Boys Seniors-Only SDS Trials Highlights
100 Dash
Isaiah Smith (Lincoln SD) rolled through the Division 2 heats and enters the finals as the overall leader. In 2019 he popped one windy 10.7 but was in the 10.9's for legal times; this year, he has been in the 10.7 - 10.8 range all season, and that puts him well above the rest of the field. Ace Jones (Ramona) is the only other sprinter in the section to regularly go well under 11, having hit the 10.8's a few times with consistent 10.9's. Division 1 leader Bryce Beeson (Poway) is on top of the next group, consisting of sprinters right around the 11 second mark. Where did Eric Orozco (Imperial) come from? He has been the wild card all season, bursting on the scene in his first race ever (apparently?) with a dominant win in the Desert Classic Relays - although the final was hand timed it was quite a debut, and he is now within striking range of breaking 11. Adrian Chavez (Brawley Union) is another threat to crack into the upper 10's.
200 Dash
The SDS is stronger in the long sprints, and not just because of Eric Parker (Helix Charter). He could have been a contender in the 100, but his focus race is the 400; he stays in the 200 for now, but might drop it down the line. On the other hand, with times in the 21.5 range, he might keep racing. Division 2 favorite Jones is in position to move on to the state meet after a season in which he ran well under 22 several times; if Parker does drop this race, Jones will represent the section well. Beeson has been in the low 22's consistently this season, breaking into the 21's twice (albeit wind-aided). Chavez is also on the verge of breaking 22, with Mitchell Seipt (Cathedral Catholic) not far behind. Cole Wright (Carlsbad) could be a sleeper, although like Orozco in the 100 we don't have much data on him.
400 Dash
This is Parker's best event and the one where he is a contender at the state finals level - he finished 7th there last year and should be on the podium (and perhaps in the top 3) this time around. He has an easy path through the trials today and will not be pushed next week, as his season best in the low 47's is well over a second better than the next competitor. Tre Apodaca (Oceanside) and Kodiak Ketcham (San Pasqual) have had very similar seasons, running under 49 a handful of times (and several just above that mark), which puts them in a close battle for second place next week. Edric Picatoste (Otay Ranch) and Xavier Jones (Valley Center) are not far behind with mid-49's, looking to move up if an opportunity arises.
800 Run
Drake Prince (High Tech Chula Vista) is the heavy favorite here after finishing 10th in the state final last spring. The defending Division 2 champ has not improved his 1:53.22 PR yet, but he HAS run ahead of his 2019 pace at the same point in the season (1:55 during the regular season vs 1:57 last year, and a high 1:54 that looked easy today). Andrew Sager (El Capitan) and AJ Castellanos (Torrey Pines) came into the 2020 season as the contenders for second place in the section, but Nick Melanese (Scripps Ranch) dropped a 1:56 in his season opener to insert himself into that competition. The three have been evenly matched all season, so it will be interesting to see how that gets sorted out next week. Devin Provence (Grossmont) gets overlooked sometimes, but he is our sleeper candidate to steal a spot in the top 3 overall next week.
1600 Run
After a difficult and frustrating cross country season, Caleb Niednagel (La Costa Canyon) is back to full strength and ready for a run to the state meet. The big question: will he stay in this race all the way, or focus on the 3200? He has been threatening to break the 4:10 mark all season and can definitely compete at the state final level, so it will be fun to see what he chooses. This week, though, he is able to cruise through the prelims, and in truth he won't be deeply challenged in the final. The intense race there will be for second overall, with Nick Salz (Torrey Pines) and Zak Beckwith (Poway) the leading contenders. That battle should be in the 4:15 - 4:20 range, which brings Josh Ligas (Poway) into contention as well.
3200 Run
Niednagel has broken 9 minutes this spring, putting him roughly 10 seconds ahead of his challengers - and also putting him into the conversation for a podium finish in Clovis, which is why he may choose to drop the 1600. For the rest of the field you can throw out last year's times, because so many runners took a big leap forward through cross country and winter training. Salz is one of them, but he has company in sub-9:10 territory: Andrew Schulz (Canyon Crest), Riley Burns (Maranatha Christian), and Henry McClish (San Diego) are all right there, with Max Wilson (Cathedral Catholic) just above that mark. Jose Galvan (Sweetwater), coming off huge improvement in the fall, has been under 9:20 and could be a sleeper to make the podium.
110 Hurdles
Defending Division 1 champion Jarel Sayles (Steele Canyon) is once again the favorite as his quest to reach the 14-second mark continues (he also has the goal of making the state finals this year). Zion Jackson (El Camino) is the only challenger that has been under 15 regularly, although teammate Jayden Kennedy has broken through that barrier once. Count Anthony Gilpin (Olympian) as a potential sub-15 contender, as well, although it would be his first time under if it happens. Matteo Babic (La Jolla) leads the Division 2 qualifiers, although he has work to do to catch up to the top three.
300 Hurdles
Unlike the high hurdles, this race has no clear favorite and should be one of the most exciting to watch at finals next week. Sayles is certainly a contender, but Levi Knobloch (Granite Hills) has been trading off the top spot in the section rankings with him all season. Today Knobloch posts the top time to lead the Division 1 advancers, but both have run multiple high 38 times this spring, which does separate them slightly from the rest of the field. However, Jackson and defending Division 2 winner Babic are both so close to breaking 39 that they are legitimate threats to make the top three and even win, if the cards fall right. Gilpin and Nathan Mestre (Otay Ranch) aren't far back, either, both with mid-39's on their resume.
Shot Put
The Division 1 competition is tighter than it might appear if you just look at PR's. Joshua Boamah (Scripps Ranch) threw 54 feet once last spring, but his consistent throws are in the 51's and 52's this spring. That means Jonathan Tuitasi (El Camino) is absolutely within striking distance of winning, as he has been in the same range. You also can't count out Owen Lenz (Del Norte), who made major progress in the offseason to become a consistent 50 to 51 foot thrower. In contrast, defending Division 2 champ Chris Hunter (Oceanside) has a relatively easy path to a repeat win, and he can concentrate on pushing his throws into the 50's, a mark he has only reached a few times this spring. Holden Brosnan (Cathedral Catholic), his main challenger, is still working on his first 50 foot throw; if he gets it next week, he becomes a serious upset threat. Chris White (Horizon Prep) is our sleeper pick - he has been right behind Brosnan all season, but hasn't made "the leap" that we think he is capable of, at least not yet.
Discus
Boamoah is in position to claim a double win next week, but again it won't be easy for him. He exceeded 160 feet one time in 2019 but has been there several times this spring, the only thrower in the section to do so consistently. Cesar Salazar (Sweetwater) has thrown over 160 a few times, but his more common distance is upper 150's. Hunter and Tuitasi are also regular 150-plus throwers with potential to approach 160, which should make the competition for the top three spots very interesting. Hunter has to work to hold off White in Division 2 today, so definitely don't overlook the Horizon Prep senior next week.
Long Jump
This could be the most crowded set of top seeds of any event in any section. Ramahn Yokley (El Capitan), Deandre Smith (Central Union), and Jalen Bainer (San Marcos) ended 2019 within 1.25 inches of each other, with all three top marks set in the SDS prelims or finals! The three-way rivalry has continued all spring, as each of them has spent some time on top of the section rankings. All three have gone over 23 feet at least once in 2020, and all three have shown remarkable consistency. We give the slight edge to Yokley, who strung together three jumps of 21-11 or better in a row when it counted last spring, going all the way to the state final and finishing 9th. Smith, however, has the largest number of 22 foot jumps of the three, and also has been over 23 more times. Bainer certainly can't be counted out: since hitting his stride late in 2019 he has matched the other two favorites week after week. As if that wasn't enough, Shamar Martin (Rancho Bernardo) broke out at the beginning of the 2020 season, opening with two mid-22 performances; he hasn't jumped 23 feet yet, but he is close enough to it (and to the top three) to be taken very seriously. Ethan Zazueta (Eastlake) is the top returning finisher from last year's Division 1 competition, where he beat Bainer, Martin, and Chris Carter (Steele Canyon), adding two more mid-22 jumpers into this crazy mix. Did we mention Ethan Hughes (Cathedral Catholic), who finished 4th in the Division 2 final as a junior? This section is loaded, and only three can go on to Clovis.
Triple Jump
Unlike the long jump, there is a clear favorite here: John Gibbs (Oceanside) is the defending Division 2 champ and has a best in the 48 foot range. He finished 11th at the 2019 state meet, and considering that the next group of competitors is in the 45's, he is a pretty safe bet to get back there. Yokley and Hughes are in that second group, along with Justin Boisey (Escondido Charter) and Creed Picar (Point Loma). We're not exaggerating when we say that those four could finish in any order next week. Lamont Taylor (Granite Hills) looks like the only other competitor with the ability to break into the top 3.
High Jump
The field in this event is deep and experienced, which is why there is no clear favorite at this point. The early leader in the season rankings, Julius Jackson (San Marcos), came out of nowhere to clear 6-5 in his first jump of the 2020 season after sitting out all of 2019. He is the exception, though, as the next four athletes all went to the section finals last year. Travis Lewis (Point Loma) was a 6-4 jumper in 2019 before opening with 6-5 this spring, and since then he has cleared 6-6. Picar, Ellijah Johnson (Otay Ranch), and Nicholas Slight (Torrey Pines) have all gotten over 6-4 regularly with occasional higher jumps. High jump championships are often won well below the jumpers' top marks on the season, and that's why any of these five competitors could wind up on top when the dust settles next week.
Pole Vault
Vaulters are notorious for making huge progress in the off season, which is exactly what Evan Dudley did. The Poway jumper topped out at 14-10 last spring, then opened this season with a 15-6. Since then he has cleared 16 a handful of times, putting him right on par with top returner Zachary Volpe (San Marcos). Volpe made the state finals in 2019, which gives him a significant edge in terms of experience. Behind the two leaders there will be an intense battle for third place, with Janek Myslinski (University City), Jaron Manikan (Rancho Bernardo), and Alexander Patton (Canyon Crest) all at 15 feet or just below on the season. William Quinn (Westview SD) should also be considered a serious contender for that spot after making the section finals last year. Christopher Lee (Del Norte) and Gibbs are right behind them, and both have shown more than enough potential to qualify as sleeper in this deep field.