Boys Seniors-Only CCS Prelims Highlights
100 Dash
Kurtis Lee (Evergreen Valley) and Azjani McGill (Monterey) have quite a rivalry going after finishing 1-2 in the section championships last year. McGill took the 2019 the title and also placed higher in the state meet prelims (although there may be a reason for that, see below); both have run under 10.7 this spring. They both advance from different heats today, setting up a race that either could win next week. Deven Vanderbilt (Valley Christian) and Francisco Sanchez (Menlo-Atherton) may find themselves battling for the third and final spot in the state meet (which Sanchez claimed last spring). Nick Teresi (Bellarmine) could be a sleeper - in 2019 he dropped from 11.70 in March to 11.07 in May, and he started out this season way ahead of that schedule. He has broken 11 once, but if he follows his pattern he could be in the 10.8's next week.
200 Dash
Lee and McGill top this list, too, but they're not alone: Omodiaogbe Oboh (Santa Teresa) returns with several sub-22 times on his record. Last year, he shut the 200 down after trials to focus on the 400, but this year it looks like he may stick with both for at least another week. In addition, add Vanderbilt to the mix; he was 2nd in the finals last spring and has also been under 22 multiple times. McGill is still the favorite, though, having run under 21.5 for the second straight season (he made it to the state finals last spring, as well). Lee is the wild card here - he only ran the 200 a few times in 2019, clocking 21.66 at Arcadia. After that meet, he dropped the 200 and his 100 times slowed down, which indicates he was battling an injury. It's worth noting that he was ahead of McGill's pace in the 200 before that point. With all four advancing to the final, this could be one of the most exciting races to watch next week.
400 Dash
As mentioned above, Oboh is the heavy favorite in this race; his PR is a full second faster than anyone else. He hasn't improved much on his 47.60 from last spring, but he also hasn't needed to - and we've seen that he has more in the tank to call on when needed. We won't be surprised if he dips under 47 at the state meet. He cruises through the prelims today, while Kolton McCrossen (Live Oak) and Matthew Mills (Cupertino) battle in the other heat. McCrosson got the better of the match-up last year, advancing to the state meet. This time, he eases up and allows McCrosson to take the prelim heat, saving his legs. With those two rivals in the 49's, it seems unlikely that anyone will upset them for a spot in the top three next week; Jonaven Kuhn (Carlmont), Dane Golden (Palma), and Vincent Foster (Los Gatos) are still hunting for sub-50.
800 Run
It's not very often that you see a section champ and state title contender in the 800 turn around and lead the section in the 5K the next fall, but that's exactly what Garrett MacQuiddy (Westmont) did. The improved stamina has paid off in the 1600, for sure, but this is still his best race. After finishing 4th in the 2019 state meet, you have to think he will focus down on this event when he gets to Fresno, and with good reason. Euan Cairns (St. Francis Mountain View) also went to states last spring, and it would be unwise to overlook him and his high 1:53 PR. Behind those two, there should be a very interesting race for third place between Justin Chiao (Gunn) and Devon Nuti (Willow Glen). They have almost identical profiles down to their 1:55 PR's this spring, and either could wind up on the podium. Jake Symonds (Crystal Springs Uplands) and Alonso Gonzales (Sequoia) could be sleepers for that third spot - both of them dropped 1:58 at the end of the 2019 season and then ran out of races, and both have been ahead of that pace in 2020. Don't be surprised to see a 1:56 from one (or both) of them in the final.
1600 Run
With MacQuiddy bowing out of this race after trials last spring, St. Francis Mountain View went 2-3-4 led by Juan Pablo Garcia. He is back and has been running very well, but so has MacQuiddy (and we expect him to stay in this race at least through finals this year). Both of them are closing in on the 4:10 mark, which sets up a good race next week if it develops as we anticipate. Adam Sage (Los Altos) has broken 4:15 during a strong 2020 season, and it will be interesting to see if he can take the next step and close the gap on the two frontrunners. If an opportunity opens up, there will be a fleet of 4:15 - 4:18 runners hoping to capitalize and move up: Esteban Deniz (King City), Ishaan Singh (Evergreen Valley), and Evan Franco (Branham) are in that group.
3200 Run
Garcia is also favored here as the only runner in the section to have broken 9:10. Will he emphasize this race going forward in an effort to break nine, or focus on the 16? Sage and Singh have both run under 9:20 and could wind up battling for second, although Aiden Maddison (St. Francis Mountain View) is not far behind and certainly could crash that party. Mitchell Ross (Scotts Valley) and Carson Smith (Santa Teresa) have both improved tremendously this season after strong showings during cross country, but 9:20's likely won't be enough to advance against this field - do they have one more step forward in them?
110 Hurdles
With no returners that broke 15 last spring and the graduation of the Class of 2019 athletes that dominated last year, this event was pretty wide open coming into the season. Nolan Grieve (Santa Teresa) has stepped up to claim favorite status, having broken 15 several times during the regular season. Scott Toney (St. Francis Mountain View) opened his 2020 season by matching his PR and has improved steadily since, but he is still looking for his first 14-second time. The battle for third in the final should be intense, with at least six contenders that could take bronze with a good race (or a mistake by someone else). Dominic Sangster (Bellarmine) seems to have the slight edge coming into the race, but Max Gerhardt (Crystal Springs Uplands) leads several other advancers that are in striking range.
300 Hurdles
Following the same pattern as the 110's, we will see a new champion crowned from a fairly large field of contenders. Lynbrook's Peter Fan has the bet credentials, running in the 39's both last year and this spring. Ethan Le (Santa Teresa) has been on the verge of sub-40 for most of the season, and next week's final would be an ideal environment for him to break through. Wu, Gerhardt, and Harold Rucker (Homestead) are all candidates to grab a podium finish with a strong performance.
Shot Put
This is another event that was dominated by graduated athletes last spring, leaving somewhat of a void at the top. The exception is Davin Kenney (Santa Teresa), the only thrower that broke up the Class of 2019 at the section finals (he finished 4th amid 7 seniors). Kenney has thrown 52 a handful of times this spring, a small improvement on his 2019 best, but he stepped up big time in the finals last year and we expect him to do so again. Angel Rocha (Carmel) and Ashton Headley (King CIty) have both taken a big step forward in 2020, starting out with early 50 foot throws and improving steadily since then. They are within striking range of the favorite, making this a potentially very exciting event next week. Justin Lewinski (Bellarmine) and King City teammates Kyras Headley and Francisco Sandoval are in the next group, all looking to break 50 feet.
Discus
When he opened the 2020 season throwing 156 feet, Davin Kiesby (Scotts Valley) signaled that he was ready to challenge top returner Shane Aberg (Archbishop Mitty) for the section crown. Aberg still holds the edge coming into the finals, having thrown over 160 a few times over the last two seasons, but Kiesby is close enough to be a major threat. Issac Gonzalez (San Benito) leads the high 140's throwers, which also includes Eke Songi (Menlo-Atherton) - althougnh Songi has not been as consistent as Gonzalez. Sandoval and Kyras Headley are also right there in the hunt for 150 feet and a chance at a top three finish.
Long Jump
Talk about a blank slate: the top 8 finishers in the 2019 section final in this event graduated! That leaves a fleet of new contenders for the title, with eight jumpers that have been over 21 feet. Jared Vazquez (Santa Teresa) has a handful of 22's to go with regular upper 21's, and that consistency could be the key to victory for him. Jonaven Kuhn (Carlmont) has been over 22 feet only once, but his average jump has improved since last year, and he is close enough behind Kuhn to be considered a serious challenger. Solomon Kang (Milpitas) went 21-9 in early March this season, and he has been beyond 21 feet several more times; if the circumstances fall right he is capable of winning the final. Mateo Gomez (Santa Teresa) made the section finals in 2019; he and Oliver Yu (Los Altos) have both been in the mid 21's for most of the season. That's five jumpers separated by less than a foot of total distance - and Keola Sylva (Christopher) is only a few inches back.
Triple Jump
Speaking of Sylva, he is one of two jumpers in the section that have gone beyond 47 feet, along with Vazquez. Seth Hoque (Valley Christian) has to be considered their equal, even though his PR is in the 46 foot range - he beat Sylva at the section finals to advance to the state meet, then outjumped Vazquez in the prelims there. Darren Wu (Evergreen Valley) is next in the rankings, having popped a few 45-footers during his career, though he has been inconsistent. Behind the top four is a logjam of jumpers in the 43's and 44's, which should make for a spirited competition.
High Jump
I don't know if I've ever seen a more evenly-matched group of contenders than we have in this event. At least four jumpers have a legitimate shot at the win, and they all have similar profiles. Hunter Heger (Carmel) has cleared 6-2 regularly with one 6-4 on his resume. Henok Engidasew (St. Ignatius) took a big step forward this season, opening with a 6-2, but he has been stuck on that height all season. Elijah Kodad (Seaside) and Jack Fukuda (Santa Clara) have also cleared 6-4 once, but both have been less consistent than Heger. Behind that group is a fleet of 6 foot jumpers, some of them with a 6-1 or 6-2 here and there. We will have to wait to see who jumps well next week!
Pole Vault
As if Scott Toney (St. Francis Mountain View) hadn't already done enough to make himself the favorite, finishing 3rd at the state meet and clearing 16-1 twice in 2019, he went and jumped 17-4 at the National Pole Vault Summit during the winter. That gives him a leg up on Vicentejordan Vanderlipe (Alvarez), who finished 5th at the state meet but has a PR of 16-6 (set this spring). Both can return to the podium in Clovis, and in truth both of them could win (although Toney's path to the title is clearer). John Horan (Sequoia) is the only other CCS vaulter over 15 feet, putting him in the driver's seat for a third place finish. If anyone is going to upset Horan and steal the spot, it will likely be either Michael Meheen (Carmel) or Koby Pearson (Alvarez).