FIELD EVENTS PREVIEW
Boys Long Jump
Our main headliner in the field events is the California defending Triple Jump champion, senior CJ Stevenson (Jeff George photo above) of Great Oak. With Stevenson taking 2nd place in the Triple Jump last weekend at the Arcadia Invite, he stepped it up and won the Invitational Long Jump session. His 24'3" effort set a new school record and elevating Stevenson up the national rankings and now #2 in California. Elsinore junior Kamari Maddox, one of the stronger 100/200 athletes in the state, excels in the pits as well. His 23'6" personal best was in rainy conditions at the Irvine Invite where unfortunately, there was no wind readings (there was NO wind that particular morning). Upland sophomore Namir Hemphill has a personal best of 22'8" and was a SS Div. I qualifier as a 9th grader in 2017. San Jacinto senior twins in Kevin Maria and Patrick Maria have consistently hovered around the 22 foot mark. Our F/S champion last year, Colony's Ezra Gales, is looking to clear the 22 foot threshold as he was a Div. II CIF Finalist as a sophomore last year. Qualifying for the Div. III CIF Finals a year ago, Mojave River League champ, Ivontae Hudson of Sultana, is coming off a huge 22'7" effort this past Tuesday. Also watch for Cajon senior horizontal jump standout Jerome Weber (22'3"). Weber was a SS Masters Meet qualifier in the Triple Jump along with the Div. II runner-up. He was also a Div. II finalist for the long jump. Keep track of Vista Murrieta sophomore Richard Harris as he also a legit 22 foot jumper.
Girls Long Jump
Moving over to the Girls Long Jump, Upland senior Chelsea Daye will move away from the track this weekend and focus primarily on this event. Her 18'10" personal best from the California Relays has her as our favorite. With teammates also in the 18 foot range, Upland will be challenged to decide which four events Daye will forward in when the postseason begins in three weeks. Away from being one of the best hurdlers in the state, Carter's Mya Greene has also been the Citrus Belt League champ the past two seasons in this event. She was a CIF Finalist as a sophomore and will look to give Daye a great competition. Roosevelt junior Chaselyn Amos is a two time Big VIII league champ here. She has consistently hovered on or above the 17 foot tape as well. Our 2017 F/S champ, Adriana Wright of Grand Terrace will be in the mix as well Great Oak junior Kolonnie Green. The versatile Green is also one that Great Oak has decisions to make regarding her postseason and where she can potentially score points at the SS Finals. She was the Southwestern League Champ in 2017 as a sophomore. Beyond these five, there are about ten other girls all flirting with that 17 foot measurement as well. Watch for ML King sophomore Sheredyn Pfeiffer in the F/S competition as she has a personal best of 17'7" which was achieved at a dual meet several weeks ago.
Boys Triple Jump
The overwhelming favorite is Great Oak senior CJ Stevenson. Measuring out over 50 feet places him as our current state leader (California State Champ in 2017) and #2 in the United States. Stevenson is one the best Triple Jumpers in Riverside County and over the next six weeks, plans on holding every record in the region. Cajon's Jerome Weber has 46'3" personal best (he was a SS Masters Meet qualifier in the TJ and Div. II runner-up as a junior). Temecula Valley's Christian Gbla is back after taking 6th place (44'11")at the SS Div. I Finals a year ago. He was the Southwestern League runner up to Stevenson. Heritage senior Damitre Cobb bounded out to a 44'7" effort several weeks ago. Vista Murrieta's Eric Allen has shown some great improvement and recorded a best of 44'2" last month. We have a large group of boys entered in the 42 43 foot range, but this competition's headliner belongs to Mr. Stevenson. In the F/S competition, Vista Murrieta's Richard Harris has a personal best of 44'11" and is the favorite.
Girls Triple Jump
The Great Oak pair in junior Kolonnie Green and freshman Summer Stevenson are looking to measure out beyond 37 feet. But, the one to watch could very well be our two time Mojave League Champ, Serrano junior Natalie Lim. Lim has consistently bounded out beyond the 35 foot range. Also an accomplished pole vaulter, Temecula Valley's Charisma Davis
(35'5") took 3rd place in the Southwestern League and earned a trip to the postseason. ML King's Tresure Rucker was a CIF qualifier in 2017 and consistently out over 34 feet. In her first year of Track and Field, Great Oak senior Alanna Stein has already jumped out beyond 35feet and lead a large group of girls chasing after the top five spots.
Girls High Jump
Defending California State Champion, Abigail Burke of Riverside Poly, is the class of the field here. As a CIF Southern Section Masters Meet qualifier as a sophomore, Burke took it up a huge notch in 2017. After capturing the Div. I crown, she won the Masters Meet and elevated (5'8") to a new personal best to capture the state title. But, Upland junior Amya Small is veteran with tons of postseason experience. Small qualified for the SS Masters Meet as a freshman after taking the runner up spot at the CIF Div. I Finals. As a sophomore in 2017, she qualified for the state meet. She is coming off a 5'3" clearance at the Arcadia Invite. The Roosevelt pair of juniors in Shaelyn Amos and Cajairah Fraise, along with Elsinore Ashley Farmer, have all elevated up over the 5'3" bar. Six others have cleared 5'1" including Elsinore junior Daniela Lopez is the top Heptathlete in the Inland Empire. In the F/S division, Linfield Christian sophomore Caylan Medley is our favorite as she has cleared 5'4" this season.
Boys High Jump
With this event being down in the region in 2018, Roosevelt senior Tyler Riley is the only one coming in that has cleared the 6'6" bar. Great Oak senior Grant Gaskins was a CIF qualifier last year, while Murrieta Valley's Trevon Waters is bouncing back from clearing 6'3" at the Arcadia Invite last weekend. Waters is one of the most improved in the area. Challenging these three is a group of five boys that have all cleared 6'2" this season. Rancho Cucamonga junior Miles Harris has been consistent this season while coming off his Baseline League runner up placing in 2017. Watch for Vista Murrieta freshman Darius Hill. He has already cleared 6'3" and definitely one of our up and coming stars for the future.
Girls Pole Vault
Our three girls have all cleared 12'2" this season and are tied for 5th in the CIF Southern Section. All mentored by the same coach, Apple Valley senior Darla Gonzalez cleared that mark along with Roosevelt duo of junior Erika Flaherty and sophomore Tessa Watkins. But, watch out for Vista Murrieta senior Katrina Meier who cleared 12'1" last weekend at Arcadia and is now #8 in the section. Great Oak is also well represented as Jenna Portis has a personal best of 11'8" and sophomore Kaitlyn Swenson cleared 11'4" back in February. Vista Murrieta junior Tamara Bader has cleared 11'7" while Chaparral senior Alexandria Gray has consistently hovered in the mid 11's the past two seasons. Four of the top nine in the section face off here as we have as deep a field of girls over 11 feet as you will find. In the Frosh/Soph competition, Chaffey sophomore Brenda Wilmore cleared 11'7" in damp conditions in Irvine last month while Linfield Christian sophomore Kaelyn McCann (11'1") is one of the favorites to capture the SS Div. IV crown next month.
Boys Pole Vault
Like our girls' competition, the boys from Roosevelt could very well dominate the action here. Junior Ethan Amata has elevated himself amongst the best in the Southern Section. with a 14'10" best this season. He is currently 10th in the section. With our Inland Empire leader from Great Oak taking the weekend off, Roosevelt junior Jacob Ernst will challenge for the win as well. Formerly of Apple Valley, Ernst has cleared 14'7" in the past, but has been riddled with a number of 'no heights' throughout the season. Beaumont junior Brady Ho is looking to return to the form that saw him consistently elevate up over 14 feet as a sophomore. Great Oak senior Cameron Franklin cleared 14'3" in damp conditions in Redondo last month, while Vista Murrieta senior Dustin Davis opened the season up with a 14 foot clearance. Serrano senior Brandon Forbes continues to improve after going up over 13'10" last week in a dual meet. That Frosh/Soph competition, Great Oak's Jack Wright comes in with a best of 14'1" which ranks him as the top freshman in California.
Girls Shot Put
Our overwhelming favorite to win this competition is San Gorgonio senior Ana Tovi (Lizette Adams photo above). She opened the season up with a 43'6.5" effort here at the Saddle Up Invite. Although she has a personal best of 44'1" from 2017, her seasonal best puts her at #8 in California and #3 in the Southern Section. Elsinore junior Soley Lymon just launched a new personal best of 38'6.5" this past Wednesday. Meanwhile, senior Kalianna Lesa is one of the favorites in SS - Div. IV after her 37'4.75" measurement last weekend. She represents San Jacinto Valley Academy. Prepping for another strong postseason run, Rancho Verde senior Zion Levi has gone out beyond 39 feet and was a Div. I CIF Finalist in 2017. Hemet's Cassandra Gascon has a personal best of 36'5.5" and was the Mountain Pass League runner-up in 2017. Finally, the defending Big VIII League Champ, Norco junior Evalen Garcia measured out to 37'8" best last year (36'8.75" this season).
Girls Discus
Like the Shot Put, San Gorgonio senior Ana Tovi is the headliner. Her 144'1" launch last month elevated her up to #8 in California and is currently #4 in the Southern Section. Her biggest threat comes off the heels of a 129'1" personal best effort just this past Wednesday. Silverado junior Ksani Coney is currently #11 in the Southern Section with that effort. Shadow Hills' senior Victoria Soto stepped it up with a 122'8" personal best to qualify for the SS Div. II Finals in 2017. She is a three time CIF qualifier. Perhaps, the deepest group from any one school in California, the girls from La Quinta are led by senior
Madeline Wallace. She is the defending Desert Valley League Champ while La Quinta boasts the fact they have FOUR girls that have gone out beyond 111 feet this season. Just like the Shot Put, Elsinore junior Soley Lymon came home on Wednesday with a personal best in the Discus. Her 118 foot effort moves up the Riverside County lists.
Boys Shot Put
If you need a reason to verify why Great Oak has the inside track in capturing the CIF SS Div. I team title next month, go no further than the Shot Put and Discus sectors. Senior Harrison Gould (58'6.5") is currently #5 in California and #4 for the Southern Section. His training partner is right there with him as senior Jaime Navarro catapulted the shot out to 58'6" at last weekend's Arcadia Invite. Navarro is one place behind his teammate in both rankings. With those two dominating the competition, 3rd place is up for grabs. Heritage senior Avante Robbs has gone out over 48'7" while Valley View senior Theo Bullard has also thrown out beyond 48 feet. Actually, the 3rd ranked Shot Putter we have here is competing at the Frosh/Soph level. Great Oak's Nick Meeker has a best of 50'11" and is the #4 sophomore in California. Great Oak freshman James Wright will be looking to clear 46 feet for the first time this weekend.
Boys Discus
Great Oak senior Jaime Navarro is chasing the school record as his 185'8" personal best is currently #4 in California. He is now #3 in the Southern Section and is one of the best Riverside County has ever seen. Navarro is the defending Southwestern League Champ but looking to put the disappointment of the 2017 postseason behind him. His counterpart, Harrison Gould has hurled the disc out to 173'9" which is #6 in the Southern Section. Gould is perhaps the most improved Discus thrower in California as he went into this season with a best of 127'2! Patriot senior John Ober continues to improve with a 159'6" best this season at last weekend's Arcadia Invite. Meanwhile, Vista Murrieta junior Alex Oyawale has a seasonal best of 149'4" and is ranked #6 in Riverside County. We have a great group slated for the Frosh/Soph competition as Vista Murrieta sophomore Edward Ta'amilo come to us with a 149'9" seasonal best.
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