Who are the athletes to watch at this weekend's CIF State Track & Field Championships?
The absence of last spring's 100 and 200-meter dash winner Brandon Arrington, whose leg injury in a league meet May 9 forced him to miss the San Diego Section finals and denies him an opportunity to defend his state titles, opens lanes for the fastest athletes in the City and Southern Sections to take advantage. A junior from Mt. Miguel, Arrington broke the San Diego County record (20.35) in the 200 at Arcadia in April and one week later set a new section record (10.21) in the 100 at Mt. SAC.
The favorite in the 100 is Concord De La Salle junior Jaden Jefferson, who enters with the best qualifying time (10.30, three hundredths of a second better than Arrington's winning time last year), but challenging him will be Antrell Harris of Birmingham (who clocked 10.92 to win the City title May 22), back-to-back Masters Meet winner Demare Dezeurn of Bishop Alemany (10.35), RJ Sermons of Rancho Cucamonga (10.47) and Servite's trio of Benjamin Harris (10.44), Robert Gardner (10.59) and Jorden Wells (10.63).
In the 200, Masters champion Sermons (20.97) will be in the first heat along with Temecula Valley's Jack Stadlman (21.24), Dezeurn (21.04) has the fastest qualifying time in the second heat, Servite's Jace Wells (21.05) and Newbury Park's Jaden Griffin (21.36) are in the third heat and joining Jefferson (21.11) in the last heat are Santa Margarita's Leo Francis (21.14) and Harris (21.66).
Sermons, who announced the day before the Masters Meet that he will skip his senior year of high school to play football at USC, clocked a career-best 20.88 at the Baseline League finals and will try to beat Arrington's winning time of 20.55 last year.
Servite freshman Jaelen Hunter (46.91) heads a talented group in the 400, which includes Stadlman (47.91), City champion Justin Hart from Granada Hills (47.45) and City runner-up Nathan Santacruz of Venice (47.48). Servite's 4x100 relay was first at the Masters in 40.40 followed by Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (40.77), which will be in the same heat Friday as JSerra (41.44) and City champion Granada Hills (41.78), and Murrieta Valley (41.55) will be in heat four with Birmingham (41.80).
Servite also has one of the faster foursomes in the 4x400 as the Friars figure to challenge for the team title, won last year by Long Beach Poly, which won the Masters race Saturday in 3:10.83. The loaded field also features Cathedral (3:12.20), Mira Costa (3:18.73), Long Beach Wilson (3:14.93), Culver City (3:14.80) and Granada Hills (3:24.15).
For the girls, Redondo Union's Journey Cole and Chaparral's Keelan Wright are in separate heats but should they advance they would go head-to-head in the finals in a rematch of last week's epic 100 meter showdown (Cole prevailed by five hundredths of a second in 11.36), however not to be underestimated are Malia Rainey (11.57) and Marley Scoggins (11.60) from Calabasas (11.57) and Carson's Christina Gray, who ran 12.05 to win the City title.
Wright (23.21) is the leading qualifier in the 200. Other contenders are Rosary's Justine Wilson (23.38), Scoggins (23.59) and Gray (24.62).
Long Beach Poly carried the baton around the oval in 45.94 at Masters to avenge its loss to Oaks Christian at last year's state 4x100 final and the two schools could match up again Saturday alongside City winner Carson (46.84), which was third in Clovis last year. Long Beach Wilson, the state team champion in 2024, has the top qualifying time (3:43.71) in the 4x400 relay.
In the distance events, Corona Santiago boasts two title contenders — Braelyn Combe in the 1600 and Rylee Blade in the 3200. Combe was second to Ventura's Sadie Englehardt last year and won the Masters four-lapper last week in 4:44.36 (more than two and a half seconds better than her winning time at the Southern Section Division 1 finals), second-best among all qualifiers behind Chiara Dailey (4:43.57) of La Jolla in San Diego.
Blade ran 9:58.46 two weeks ago to break a Southern Section record that had stood since 1996 and cruised to the Masters win in 10:11.38. The Florida State-bound senior was third at state last year in 10:06.26 and she set a new meet standard of 15:20.3 at the Woodbridge Cross Country Classic in September.
Stanford signee Evan Noonan of Dana Hills, winner of the Southern Section and Masters races the past two weeks, will try to defend his 3200 state title (he won in 8:43.12 as a junior).
Aliso Niguel's Jaslene Massey and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame's Aja Johnson have the first and second best throws in both shot put and discus. Massey swept the events at Masters (49-7.50 shot put; 165-06 discus). Johnson is the defending state discus champion and won the state shot put title in 2023.
In the boys high jump, Mission League rivals Matthew Browner from Chaminade and JJ Harel of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame both achieved 6-10 to finish first and second at Masters. Harel cleared that same height to take second at the state finals last year behind Birmingham's Deshawn Banks.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
CBS Announces Retirement Of Longtime Golf Announcer
CBS Announces Retirement Of Longtime Golf Announcer originally appeared on The Spun. CBS Sports will soon lose a long-time member of its golf team. Ian Baker-Finch announced Tuesday that he's retiring as a golf broadcaster. The 64-year-old will conclude his career by calling the Wyndham Championship on Sunday, Aug. 3. "Golf has been an enormous part of my life. I was fortunate to compete against the best players in the game and more recently work with the very best in television," Baker-Finch said in a CBS statement. "To my CBS Sports family — my teammates, producers, directors, and crew — thank you for your extraordinary talent, dedication, and camaraderie. You've made every moment in the booth a joy, transforming broadcasts into cherished memories. To my colleagues across the industry and golf fans around the world, your support and shared love for this game over these decades have meant everything." Baker-Finch compiled 17 professional wins over his playing career, including the 1991 Open Championship. He missed 10 consecutive major cuts after tying for 10th in the 1994 Masters. The Australian began his broadcasting career in 1998 as a golf commentator for ESPN. He's worked at CBS as a hole announcer since 2007. Baker-Finch will call two more tournaments for CBS before stepping down in two weeks. 'As a major champion during his successful playing career and over three decades in broadcasting, Ian Baker-Finch distinguished himself as one of the most respected and trusted voices in golf," CBS Sports CEO David Berson said.. "As he announces his retirement, we'll miss his passion, insight, warmth and steady presence on the air but know he will continue to make his mark across the world of golf. Finchy will always be part of the CBS Sports family, and we thank him for being an incredible teammate and friend, and for his immeasurable contributions the past 19 years at CBS."CBS Announces Retirement Of Longtime Golf Announcer first appeared on The Spun on Jul 22, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Stop comparing Scottie Scheffler to Tiger Woods — and just enjoy this spectacle
Whoever said writing about golf for a living was a glitzy occupation obviously didn't see a scribbler trying to cobble together a column in an Open Championship media center that's being dismantled around them. As our base last week at Portrush was slowly razed to the ground amid a dizzying cacophony of bashing, clattering, boring and battering, the working environment had all the glamour of a flustered toilet break at a dreary motorway service station. Your correspondent's general mood was not helped by an ailing laptop that had been showing signs of giving up the ghost. Over the weekend, for example, the R and the T buttons on the keyboard were only working intermittently. That, as you can imagine, caused a bit of an issue for a spell as we started feverishly typing away like Angela Lansbury during the opening credits of an episode of "Murder, She Wrote." Scottie Scheffler would often appear on my Word document as Scoie Scheffle, Portrush came out as Poush and Robert MacIntyre was diminished to obe MacInye. To be fair, it probably made more sense than what I usually type, but the computer caper became a right old pain in the a***. And even that came out as ase. We got there in the end, though. Another Open is done and dusted. Perhaps I should've just flung the laptop on the media center pyre too? Scheffler was a brilliant champion at a brilliant venue. I also thought he dealt brilliantly with the inevitable and wearisome comparisons to Tiger Woods, too. 'I think they're a bit silly,' he said about the prospects of emulating the 15 major titles that Woods racked up. In this game, we are never done with premature anointings and coronations as we seek a new golfing hero for the ages. Rory McIlroy, for instance, was tagged with that burdensome 'next Tiger' label when he won a quartet of major championships between 2011 and 2014. We all know what happened after that. He didn't win another until this year's Masters during a prolonged drought that just about led to a hosepipe ban. Jordan Spieth had the Tiger sticker slapped on his back when he won three majors between 2015 and 2017, while Brooks Koepka had it pinned on him for a spell when he reeled off four in a two-year blitz. The magnitude of Woods' accomplishments, of course, continues to dwarf all that the new generation has achieved. In an era of relative parity in the men's game, Scheffler, who became the 12th successive first-time winner of The Open, has emerged as its dominant force, but it's important to enjoy the present and savor watching him pen his own success story instead of obsessing about him rewriting Tiger's tale. Establishing a Tiger-like tyranny on the global game would require Scheffler to continue his sustained excellence over a ridiculous period of time. More: Unassuming? Scottie Scheffler's hometown experience at Chipotle defines feelings on fame While all and sundry work themselves into a fankle about the prospect of Scheffler doing this, that and the other in the weeks, months and years to come, the man himself retains a wonderful sense of reason. Never too up, never too down, just serene, level-headed middle ground. He seems to be at total peace with himself. As men's professional golf in its upper echelons descended into a civil war over the past couple of years with the emergence of the LIV rebellion, it's perhaps no coincidence that the calmest man in the room has prevailed and prospered. In this fractured time, when egos, greed and entitlement have grabbed much of the attention, the grounded Scheffler is just the right man to be on top of the golfing world. He is largely unaffected by fame and fortune, and all the talk of greatness tends to be greeted with a nonchalant shrug. 'I don't identify myself by winning tournaments, chasing trophies, being famous or whatever it is,' he said. 'There are two Chipotles (a restaurant chain) that I eat at when I'm home. If I was to go to the one near to where I grew up and try to eat nowadays, it would be very difficult for me. 'But there's another one in a different part of town and if I go there, nobody recognises me ever.' In the post-Tiger age, Scheffler's relative anonymity can highlight golf's place in the wider scheme of global sports. With the exception of Woods and McIlroy, golf's stars can't really hold a candle to the shining lights in other pursuits Have a meander into the remote jungles of Sarawak and you'll probably stumble upon a village elder wearing a Lionel Messi football shirt, a Ronaldo top or a Steph Curry basketball vest. I'm being slightly outlandish here, but you get the idea. These sportsmen, and these sports, have a reach across cultures and continents. Scheffler, on the other hand, could walk down just about any high street, or into a Chipotle diner, and most folk wouldn't bat an eyelid. That's not Scheffler's fault, of course. In these hark-at-me-times, he'd probably have a higher profile if he were prone to headline-grabbing comments or lively antics on or off the course. But that ain't Scheffler. And that's absolutely fine. His talent and achievements alone should be enough to attract acclaim. Many, though, still view his persona as more day at the office than box office. Undervalued? Perhaps. But unrivalled? There's no doubt. The magnificent Scheffler will continue to do his dominance his way.
Newsweek
21 hours ago
- Newsweek
Scottie Scheffler Stuns Jimmy Fallon With Claret Jug Cameo at 'Tonight Show'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Over the years, "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" has become a rare off-course stage for golf's elites to entertain their fans beyond the greens. The last time a golfer lit up Fallon's set, it was Rory McIlroy, still glowing from his emotional Masters win at Augusta National. And on Monday night, it happened again. Scottie Scheffler crashes Jimmy Fallon's opening monologue at the 'Tonight Show' with claret jug. (Image Credits: The Tonight Show (BTS)/Instagram) Scottie Scheffler crashes Jimmy Fallon's opening monologue at the 'Tonight Show' with claret jug. (Image Credits: The Tonight Show (BTS)/Instagram) Instagram Scottie Scheffler, fresh off his dominant Open Championship victory at Royal Portrush, made an unannounced and effortlessly cool appearance at Studio 6B at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. His appearance was an iconic walk from the backstage to the set, but of course with the Claret Jug in hand. Earlier that evening, Scheffler had turned heads at the "Happy Gilmore 2" premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center, where he posed with the Claret Jug alongside Adam Sandler and fellow PGA Tour pros. But it was his cameo on "The Tonight Show" that stole the spotlight. The segment aired Monday at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Fallon, mid-monologue, asked for a photo of Scheffler. When an image of him swinging a club appeared onscreen, Fallon stated, "I really want to see Scottie and the trophy," as shown in the video posted on YouTube. Seconds later, the classic blue curtain split, and out walked Scheffler in a white button-down short-sleeve shirt, gray jeans, and white sneakers, holding the Claret Jug. The studio audience went crazy with screams of excitement and a standing ovation. What followed next was Fallon posing for a selfie with Scheffler and the trophy after getting utterly shocked and happy at the same time. This week marked Scheffler's fourth major title and his third leg of the career Grand Slam. Yet, for all the historical weight, Scheffler's approach remains unchanged. "I do my best by living in the present. Right now, what that looks like is we're heading back to the States hopefully (Sunday) and get back home as quick as we can and celebrate this win with the boys at home," he told reporters after his Sunday win. That mentality makes Scheffler magnetic beyond his golf. Even on Fallon's set, with a room full of flashing lights and cameras, Scheffler didn't try to be bigger than the game. He just smiled, lifted the Jug, and disappeared backstage as quietly as he'd arrived. In simple words, that's the way he is; the biggest name in golf, and the last person trying to act like it. More Golf: Wyndham Clark Breaks Silence on Oakmont Ban: 'I Did Something Awful'
