By Joe Snyder
Serra High senior sprinter Roderick Pleasant set an “unofficial” California state record in the 100-meter dash by winning handily with a wind-aided time of 10.09 seconds in the CIF-Southern Section Division IV Track and Field Championships last Saturday at Moorpark High.
The time, though, is the best ever in the state overall; wind-aided or legal wind. The wind speed was 3.3 meters per second; well over the limit of 2.0 per second.
Pleasant won the Division IV race in a run-away; by .33 of a second over second place freshman Deshonne Redeaux from Westlake Village Oaks Christian (10.42).
Pleasant also won the 200-meter dash at 20.53.
He has two more shots, Saturday’s Southern Section Masters Championships and the CIF-State Championships on May 26 and 27, and at officially breaking his wind legal 100 record of 10.14 he set in the CIF-Southern Section Masters Championships last season. The national record is 9.98 set in 2019 by Matthew Boling from Jesuit High from Houston, Texas. His best 200 time is 20.4 he did last year in the Division IV Championships.
The California record is 20.3 set in 2015 by 2021 Olympian Michael Norman from Vista Murrieta (Norman won the gold medal with the United States 4×400 relay team.). The national record is 20.13 set in 1985 by Roy Martin from Dallas (Texas) Roosevelt High. No prep sprinter has ever broken 20 seconds in the 200 and only Boling, now at University of Georgia, got under 10 seconds in the 100, although a few others had wind-aided times of under 10.
Serra’s boys finished with 30 points, all on wins. The other was performed by sophomore Otis “Tre” Harrison in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles clocking 40.29.
The Cavaliers, who won the Division IV crown last season, settled for a fifth-place finish as Oaks Christian won the title with 89 points to 55 for second place Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, 39 for third place Mission Hills Alemany and 33 for Carpinteria Cate. Much is due to key injuries and illnesses of other top sprinter, Devon Lewis, and hurdler Ryan Bumbury. Lewis’ injury (pulled hamstring) cost Serra’s 4×100 relay team from advancing to the finals in the Division IV Prelims on May 6 at Carpinteria High.
It was favored to win Division IV and had one of the top times in the state. Bumbury was Del Rey League 110-meter high hurdle champion but he was unable to compete due to contacting the flu, which not only cost the Cavaliers in that race, but their 4×400 relay team that made the finals. Lewis was also to run in that race and Serra head coach Christopher Mack opted his team to scratch.
Serra’s girls were also unable to repeat as Division IV champions, settling for a second-place finish behind champion Oaks Christian. The Warriors ran away with the title with 133 points to 85 for the Lady Cavaliers.
Brazil Neal also settled for a runner-up finish in the 100 meters in 11.67. Winning the race was Oaks Christian’s Niya Clayton timing 11.56, the meet’s best time. Neal, though, had the meet’s overall second-best time in the four divisions. Neal, though, bounced back to win the 200 in 23.67. Mia Flowers also qualified for Saturday’s Southern Section Masters Championships with a fourth-place finish clocking 24.58. Sadia Green placed sixth at 24.88, but fell just short. Green, though, advanced in the 400 by taking second clocking 55.35. Sienna Claiborne finished fourth in 56.83 but narrowly failed to make the cut.
Neal also anchored Serra’s 4×100 relay squad to a first- place finish timing 45.58, the top overall time in the meet. Other runners included Jaiya Fletcher, Flowers and Zakijah Wilson.
Serra’s 4×400 team of Sa- vanna Mullins, Green, Claiborne and Mecca Muhammed finished second in 3:53.54. Winning was Oaks Christian clocking 3:52.28. Both advanced to the Masters.
The Lady Cavaliers, however, failed to advance any field event athletes. The best showing was by Lo’ani Atofau who finished third in the discus with a toss of 119 feet.
She was sixth in the shot put at 33 feet, 6.5 inches. Jordyn Brooks placed fourth in the triple jump at 36-3, but was only eighth in the long jump (17-6.75).
“Our girls still have a chance at winning state,” Mack said. “We have Neal in the 100 and 200 and Green in the 400 (for the Masters). We have the top time in the girls 4×100. They can give us enough points for state.”
“Injuries and illnesses hurt our boys,” Mack said. “We had three boys in the 400 finals.”
In the Division III finals, North Torrance High’s Spencer Cicarelli won the pole vault at 14-9 to advance to the Masters.
Also making the Masters was South Torrance sprinter Anthony Flowers who won the 100 with his personal best time of 10.35. He, along with Long Beach Jordan’s Jordan Washington (Division I 100 champion with the meet’s second best overtime of 10.24) could challenge Pleasant at the Masters.
The Southern Section Masters Championships begin at 11 a.m. with the field events and 1 p.m. with the running events at Moorpark High on Saturday. Top qualifiers move on to the CIF-State Championships at Buchanan High in Clovis on May 26-27.
ECC eliminated from Super playoffs
El Camino College’s baseball team ended its season at 31-14 after getting swept two games by host Saddleback College in the Southern California Super Regional playoffs on Friday and Saturday in Mission Viejo.
After opening the Super Regional playoffs with a 5-3 win over Glendale College last Thursday at Saddleback, the Warriors were routed by the host Gauchos 8-1 on Friday. On Saturday, Saddleback finished off ECC with a 3-0 shutout.
In El Camino’s win over Glendale, Ethan Felix sparked the Warriors with two runs batted in and one run scored. Dylan Knowles went 2-for-4. Connor Meidroth, Daniel Murillo and Patrick Stark each drove in one run for the South Coast Conference champion Warriors.
David Cane was the winning pitcher as he ended his season with a 6-0 unbeaten record. He pitched seven innings allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits. He struck out eight bat- ters and walked one.
On Friday, ECC was pitted against Saddleback, which was No. 2 ranked in California. The Warriors mustered only three hits against winning pitcher Trevor Eby in five innings. El Camino was held hitless in the next four innings.
Makani Tanaka keyed the Gauchos by going 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
On Saturday, Saddleback’s pitching held the Warriors to just three hits. Winning pitcher Ryan Cullinane (4-0) pitched three perfect innings. C.J. Zwahlen started allowing four hits over four innings.
ECC won the conference with an 18-6 record.
