It's not supposed to be like this in California. This is the home of the most insanely competitive state meet in the nation, where it's possible for a top-10 team in the state to not even advance enough people from their section meet to contend in Clovis. Predicting the state champion team before the season starts should be close to impossible. Supposed favorites often face unexpected adversity during the grueling Golden State outdoor season, bringing them back to the field and opening the door for upstarts to threaten - plus, transfers can quickly change the balance of power from year to year.
And yet, here we are: one of our preseason co-favorites to win the state title, Clovis North, actually claimed the title at the end. The Broncos did have to overcome some obstacles during the season, but they had enough talent and determination to keep the championship in their home town. Powered by a monster performance from Caleb Foster, Clovis North dominated the state meet to win by 14 points over Monterey Trail. Foster won the long and triple jumps, took second in a blazing 110 Hurdle final, and ran a leg on the Broncos' silver-medal 4x100 team. Naythn Scruggs chipped in with a 6th-place finish in the 100 and also ran on the relay, and Isaiah Galindo added 7th-place points in the 3200.
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During the season, the only team that really was a threat to unseat the Broncos was Upland, whose duo of stars provided enough firepower for them to be considered co-favorites at the start of the season. Unfortunately, the Highlanders' margin for error evaporated when they were disqualified in the prelims of the 4x400 (although Caleb Roberson did his part, delivering a second consecutive 300 Hurdles win). That opened the door for Monterey Trail to move onto the podium, which was only possible because of the efforts of Zachary Larrier, the 400 champ, and a surprise win in the 4x100.
At some points during the spring, it looked as though Long Beach Poly might also join the ranks of the contenders. The Jackrabbits performed well at the state meet, making the podium in both relays, but they just couldn't match the individual star power of the teams in front of them. Will Poly be among the favorites for 2020? Check back next week to see our returning team power ratings!