RECAP Griffin Relays Athletes Achieve Early-Season Purpose


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LOS ALAMITOS -- If the early part of the high school track and field season is reserved for getting acclimated to competing, numerous athletes at Saturday's Griffin Relays at Los Alamitos High School are already getting on pace for bigger things.

Performances across the board, whether in traditional events or a multitude of relays that aren't part of the full season landscape, provided evidence.

While results continue to pour in from the third weekend of the outdoor season, it's clear the Griffin Relays produced plenty of statewide elite marks.

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Long Beach Poly appeared to take over the state lead in two relays: Girls 4x200 and boys 800 sprint medley (100-100-200-400). The JackRabbit girls 4x200 went 1:41.50 to overtake previous state leader, North Coast's Pittsburg (1:43.87). Poly's boys went 1:32.91 in the 800 SMR, jumping in front of previous CA best of 1:33.75 by Oaks Christian.

Lakewood's girls 800 SMR went 1:48.40. That time also replaced Pittsburg (1:50.34).

Peninsula won the 1600 SMR (200, 200, 400, 800) in 4:16.10,  taking over the state's best time previously held by Chino Hills in 4:20.57.

Huntington Beach Edison's girls and boys varsity shuttle hurdle relay teams put their stamp dropped top state times in the 4x100 and 4x110 events, respectively. The Chargers' girls went 1:10.07 and the boys timed in at 1:09.37.


A couple of other state-leading marks were set temporarily -- and later lost as results from other meets taking place around the state this weekend were reported -- included the Long Beach Wilson boys winning the 4x800 relay (8:04.74), Los Alamitos girls in the 4x800 relay (9:49.52), and Long Beach Poly girls 4x100 winning the relay (47.75).

Other Griffin Relays results on Saturday


Poly's girls won the 4x1600 in 23:24.11, the 4000-meter Distance Medley Relay (1200, 400, 800, 1600) in 12:38.30 -- which included a solid anchor leg by freshman Avery Peck -- and the 4x400 in 4:01.78.

Among boys, Long Beach Millikan, anchored by CIF-State cross country standout Jason Parra, won the 4x1600 in 18:29.85; South Torrance won the 4x100 in 43.84; South Torrance took the 4x200 relay in 1:31.09; Poly won the Distance Medley Relay in 10:32.74 with a team that included Xai Ricks and Cameron Rhone as its last two relay runners; Agoura won the 1600 Sprint Medley Relay in 3:55.31; and Poly took the 4x400 relay in 3:20.02.

Coed: Edison won the 800 Sprint Medley in 1:42.29;  Los Alamitos won both the 4x200 (1:42.12) and the meet-closing race, the 4x400 (3:54.92).


Individual track events were run in the 400, 300 hurdles and 100. Winners were Savy King of Agoura in the girls 400 (59.09), Alexander Cobbs of Long Beach St. Anthony in the boys 400 (52.69); Poly's Kennadi Reed in the girls 300 hurdles (44.69); Sedwiitz Dumount II of Long Beach Wilson in the boys 300 hurdles (41.25); Los Alamitos' Brooklyn Davis in the girls 100-meter dash (12.48), and Anthony Flowers of South Torrance in the boys 100 (10.73).  

No state-leading field event marks were set, although several athletes did make solid early-season gains.



In the boys' pole vault, Redondo Union's Dylan Curtis and Newport Harbor's Leo Davis both cleared 15 feet and both made three attempts at 15-6. Curtis, based on clearing 15 on his first attempt, earned the tiebreaker to win the event. The 15-0 is an outdoor 2023 season PR after going 14-0 at last week's Long Beach TrackRabbit Invitational. His lifetime PR is a 15-8, which was set a month ago, Feb. 4 at the California Winter Championship Meet at Arcadia High.

Davis equaled his season PR. He went 15-0 at Rancho Santa Margarita's Eagle Invitational on Feb. 18. Last season, he set a PR of 15-5 at the CIF-Southern Section Masters Meet and reached the CIF-State Meet, going 15-3 in the prelims and 15-1 in the State final. 

Following Saturday's meet, Curtis and Davis indicated in separate interviews that they appreciated having a head-to-head competitive setting. Both are scheduled to vie again in the March 11 Redondo Track Festival at Redondo Union High. 

Edison's Alexa Sheldon swept the girls throws, winning the shot put in 38-10.50 and taking the discus in 130-8. Both marks are season PRs, besting even her top marks during the indoor season. It was her second straight meet victory in the discus after claiming the girls discus title at the Long Beach TrackRabbit Invitational on Feb. 25. The Griffin Relays was her first shot put performance of the outdoor season.

Rebecca Torres of Santa Fe made a major PR gain in winning the girls long jump. Her winning mark of 19-1 is a lifetime best, and it shattered her previous best season jump of 13-4 at a quad meet between Santa Fe, Glenn, La Habra and La Mirada on March 2. Torres' previous lifetime best was a 15-4.50 at the 2022 San Gabriel Valley Championships.

Long Beach Poly's Javon Hampton improved his long jump season PR with a 22-4.50 to win the event. He went 20-5 at last week's TrackRabbit Invitational. His lifetime PR is 23-10.5 at the 2022 TrackRabbit Invite. 

All other field event winners were: Natile McCarty of Newport Harbor in the girls high jump (5-2); Eli Kaltreider of Edison in the boys high jump (6-2); Isabella Abrahams of Fountain Valley in the girls pole vault (12-0); Sean Artist of Anaheim Canyon in the boys discus (124-11); Eman Goodloe of Warren in the boys shot put (49-3); Julia Wang of Huntington Beach Marina in the girls triple jump (35-4.25), and Jonathan Yu of Fountain Valley in the boys triple jump (44-2).


Ryan Blystone is a freelance writer and a regular contributor to MileSplit

Photos by Raymond Tran