Will McClain and Poly make history?; Five best storylines; Top 10 events/match-ups to gawk over.
WHAT: 93rd CIF California State Track and Field Championships
WHEN: Friday (trials) and Saturday (finals)
WHERE: Buchanan High School, Clovis
START TIMES: Trials (field events, 3 p.m.; running events, 5 p.m.), finals (4:30 and 6 p.m.).
NATIONAL LEADERSBoys200 - Remontay McClain (Covina) 20.68;
1600 - Jantzen Oshier (Trabuco Hills) 4:04.24;
110 hurdles - Johnathan Cabral (Agoura) 13.43;
300 hurdles – Johnathan Cabral (Agoura) 36.19;
Long jump – Marquise Lee (Serra-Gardena) 24-8.
Girls100 hurdles – Melia Cox (Long Beach Poly) 13.34;
300 hurdles – Melia Cox (Long Beach Poly) 40.94;
400 relay – Long Beach Poly 45.04;
Triple jump – Ciarra Brewer (James Logan) 42-9.
RETURNING CHAMPIONSBoys100 – Romontay McClain (Covina) 10.45;
200 – McClain (Covina) 20.85;
110 hurdles – Johnathan Cabral (Agoura) 13.54;
1600 – Elias Gedyon (Loyola) 4:21.12;
3200 – Sam Pons (South Pasadena) 8:55.40;
LJ – Niko Di Martino (Oaks Christian) 23-10½;
TJ - Javon Cunningham (Enterprise) 50-8¼;
Girls400 – Chizmere Ezumah (Serra) 52.97;
800 – Amy Weissenbach (Harvard-Westlake) 2:07.52;
3200 – Molly Grabill (Rancho Bernardo) 10:20.25;
LJ – Jenna Prandini (Clovis) 20-5¾;
TJ – Prandini (Clovis) 42-7¼;
Discus – Alex Collatz (Stockdale) 170-9.
CLOVIS, Calif. – Will it reign or will it rain?
That is the prevailing question heading into the prestigious 93rd annual CIF California State Track and Field Champions presented by Farmers at beautiful Veterans Stadium on the campus of Buchanan High School.
Clovis senior and Oregon-bound Jenna
Prandini hopes to thrill local fans
again.
Photo by Kirby Lee
The duo of local girl Jenna Prandini (
Clovis) and
Covina sprinter Romantay McClain will attempt to pull off rare doubles for the second straight year and both own the top qualifying marks in their events.
Nine others will attempt to repeat as champions at what is considered one of the top prep sporting events in the state and the country.
The only possibility to rain on this parade is untimely and unseasonable moisture, which is forecast for Saturday's finals. At this point it is a 50-50 proposition for light showers.
A sure bet is for national leading marks to drop. Nine events will feature the top times or distances from Californians including two each by dominating hurdlers Johnathan Cabral
(Agoura) and Melia Cox
(Long Beach Poly).
Don't be surprised if others not already in the national lead – like Poly's Akawkaw Ndipagbor,
St. Mary's-Berkeley 100-meter hurdler Trinity Wilson,
Harvard-Westlake-North Hollywood's Amy Weissenbach (800) and
Arcadia 3200-runner Ammar Moussa – wind up as the country's best in 2011.
Here are the Top 5 storylines heading into what promises to be another sizzling meet. {PAGEBREAK}
Johnathan Cabral takes aim at state and national records Friday and Saturday.
Photo by Kirby Lee
The Oregon-bound Cabral is the national leader in both hurdles and he's the heavy favorite in both events. But all eyes will be on the electronic scoreboard to see if he can break the National Federation best of 13.30 seconds set by Chris Nellom (Dunbar Dayton, Ohio).
He actually broke that mark last week but it wasn't wind legal, going 13.27 with a 2.9 meters per second wind at his back. His legal 13.43 is No. 1 in the nation but he's really after the state-best mark of 13.39 set by James Logan's Kevin Craddock.
Cabral was thrilled with his 13.27 time last week but of course disappointed in the wind reading. The always upbeat senior wasn't the least bit deterred.
"I've got two more shots (at the record)," he told reporters. "I couldn't feel the wind and it didn't affect my race. The difference between this and my previous best (13.43 at the Arcadia Invitational) was the little things. It's always the smallest things that are the difference.
"One hurdle in the middle of the race I felt like I floated but except for that it was a clean race."{PAGEBREAK}
2. How loud will they get for Prandini?
That is, when Prandini takes the track.
The ultra-popular speedster thrilled the locals last year by taking home two gold medals – the long jump and triple jump – and second in the 100. She'll go after a second straight long jump crown – she's seeded sixth at 18-11 – and appears in good position to sweep the sprints, ranking first in both events at 11.51 and 23.66, respectively.
She's got a nice cushion in the 100 but Ndipagbor (23.76) – the state leader during the season - will be a major challenge. Besides the competition, Prandini, the owner of a Central Section best 13 career gold medals, must deal with the hometown pressure.
She handled it extremely well last week, winning four events at the Central Section Grand Masters Championships also at Buchanan. That didn't seem possible about a month ago when she was still battling lingering hamstring issues. The Oregon-bound standout gutted through though she was disappointed with her winning marks in the long jump and triple jump (39-4).
She dropped the demanding triple jump to focus on the other three.
"I wanted to finish up by winning four more golds, so I'm happy about that," she told Andy Boogard of the Fresno Bee. "But I would have been happier if the jumps would have been longer. I know I'll be ready for the state meet." {PAGEBREAK}
3. How high will Poly go?
Akawkaw Ndipagbor could take home
four gold medals this weekend.
Photo by Kirby Lee
Arguably the best girls program in the country – Long Beach Poly – goes after a record fourth straight state crown. With Cox and Ndipagbor alone, the Jackrabbits would win the meet handily but a strong supporting cast – 15 athletes in 10 events according to DyeStatCal/ESPN Rise editor Rich Gonzalez - should push the Jackrabbits to a new scoring record.
The state has also gone to a new scoring format – 10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 – which will no doubt benefit Poly's scoring prowess. Previous only six places were rewarded with points. {PAGEBREAK}
4. McClain's dash for history
Romantay McClain could make a serious
mark or two on the state-meet record
book.
Photo by Kirby Lee
McClain will attempt to be only the second sprinter in the 93-year history of the meet to repeat as 100 and 200 champion.
The only other one to do it was Randall Carroll of Cathedral-Los Angeles in 2008-2009. He's No. 1 in the country in the 200 (20.68) and No. 2 in the 100 (10.31). He would love to be top dog in both.
More so he wants to challenge the top wind-legal time ever recorded in California, a 10.25 by Henry Thomas of Hawthorne, Calif., nearly a quarter-century ago.
"I want to run faster than 10.25," said McClain. "It's a goal, but like defending my two championships, it won't be easy. I'll need a good start, have high knee drive in the middle of the race and finish strong."{PAGEBREAK}
5. Monster matchup(s)
Jantzen Oshier has been in the
national leader all season.
Photo by Louis Lopez
senior and Cal-bound Jantzen Oshier has been the national leader most of the year in the 1600 but he's now being chased down the defending champion Elias Gedyon
(Loyola-Los Angeles).
The Oregon-bound Gedyon missed much of the early season but is now running at full-tilt as he showed al last week's Southern Section Master's Meet, losing at the tape to Oshier 4:09.06 to 4:09.07.
Gedyon came back 90 minutes later and won the 3200 in 8:57.73, edging Camarillo senior Heyden Wooff (8:57.77). Now those are two close races.
His battle with Oshier should be epic, but don't count out Torrey Pines senior Matt Carpowich, who won the San Diego Section handily in 4:09.92.
Nine other showdowns to look forward to:
1. Cox versus Wilson in the girls 100 hurdles.
2. The 200 battle between Ndipagbor and Prandini.
3. The 800 fight between Weissenbach,
Templeton junior Savannah Camacho and two talented Poly girls Dynasty Gammage and Arielle Stevenson.
4. The 800 boys should be a free-for-all with Poly's Myles Andrews as the ultra-slight favorite.
5. Though McClain is the headliner and favorite, Beejay Lee, a senior at
West Covina, has the nation's fifth best time in the 200 at 20.96 and
Rancho Bernardo (San Diego) senior Jared Pickering beat McClain at Arcadia.
6. Seeing how freshman Sarah Baxter (
Simi Valley) responds all the comparisons to Jordan Hasay in the 3200 when she battles defending champion Molly Grabill
(Rancho Bernardo-San Diego) and
Torrey Pines (San Diego) senior Alli Billmeyer. The San Diego duo have the experience but Baxter has the country's fourth best time (10:14.11), which she recorded at Arcadia while defeating them both.
7. The boys 1600 relay between Serra and Poly is always worth the price of admission and is saved for last.
8. Keep an eye on the boys triple jump and
Enterprise (Redding) senior Javon Cunningham, who last year became one of the few Northern Section athletes to win a state championship. Cunningham looks to shock once more as he's seeded 23rd at 43-11 and has struggled of late.
Sultana (Hesperia, Calif.) sophomore Jaelen Spencer (50-2¼) has not.
9. The boys long jump features a quartet of 24-footers including national leader Marquise Lee
(Serra-Gardena) who is actually seeded fifth.
