By Joe Snyder
Serra High’s girls’ track and field team proved dominant in winning the CIF-Southern Section Division IV championship last Saturday at El Camino College.
It was junior Jazmyne Frost that won the 100- and 200-meter dash with times of 11.59 and 23.7 seconds in order. The Lady Cavaliers, in fact, had a one-two finish in the 100 with junior Queen Okoh finishing in second at 11.97. Okoh was also fifth in the 200 clocking clocking 25.02. Both also keyed Serra to a first place finish in the 4×100-meter relay in 3:46.89, the meet’s second best time. Both also keyed Serra to a first place finish in the 4×100-meter relay in 46.19, the best time in the meet. Other runners included Jaylah Herron and Destinee Reid. Frost anchored the relay.
The Cavaliers closed out their day’s performance with a win in the 4×400 relay. Runners were Okoh, freshman Maya Rush, Herron and Frost. Bonita of La Verne, the Division II champion, had the meet’s best time in 3:44.92. Herron placed second in the 400 55.79, just .08 of a second behind champion Sydney Bentley of Playa del Rey St. Bernard (55.71).
Also excelling was senior Erin Brown who captured the discus in a Serra High record distance of 125 feet, two inches.
“The kids executed and ran the clock,” Serra head coach Chris Calvin said.
In the end, the Cavaliers tallied 77 points to 48 for runner-up John Muir High from Pasadena. Finishing third was Westlake Village Oaks Christian with 45.
Several athletes, including Frost, Okoh, Brown, and both relays, enter Saturday’s CIF-Southern Section Masters Championships at El Camino College. Meet starts at 1 p.m.
Serra’s boys had fine performances by their 4×100 and 4×400 relays. The Cavaliers’ 400 relay squad of Max Williams, Jacory Jones, Mason Bowen and Tiger Hart clocking 42.98. First place Lancaster Paraclete and runner-up Oaks Christian finished ahead of the Cavaliers. Serra’s 1,600 team of Devin Kirkwood, Taylor-Hart, Gustavo Orendain and Makarios Page were fourth at 3:27.13. Oaks Christian won the race clocking 3:19.88, followed by Pasadena Maranatha (3:26.26) and Foothill Technology (3:26.72), respectively.
Page, however, was one of the favorites to win the 400 but pulled out.
As a team, Serra finished 16th with 12 points. Winning the team crown was Oaks Christian with 81 points to 68 for Cerritos Valley Christian and 37 for third place Foothill Tech.
West Torrance High’s distance runners, who, last fall, keyed the Warriors boys’ cross country team to the CIF-State Division III championship, had strong performances and qualified for Saturday’s CIF-Southern Section Masters Championships. Rory Abberton took second in Division II in the 1,600-meter run in a school record time of 4:12.13 and Caleb Terrill was third in the 800 in 1:53.47. Both advanced to the Masters.
