CIF-SS Division 3-4 Finals Preview

Division 3 - Boys


Last year, Harvard Westlake won the D3 title, the second in program history and first since winning the small school 1A championship in 1992. Is there a repeat in the works?

To do it, Harvard Westlake will need to hold off, among others, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, the dominant D3 program in the 21st Century. Notre Dame has won 10 titles since 2002 and it has finished runner-up another five times since 2000. Notre Dame last won in 2016 but a return to the top would mean overcoming a Harvard Westlake team that should score big in the 400, 300 hurdles, relays and throws.

Statewide, the Southern Section boys top the D3 rankings in 11 of the 16 events. Harvard Westlake senior Brayden Borquez -- in the 400 (46.67) and 300 hurdles (37.28) -- and Anaheim Esperanza junior Jeff Duensing -- in the discus throw (185-8) and shot put (66-8) -- lead the statewide D3 rankings in two events.

Duensing, who was third here in the discus throw as a freshman and swept the throws last year, parlayed that D3 success last year into a runner-up medal in the shot put at the State Meet. He enters his third division finals ranked second in CA in the shot put and seventh in the discus throw. Duensing's greatest challenge to his repeat double will come from Notre Dame senior Quinten Lyons (second in the SP, third in the DT last year).

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame senior Christian Grubb leads in the 200 (20.93/1.0), is second to Hemet West Valley's Ismail Turner in the 100 (10.40/1.4), and ranks second in the triple jump (47-10.50/nwi). He also runs on the No. 2 ranked 4x100 relay team (41.88). Last year at the division final, Grubb was fourth in the 100, sixth in the 200 and third in the triple jump. 

Despite his 10.34 (nwi) PR in the 100m, Turner did not attempt to qualify in the straightline sprint. But he has the No. 2 qualifying time in the 200 behind Grubb and the second fastest qualifying time in the 400 behind Borquez. 

The dynamic distance duo from JSerra of senior Peter Herold and junior Anthony Grover rank 1-2 in the 1600, rank 1-4 among Southern Section runners in the 3200, and Grover is the section leader in the 800.

Another multi-event star to watch is La Canada St. Francis senior Matthew Molina (110 hurdles, high jump). Molina was sixth in the high jump at the State Meet last year with a clearance of 6-6. He's gone a windy 14.65 in the hurdles. 

Molina's challenge will be much greater in the 110 hurdles from Cathedral sophomore Anthony Taylor, who ran a wind 14.34 (3.0) at prelims, which ranks CA No. 7 for all conditions. Also, Taylor has the No. 2 qualifying time in the 300 hurdles behind Borquez.

Two others looking to defend titles from 2018 are Rubidoux senior Kevin Ramos in the 3200 and South Pasadena junior Tianhao Wei in the triple jump. Ramos' 9:08.98 from Arcadia ranks fourth in the division statewide and No. 2 behind Herold here. Wei, with a PR of 47-11.75 from Arcadia, was fifth at the State Meet last year.