Boys Seniors-Only SJS Division Finals Highlights
100 Dash
Not much mystery here: Ryan Mulholland (Del Oro) is not only the best in the section, he's the best in the state. He also runs his best when it counts, posting his top two times of the 2019 season in the prelims and finals of the state meet (where he finished 3rd). As expected, he was able to cruise through the D1 competition and save energy for the next two weeks. John Kroeger (River Valley) held off Amari Duncan (River City) to win Division 2, and they are very evenly matched in the battle for second place at Masters. Favour Nnaji (Patterson), will also be in competition for a podium finish after taking Division 3. Thomas Walker (Kennedy) could be a sleeper to crack the top 3; he has been steadily improving into the low 10.80's this spring and looks poised to break through. Jamar Marshall (St. Mary's) dabbled in this race over the summer, clocking 10.97, and it seems to have appealed to him - he is now in the 10.80's. Will he keep running it?
200 Dash
As strong as Mulholland is in the 100, this is his better race. He has broken 21 twice this spring, earning national recognition as well as leading the state comfortably. He was able to shut down with 50 meters left today. Kroeger earned the double win in D2 and Jonathon Lozano (Calaveras) won in Division 5. Keep an eye on Walker, Joey Souto (Whitney), and D4 champ Josiah Colquitt (Hiram Johnson): all three have been creeping closer to sub-22, and that could put any of them in striking range of a podium finish.
400 Dash
Mulholland is also the top seed ... just kidding! Although the Del Oro star did post a 49 this spring, he rightly chose the 100 and 200. Jevon Jackson (Yuba City) comes out of Division 2 with the only sub-49 PR in the field, making him the clear favorite. The rest of the divisions had good competition, starting with a barnburner of a Division 1 race that featured Souto, Jesus Andrade (St. Mary's Stockton), Owen Dulcich (Davis Senior), and Martin Smith (Jesuit), who shifted his main focus from the 800 to the 400 this spring. Souto held off his four challengers and moved closer to a 48 in the process, but the others can definitely contend for the podium next week. Colquitt and Lozano both rolled through their respective divisions to move on to Masters - Lozano, in particular, has an excellent chance to make the top three.
800 Run
Now we enter the Jesuit portion of the article, kicking it off with the top returner in the state in Chase Gordon. In 2019 he showed his potential early with a pair of 1:53's in April, then didn't improve at all until it mattered, when he dropped a 1:51 at the state meet to finish 2nd. This spring he has posted a 1:52 in the regular season, ahead of schedule in his pursuit of 1:50. Despite his credentials, Division 1 isn't a walkover for him with Andrew Jackson (Pleasant Grove) in the race - he also made the state finals last year, and he also has a high 1:52 time on his record this season. The difference between the two is Gordon's proven history of being able to make a big time drop at the end of the season. Cristian Martinez (Liberty Ranch) has been a proven commodity in Division 4 since last year, and after opening his season with a PR he hopes a fast Masters race can pull him to the 1:53's for the first time. After the top three there is a bit of a gap back to the next group, which features Division 2 winner Jayson Martin (Pitman), Ethan Dodge (Whitney), and D3 champ Jack Pallesen (Rio Americano); they could finish in any order next week.
1600 Run
There are no surprises at the top here: Matt Strangio (Jesuit) is the defending state champion and has posted a 4:04 during the regular season. Gordon is in this race to help Jesuit score team points, but he will drop it to focus on the 800 at the state meet. Zano Castiglioni (Davis Senior) has had a tremendous 2020s season, opening with a 4-second PR and improving from there, but he wasn't able to get past Gordon for third in the division. Jacob Polivka (Rocklin) and D5 winner Jacob Christopher (Calaveras) are both in the upper 4:20's and looking to push each other toward 4:15; Division 3 champ Ross Gowan (Rio Americano) should be right there with them. Martin won in D2, but Martinez stayed out of the 16 to focus on the 800, opening the Division 4 title race for Christopher Billings (Casa Roble).
3200 Run
It doesn't hurt Strangio to stay in the 3200 all the way to the state meet, but we have to believe that he pours maximum effort into the 1600 there and may not have much left by the end of the meet. He wins in Division 1 today, though a much-improved Austin Vasquez (Whitney) makes him work for it as Castiglioni and Patrick McGonigle (Sheldon) stay close behind. Meanwhile, Christopher and Daniel Herrera (Pacheco) are ecstatic to be able to cruise through the D5 and D4 races to the Masters meet. Gulabjeet Singh (Will C. Wood) holds off Cole McKain (Merced) for the win in Division 3.
110 Hurdles
Jamar Marshall (St. Mary's) is very good (you may have heard). The top returning hurdler in the nation, he is third all-time and gunning for the national high school record (he has an outside chance to reach the hallowed 13-second barrier if the conditions are perfect). This week is for tuning up, moving on, and saving energy, and he cruises through in D1. Pita Vi (Kennedy) defends his Division 2 title with relative ease, though not as much of a gap as Marshall. It was Division 3 that brought the best race today, with Joseph Brown CA (Lincoln) barely able to hold off Jeremy Villalobos (Vacaville) and Allan Hunter (Kimball). Brayden Jones (Los Banos) is the D4 champ and dips under 15 in preparation for Masters, a time that Martin Billings III (Cosumnes Oaks) also broke.
300 Hurdles
Most of the same names as the high hurdles here. Marshall is again dominant, the #2 returner in the nation, and though this isn't his favorite race (obviously) he will be focused on earning the double. Vi again gets double wins in D2, as does Jones in D4. Villalobos turns the tables on Brown to win Division 3, continuing their rivalry for at least another week. D5 champ Riley Keaster (Sonoma Academy) broke 40 in his race, as did Billings in Division 1.
Shot Put
Division 3 is loaded this year, with defending champ Holden Fishburn (Sierra) surviving strong challenges from Darien Semedo (Capital Christian), Brandon Davis (Golden Valley), and Todd Miller (Vanden). Fishburn and Semedo have thrown in the 51's and 52's all season; will one of them break out of that range next week? Davis is not far behind them with consistent 50's, and Miller has cracked that barrier a few times. They will duke it out again at Masters, with D5 champ Jose Aceves (Marysville) and Division 4 winner Timothy Apole (Cordova) right in the mix as 50-footers as well. D1 lost a bunch of seniors from last year, but the winner stayed the same: Jason Reyes (Tracy) repeats, holding off challenges from Jesuit's Cooper Shults and Davis' Webb Johnson. Lathun Snipes (Monterey Trail) has improved tremendously this spring, earning him the Division 2 title and a spot among the fleet of 50-foot throwers in contention at Masters. This event is going to be exciting to watch!
Discus
Ben Chappell (Oakdale) finished fourth in D3 last year, then exploded the next two weeks, winning Masters and moving on to the state meet. He opened 2020 with a big 161 foot toss, putting him in the driver's seat (although he has been inconsistent at times this spring). Reyes has been right behind all season, also breaking 160 feet on his way to the Division 1 victory. Fishburn leads the 150-foot group, which also includes Matthew Whiting (Bear River), whose improvement this year has brought him a Division 4 title. D5 champ Jose Aceves (Marysville) and Malik Peterson (Rosemont) are looking to join that group.
Long Jump
Allan Hunter (Kimball) has the best resume in this field: two-time Division 3 champion, 2nd at the 2019 Masters meet, and 2nd at the state meet. He has several jumps in the mid-to-upper 23's, but is still looking to break through the 24-foot barrier. John Kroeger (River Valley) can match him almost point for point, though, as he has back-to-back D2 titles and finished 3rd at the state meet. Their duel continues for the next two weeks, with a possible wild card thrown into the mix. Ryan Mulholland (Del Oro) has been dabbling in this event off and on for a while, putting up 23 foot marks in both 2019 and 2020. He wins in Division 1 today, and it will be interesting to see if he continues through to the state meet. Sunny Dozier (Manteca) and David Hunter (Kimball) lead the next group, who are in the upper 22's and hunting for a 23-foot mark.
Triple Jump
This is also shaping up to be a very competitive event with no clear favorite. Brandon Lindner (Merrill West) is the leading returner, having jumped over 47 feet, and he defends his Division 1 crown today. Kevin Adams (Monterey Trail) is right behind as the D2 winner, with several athletes right in the same upper-45 to lower-46 range: D5 champ Joziah Bradford (Sonora), two-time Division 3 winner Allan Hunter, and Avery Townsel (Golden Valley). With more athletes knocking on the door right behind them, nobody is locked into a podium spot.
High Jump
Caveli Hensley (Whitney) defends his Division 1 title after a season of multiple 6-6 jumps with a few 6-8 clearances mixed in. Kevin Seals (Merced) has matched Hensley both in consistent jumps and peak efforts, so their battle next week will be fun to watch; he edged out Alex Lee (Vista Del Lago) in D3. Repeat Division 4 champ Marcus Gelpi (Dixon) has also been over 6-6 several times with a 6-8 on his record (sound familiar?). One more 6-6 jumper: Jaheem Seay (Roseville) has taken a big step forward in 2020 after his 2019 season came to a premature end. Watch out for Allan Hunter (if his legs aren't too tired from multiple jumping events) and Downey's Lawrence Harris, who could be spoilers next week.
Pole Vault
Tyler Burns (Oak Ridge) won Division 1 in 2019, then finished 7th in the state meet with a season best of 15-5. He opened 2020 a full foot higher than that, and has been inching closer to the 17 foot mark all spring. He is the favorite next week after repeating in his division, but it's not by much with Caiden Macktinger (Del Oro) in the section. Macktinger has been over 16-6 and stayed within striking range of Burns all season, and they are likely to be among the top 3 seeds at the state meet. D5 champ Preston Sladek (Colfax) also made states in 2019, and actually finished higher than either of the two above, but his season best of 16-3 trails them by just a bit. In truth, any of the three could win at Masters and contend in Clovis. Cooper Bowen (Turlock) wins in Division 2, while two other possible podium contenders also advanced in Caden Fry (Tracy) and Ryan Ishibashi (Franklin Elk Grove)