.
Girls Throws
Where did all the throwers decide to go this weekend? Incredibly, there are only 5 shot putters entered, which is actually less than the 7 girls in the weight throw! Alladia Patterson (Louisville) is the favorite in the shot, but all 5 girls in the field are over 36' and that should make the event competitive. Faimalie Sale (Los Alamitos) has thrown over 39' this winter, and she also tops the weight throw list, which means she has a chance to leave with a double win.
Boys Throws
It's a little better here than in the girls, but still there are only 14 boys in the shot, led by top returner Bronson Osborn (Esperanza). Osborn had his best throw this winter with the collegiate 16-pounder, so he might be ready to pop a big 12-pound put this weekend. Watch for Marina's Kyle Tsu to push into the upper 55's, but if Osborn is on this will be a runaway. The weight throw is a different matter: Silas Hurst is the top seed at 65 feet, with Osborn second.
Pentathlon
It's hard to figure out the favorites here, but Tierra Crockrell (Calabasas) has been gearing up for this all winter, and she is the defending champion. Geoffrey Delorie (Marina) is the top returner from last year's meet, with Julian Read (Notre Dame) close behind.