Boys Seniors-Only Sac Joaquin Section Masters Highlights
100 Dash
Ryan Mulholland (Del Oro) has the luxury of cruising through this race - it looks like he gives 100% effort through his drive phase, transition, and to top speed, then lets off the gas. He will be hard to beat next week and everybody already knows it, so he has no need to send a message. The race for second place is much more intense: the remaining field is like a wall sweeping down the track side by side, until Jamar Marshall (St. Mary's) and Thomas Walker (Kennedy) separate every so slightly to take second and third. Marshall declines to carry the 100 to the state meet, however, which allows fourth-place finisher Favour Nnaji (Patterson) to advance instead.
200 Dash
Second verse, same as the first: Mulholland again roars to the front, blazing off the curve before relaxing to a float for the final 50 meters. Once again, the rest of the field is extremely even until fatigue and pressure take their toll in the final stretch. John Kroeger (River Valley) then breaks from the pack to claim second, breaking 22 and looking strong to the finish. Several competitors who race in an epic 400 fade down the stretch as Walker punches his second ticket to Clovis.
400 Dash
Unlike the 100 and 200 there is no dominating star here, and that makes for a very exciting final 100 meters. Joey Souto (Whitney) capitalizes on his state meet experience from 2019 and pulls ahead in the final 20 meters to claim the title, barely edging out Jevon Jackson (Yuba City). Martin Smith (Jesuit) claims the final qualifying spot, just ahead of Jesus Andrade (St. Mary's), Owen Dulcich (Davis Senior), and Josiah Colquitt (Hiram Johnson), who all cross within two tenths of each other.
800 Run
Chase Gordon (Jesuit) would like to be able to ease off at the end and save his legs, but Andrew Jackson (Pleasant Grove) applies enough pressure to keep him honest - when you have to outrun a 1:52, you can't call that resting, even if you're hoping to run 1:50 next week. Cristian Martinez (Liberty Ranch) continues his breakthrough season, keeping pace with the first two most of the race before falling back slightly - but still clocking a PR in the 1:53's. This trio will do some damage next week! Ethan Dodge (Whitney) leads the next group through in the high 1:55's, finishing fourth.
1600 Run
Unlike his teammate in the 800, Matt Strangio (Jesuit) has a little wiggle room in this race; he uses it by sitting back and letting others force the pace until 300 to go, when he unleashes a big move to pull away. When he goes around, Zeno Castiglioni (Davis Senior) tries to go with him, but Gordon (saving some energy for the 800) maintains pace. That allows Castiglioni to claim second place without a final threat, as Jacob Polivka (Rocklin) gets by Gordon for third.
3200 Run
Just like last week, Strangio leads the field wire to wire, with Austin Vasquez (Whitney) staying close to take second. Jacob Christopher (Calaveras), who got shut out of the state meet spots in the 1600, digs deep and guts out third as Castiglioni struggles down the stretch. Running this race fresh at the state meet should give Christopher a chance to go under 9:10.
110 Hurdles
Marshall rockets through the race, showing quick feet and crisp technique as the 10 hurdles barely move from his passing. Pita Vi (Kennedy) also runs a smooth race, pulling away from the rest of the field to claim second place. In a photo finish, Joseph Brown (Lincoln) takes third place from Martin Billings III (Cosumnes Oaks) by a mere 0.01, both well under 15.
300 Hurdles
It will be interesting to see if Marshall continues to pursue the longer hurdle race in college, as he is such a talent in the highs. For now, though, he has his eyes on a double championship and a chance at an MVP award next week, and he blazes through five hurdles before dialing it back and floating comfortably to the win. Vi returns to the state meet in this event (to go with his first trip in the 110), but this time he advances as the third-place finisher in the section; Jeremy Villalobos (Vacaville) gets past him in the last 10 meters to take second.
Long Jump
Mulholland's presence makes this a three-way battle, but even his speed can't get him past Allan Hunter (Kimball) for the section title. Hunter breaks 24 feet and returns to the state meet, where he elevated his performance big time to finish second in 2019. Mulholland and Kroeger go back and forth, one-upping each other by a few inches at a time until Kroeger takes second on his fifth jump. Sunny Dozier (Manteca) gets past 23 feet but ends up in fourth.
Triple Jump
If you missed this event, start questioning your life choices. It had everything: all three state meet qualifiers from 2019 return; two new challengers with the credentials to take one of those spots; lead changes and PR's. In a reversing of last year's order, Brandon Lindner (Merrill West) takes the title and gets into the 47's, holding off Allan Hunter and his 46-foot effort. Avery Townsel (Golden Valley) has his hands full with Joziah Bradford (Sonora) and Kevin Adams (Monterey Trail), but in the end his experience prevails and carries him back to Clovis for a second state meet.
High Jump
Another wide open event with lots of changing fortunes through the course of the competition, and another great event to watch. Marcus Gelpi's consistency is the key to victory, as he gets over 6-4 and 6-6 on his first try before being the only competitor to clear 6-8, on his third attempt. That leaves a logjam of contenders at 6-6 that had to be sorted out by tiebreakers. Alex Lee (Vista Del Lago) ends up in second by virtue of only one miss at that height, then Caveli Hensley (Whitney) earns the final qualifying spot on total misses. Lawrence Harris (Downey) and Jaheem Seay (Roseville) also got over 6-6.
Pole Vault
Tyler Burns (Oak Ridge) and Caiden Macktinger (Del Oro) had the makings of an epic duel going, but when they were the only two competitors over 16 feet the whole atmosphere of the event changed. Both jumpers seemed to shift to practice mode, working on their steps and getting reps on their biggest poles. Burns takes the win with a 16-6, Macktinger in second at 16. Preston Sladek (Colfax) has three strong attempts at 16-0, ultimately settling for 15-6, putting him just ahead of Ryan Ishibashi (Franklin Elk Grove) in the battle for third and returning Sladek to the state meet.
Shot Put
Coming into the day, we had absolutely no idea who would occupy the top three spots in this event; the top 8 competitors are all within two feet of each other on the season! With three athletes returning that went 2-3-4 in the 2019 Masters meet, plus several challengers who have improved substantially in 2020, this came down to clutch performance. Darien Semedo (Capital Christian) pulls out the win by uncorking a new PR on his final attempt, slipping past Holden Fishburn (Sierra SJ) and Jason Reyes (Tracy), who also advance to the state meet. Jose Aceves (Marysville), Cooper Shults (Jesuit), and Lathun Snipes (Monterey Trail) all exceed 50 feet but fall short of the top three in this loaded field.
Discus
Reyes can't catch a break: although he has thrown very well today, the section title has eluded him by narrow margins in both events. He finishes second to Ben Chappell (Oakdale) in this one, as the two of them push each other into the upper 160's (and separate from the rest of the field in so doing). Fishburn also breaks 160, finishing third and holding off Matthew Whiting (Bear River) and Shults.