Mater Dei, Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks and Crespi posted solid second-place finishes in their respective divisions at the CIF-Southern Section Track and Field Championships, held May 11 at El Camino College in Torrance.

The Monarchs (Division 2), Knights (D-3) and Celts (D-4) each received strong performances from their sprint event athletes, with Notre Dame senior Christian Grubb winning three individual D-3 titles (100 Meters, 200 Meters and triple jump). Other multiple-event champions were J.Serra senior Peter Herold, the D-3 1600 and 3200 Meter runs, and Serra/Gardena senior Mekhi Mays, the D-4 100 and 200 dashes.

In Division 1, Loyola (the lone Catholic school competing in D-1) finished sixth to champion Long Beach Poly. The top performers from last weekend will participate in the CIF Master’s Meet May 18 at El Camino College, with berths in the CIF State Championships May 24-25 at stake.

Division 1

Loyola totalled 34 points, led by seniors Mason Ratkovich, second by 0.3 seconds in the 800 Meters, and Will O'Brien, second in pole vault. Senior Andrew Arth was third in the 400 Meters, and the 4x400 Meter Relay team of Arth, Ratkovich, and seniors Konnor Paris and Jeremy Davis was fourth. Junior Anthony Stone was fifth in the 1600 Meters, and sophomore Ceyair Wright was sixth in the 200 Meters.

Division 2

Mater Dei’s 39 points were a shade behind champion Ventura’s 43.5, Senior Chad Lemmons led the way, anchoring the victorious 4x100 Meter Relay in 42.04, and posting runner-up finishes in the 100 and 200, in each case just 0.03 off the winning time. Also on the winning relay team were seniors Patrick Michinock and Corbin Utley and freshman Quincy Craig. Senior Anthony Salazar won the triple jump.

Division 3

Led by sprinter Grubb, Notre Dame scored 52 points, trailing only Valley rival Harvard-Westlake’s 60, and ahead of J.Serra’s third-place 40. Also placing were Servite, 27 (sixth); St. John Bosco, 26 (seventh); Chaminade, 22 (ninth); Santa Margarita and Cathedral, 18 each (12th); St. Francis, 16 (15th); Alemany, 12 (17th); and Bishop Amat, 4.5 (33rd).

Grubb won the 100, 200 and triple jump, edging St. John Bosco freshman Rayshon Luke in the 100, 10.61 to 10.66, with Chaminade freshman Patrick Izeiamu third at 10.73. In the 200, Grubb won in 21.09 (with Bosco junior Colby Bowman fourth), won the triple jump at 45 feet 11 inches, and ran on the second-place 4x100 Relay team with sophomore Kyle Wynn and seniors Sequoia Magdalena and Adam Horvath.

J.Serra’s dynamic distance running duo of senior Peter Herold and junior Anthony Grover piled up points for the Lions. Herold won the 1600 and 3200 Meter events, with Grover third in each and taking second in the 800.

Cathedral sophomore Anthony Taylor led an all-Catholic school top-four finish in the 110 Meter Hurdles, ahead of Servite senior Kyle Kimble, St. Francis senior Matthew Molina and Chaminade sophomore Xayvion Perkins, and Molina won the high jump at 6 feet 6 inches.

Also placing in the top six in their events were Chaminade’s Walker Doucette (800), Bosco’s Alex Frais (1600), Taylor, Santa Margarita’s Michael Ventura and Kimble (300 Hurdles), Bishop Amat’s Christian Urbina, Alemany’s Cytres Vives and Santa Margarita’s Max Agbonkpolo (high jump), Servite’s Nolan Blachowski (pole vault), Alemany’s Malik Jackson and Bosco’s James Smith (long jump), Notre Dame’s Quinten Lyons (second in shot put, fourth in discus), Alemany’s Khai Redd and Bosco’s Marist Talavou (shot put), Chaminade and Santa Margarita (third and fifth, 4x100 Relay), and Servite and Santa Margarita (second and third, 4x400 Relay).

Division 4

Oaks Christian’s 65 points were enough to beat Crespi’s 47 and Serra’s 46. Other Catholic school teams included Paraclete, 19 points (ninth); St. Bonaventure, 11 (19th);   St. Anthony, 9 (24th); St. Genevieve, 8 (25th); Providence/Burbank, 7 (28th); St. Paul and Bishop Montgomery, 2 each (40th); and La Salle, 1 (44th).

Serra’s Mays won the 100 in 10.67, ahead of Crespi senior Ryan Love’s runner-up 10.84, and captured the 200 in 21.49 with Love third. Crespi senior Jonathan Da Silva won the triple jump and was fifth in the long jump.

Crespi won the 4x100 Relay in 42.28 with Love, freshman Evan Davidson, and sophomores Chance Tucker and Robert Rosebaugh, followed by Serra’s team of Mays, sophomore Devin Kirkwood, junior Jonah Copeland and senior D'Marcus Jones. In the 4x400 Relay, Serra was second with Mays, Kirkwood, Copeland and sophomore Gustavo Orendain, and Crespi was fourth with Chance, Da Silva, Rosebaugh and senior Michael Sullivan.

Kirkwood, St. Anthony junior Devante Pollard and Chance ran 2-4-5 in the 400; St. Genevieve freshman Jason Canales was third in the 300 Hurdles; Paraclete junior Alan Rennie was second in shot put and fourth in discus; and St. Bonaventure senior Mason Kleinheksel was third in discus.

Also in the top six were Paraclete’s Jaren Johnson (high jump), St. Anthony’s Ronald Squier and St. Bonaventure’s Koy Mortensen (pole vault), and Providence’s Bryce Whitaker (triple jump).

Mike Nelson is the former editor of The Tidings (predecessor of Angelus News). 

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