Senior State Championship: Boys CIF-SS D3 Prelims

Boys Seniors-Only CIF-SS Division 3 Prelims Highlights


100 Dash

With no clear favorite and at least four guys capable of winning, this race is shaping up to be one of the real feature events at finals next week! Today was all about preparation and positioning. Cassius Savage (Western) will be back in the finals after finishing 6th last year, and he will be joined by Jacob Williams ca (Brea Olinda) and Jack Koval (Charter Oak) - all three advance comfortably on the heels of a season where they have been consistently in the 10.90's. Two potential sleeper athletes to watch in the final: Will Liu (Harvard Westlake), who did not compete in the league or section championships in 2019 after flashing sub-11 potential. Also keep an eye on the Hawthorne duo of Kyle Williams and Trevonn Sibley


200 Dash

A Savage is also in the hunt for the title here, but which one? Cassius (also in the 100) and Cain (also in the 400) come together at this distance, and both advanced easily to the next round. Donovan Nelson (La Sierra) and Justin Caragao (Santa Margarita) will be their chief competition in finals, with all four having run under 22 in the regular season. That leaves Koval and Deonce Caldwell (Bishop Alemany) battling each other and the 22 second barrier not far behind. It seems certain that the 400 will have a profound impact on the 200 at finals, with two of the four contenders potentially coming into this race with tired legs.


400 Dash

Cain Savage is the favorite in this event, but not by much. Savage has been flirting with the 47's all season, and it will likely take a PR to hold off Nelson next week; today, though, both cruised through to the final. Savage finished 3rd in the division final last year, but Nelson has taken a huge leap forward in 2020 after opening with a full second PR and improving steadily from there. I'm betting both of them break 48 next week, and that could put them in the mix for Masters. Don't count out Caragao, who has been in the upper 48's for a while this season and looks ready for a breakthrough. With Cassius Savage opting to stay in the 100 and 200, Michael Holcomb (Oak Park) is the only other athlete who could crash the top 3 in the final, but he has work to do to stay with the leaders.


800 Run

Familiar foes Anthony Grover (JSerra) and Preston Green (Oak Park) both moved on comfortably, but their respective trajectories from 2019 to now reveal some interesting information. Although Grover made the state meet in the 1600 last spring, he opened 2020 with an 800 (and just a second off his PR), signalling that he definitely wasn't giving up on this event. Green, on the other hand, only ran the 1600 once in 2019, but he started off this spring focusing on that race. In the end, though, the 800 is Green's better event, and he decided to drop the 16 for the championship season. That could give him the edge next week, as he will be running on fresh legs; both have run 1:53 this season and shown 1:52 potential. Tyriq Granillo's 2019 season was washed out after a few races, but after a solid cross country season he has come back strong and posted a 1:56. That will put the Cathedral senior in the mix with Stuart Serventi (St Francis La Canada) and Jacob Blevins (Buena) in the battle for third next week.


1600 Run

Grover is a heavy favorite here after posting a sub-4:10 mark at Arcadia, and he cruised through to the finals - but he won't have that luxury any more as he positions for Masters and a run at a top finish at the state meet. Isaiah Givens (Pasadena), Alexander Frias (St John Bosco) and Sebastian Sawyer (Oak Park) may be left battling each other to break 4:15 next week. Sam Clark (South Pasadena) will try to stick onto those two and do the same.


3200 Run

Grover is an outstanding 3200 runner, but he's also smart enough to know that he is even stronger in the 1600 and 800, so he sits this race out in the championship season. That opens the door for a number of contenders to battle for the title next week, led by Sawyer and Shane Gaffikin (Brea Olinda). Sawyer has had an excellent school year, dropping time in cross country and following that with solid 1600 times, and this could be his chance to shine. Luke Francis (Los Altos) has been the surprise candidate for most improved this spring, opening with a PR in the 3200 and continuing to drop time from there; he will be in striking range of the leaders in the final. Watch out for Bryce Hill (Burroughs Ridgecrest), who took a big step forward during cross country and has been consistently improving at this distance during the spring.


110 Hurdles

Jeremiah Harris (South Hills) was the top returner in this event coming into the season, but Michael Ventura (Santa Margarita Catholic) leapfrogged him in 2020 after opening with a big PR of 15.26. Ventura has dipped under 15 but hasn't done it consistently yet, and Turner is the only other athlete in the field that can threaten that barrier. Both advance easily to the finals, along with Cristian McDaniel (Notre Dame Sherman Oaks).


300 Hurdles

Ventura is the favorite in this event, and his improvement from 2019 is even more evident at this distance. He has been inching toward a 37 all season, but today wasn't the day to do that - next week, with a spot in the Masters meet on the line, expect him to bring it. Harris has been consistently in the low 39's and is capable of pushing Ventura, which could in turn pull him into the 38's. Both advance while conserving some energy, setting up their double showdown in the finals. George Matthews (Notre Dame Sherman Oaks) and Christopher Lukens (Brea Olinda) will be looking for their first sub-40 as they fight for 3rd place next week.


Shot Put

Two of the best in the state will duke it out in both throws next weekend, as Jeff Duensing (Esperanza) and Quinten Lyons (Notre Dame Sherman Oaks) both seek a return to the state meet. Duensing put up huge marks in 2019 but could never get both events to come together on the same day, although he did make the finals in both in Clovis (finishing 4th in the discus). Lyons has been extremely consistent in both throws, and that can carry him to the title in events where many competitors go through lots of ups and downs. Duensing has the better PR's in both, but he hasn't reached either of them during the 2020 regular season. Will we see another 66 or better from him? Has he just been pushing through hard training, and getting ready to bust out big marks in the championship meets? With both in the mid-60's and 170's (with a handful of 180's here and there), this will be an event to watch next week, as either could win and both should advance to Masters. Khai Redd (Bishop Alemany) leads the rest of the field and should have third place on lockdown, but he won't threaten the top two (in this event, that is...).


Discus

We mentioned Redd, who has shown stunning improvement in the discus: his best in 2019 was under 100 feet, and yet he opened 2020 with a PR in excess of 160! He makes this a three-way battle for the section title, and Redd has the potential to also make it through to Masters. He hasn't been as consistent as Duensing and especially Lyons, though, and that could be a problem in the finals. When Duensing is on, he is all but impossible to beat; even when he isn't popping out a 190-footer, though, he has been in the upper 170's and low 180's, which makes him the favorite. Eric Cuellar (Covina) returns to the division finals, where he threw his season best in 2019; If he does that again and cracks 160 feet, he could pick off one of the top three.


High Jump

Ryan Bentley (Orange Lutheran) has a PR of 6-6, but he cleared that only once in 2019; otherwise, he has been a consistent 6-2 to 6-3 jumper. He has cleared 6-4 this spring, and with his experience (he made division finals last year) he is the slight favorite to win next week. Ethan Land (Oak Park) has nearly identical credentials, though, and is certainly capable of claiming the title. Likewise for Ahmir McGee (Notre Dame Sherman Oaks), who has been less consistent but can hit the same heights when he is on. Don't be surprised if Alan Campfield (Lompoc) breaks into the top three - he made finals last year and is extremely consistent, but his PR is a bit below some of the other jumpers. 


Pole Vault

David Miketta (La Canada) finished the 2019 season as the top returner in the division, and he opened 2020 in the same position. He has been remarkably consistent, hitting upper-15's several times this spring while still searching for that elusive 16 foot clearance. Nolan Blachowski (Servite) had a best of 14-6 last spring, but he opened this season at 15-1 and has cleared 15-6 since. Aaron Rodriguez (Covina) made Masters in 2019 and has improved significantly since then, also coming into the championship season with a 15-6 best. Lucas Tailin (South Pasadena) also has Masters experience, but he is still looking for that 15-6 mark; of course, next week would be a great time to achieve it!


Long Jump

It looks like we're headed for a showdown of 23-footers at finals, with James Smith (St John Bosco) and Jeremiah Harris (South Hills) both having a handful such marks on their resume. They are very evenly matched, and the title could come down to a fraction of an inch difference between them if both jump well. If either struggles, there will be a fleet of jumpers who have season bests in the 22's looking to pick them off. That includes the South Pasadena duo of Kevin Kang and Tianhao TH Wei, along with Elijah Ponder (Bishop Amat).


Triple Jump

Wei has been the favorite in this event since the end of the 2019 season, when he finished 3rd in the state meet with a season best of 48 feet. He has repeated that mark a few times this season, but look for him to creep closer to 50 over the next few weeks. Smith and Harris both have 46's on their record this spring, which leaves a lot of work for them to upset Wei.