RECAP Highs And Lows At Steamy NorCal Championships


Monte Vista sophomore Cate Peters (left) ran CA top-20 times to win the 400- and 800-meter races at the NorCal Championships on Wednesday at Clayton Valley HS. (Dan Tyree photos)

MORE COVERAGE: PHOTOS | RACE VIDEOS | INTERVIEWS | RESULTS

This article has been updated to reflect an update to the results in the girls triple jump.

The NorCal Championships track and field meet held Wednesday at Clayton Valley High School in Concord provided an opportunity for athletes in the northern half of the state without a CIF championship meet another opportunity to compete. 

Some used it as one final competition before shutting it down for the season. Others viewed it as a tune-up for other meets, like the CIF-Central Coast Section Finals on Saturday, or the California State Championships scheduled for June 25-26 at Arcadia HS, which is targetted for top-40-ranked athletes. 

Wednesday's meet attracted high school track and field athletes primarily from the North Coast Section, Sac-Joaquin Section, and Northern Section, with a few prepping for Saturday's CCS finals. All competed unattached. (School references here are for identification purposes.)

Athletes persevered through 90-degree heat to crown champions and chase personal records. Among the joy of the opportunity was an unfortunate injury to state hurdles star Jadyn Marshall.

The junior from Stockton St. Mary's (SJ), who had earlier won the 110-meter hurdles, pulled up early in the 300m hurdles race and was unable to continue. The extent of his injury was undetermined. It's unclear at this time if Marshall, who has the No. 2 times in CA for both hurdles races, will be able to compete as planned next weekend at Arcadia or the following weekend at a meet in Oregon. He is also a top college football recruit as a wide receiver with that season coming up in late August.

Before his injury, Marshall overcame a long wait in the blocks and a slow start to catch Berkeley St. Mary's College HS (NC) senior D'niko Bates at the finish. Marshall, who has a season-best of 13.76 from his victory at the Arcadia Invitational in early May, crossed in 14.19. Bates finished in 14.26 and De La Salle (NC) junior Anthony Trucks was third in 14.68.

Marshall got off to a blistering start in the 300s but went down quickly. Bates went on to win in a  38.14 PR (CA No. 5). Fort Bragg (NC) senior Russel Gordon next in 38.44 with Trucks third in 40.72.

State high jump leader, Maia Garcia of Pinewood (CC), in a tune-up for Saturday's CIF-CCS finals at Soquel HS, won with a clearance of 5-6, two inches off her CA best.

Julia Alexander of St. Mary's College HS (NC) won the long jump in 18-9 (CA No. 16) and was third in the triple jump. That event was won by Whitney (SJ) freshman Juliana Roberson with a PR jump of 37-6.50 (NWI). Marie Jones of Terra Linda (NC) was second (36-9.50). 

Sofia Tavella of San Ramon Valley (NC) won the 1600m (5:17.96). Lincoln (SJ) sophomore Y'vette Harris won the 100m hurdles in 14.76 (1.2) with Whitney (SJ) senior Sydney Johnson second in 14.97. In the 200m dash, Harris was second (25.93/-1.0) to Deer Valley (NC) junior Deserey Bryant (25.70).

Monte Vista (NC) sophomore Cate Peters won the 400m in 56.52 (CA No. 19) and the 800 in 2:13.49 (CA No. 14). Pittsburg (NC) freshman Milani Bell was a distant second in the 400 (58.83) and Christian Brothers (SJ) senior Malia Gay was a close second in the 800 (2:13.67/CA No. 18). Peters' teammate, senior Abby Binder, won the 3200 (11:35.24) with the Molina twins -- Della and Iresh -- from Chico (NS) second in almost identical times, 12:02.04 for Della and 12:02.07 for Iresh. 

Vacaville senior Aspin Oliver won the 100m in 12.50 (0.5), and the state leader in the 300s was unchallenged in that race, crossing in 44.05, nearly 5.5 seconds ahead of runner-up Rayani Batiste, a senior at Pittsburgh (49.53).

Vacaville (SJ) senior Makayla Oliver, Aspin's twin, placed second in 100s (12.63), third in the 200m (26.01), and the sisters ran the final two legs of the winning 4x100 relay team, which also included Lily Holman and Maya Holman, and crossed in 47.55 (CA No. 12). St. Mary's College, with Alexander, Taryn Fettig, Anela Thomas, and Najah Williams, was second in 48.81.

San Francisco Univerisity HS junior Sean Huckleberry won both horizontal jumps, going 21-8 in the long and 45-10 in the triple. Whitney senior Sirr Butler was second in the triple at 44-2.50. 

Clayton Valley (NC) senior Matteo Mitchell won the shot put (47-5), two inches better than Vintage junior Benjamin Feldstein, and placed second in the discus throw (140-4) to Pleasant Grove sophomore Noah Gula, whose best of 142-6 earned the title. 

Senior sprinter Paul McCants won the 100m (10.67/-2.5), the 200m (21.86 / -1.8) and helped the winning 4x100m relay team (41.60).

Pittsburgh senior Christian Trapps was second in the 100m (10.76) and third in the 200m (22.49). El Capitan (SJ) senior Divine Peters was second in the 200m (22.04).  

Lick Wilmerding (NC) junior Alex Mader won the 1600 (4:19.76) with Pleasant Grove (SJ) freshman John Funderburg crossing second in 4:44.41. 

St. Mary's College HS (NC) senior Kai'lib Copes won the 400 (49.07) 

Lincoln (SJ) junior Noah Pagaran and Drew Prep (NC) senior Jack Brady battled to the end in the 800m with Pagaran winning in 1:58.47 and Brady crossing in 1:58.78.

Even with the heavy favorite, Chico (NS) junior Mario Giannini opting out, the eight-lap race was still all Chico with seniors Liam Sehorn (9:53.47) and Jack Hervey (10:06.13) going 1-2.