Prep track season cut short but not for a lack of effort

At this point of the season many high school track and field standouts would be cel­ebrating a spring campaign filled with glory after a trip to the state championship meet.

But there was no celebrat­ing at this year’s state finals, or even the San Diego Section finals, due to the cancellation of the season due to the COV­ID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

Neither high profile event took place.

In fact, Granite Hills High School participated in just one dual meet before the season was abruptly called off.

It will be a lingering shame, especially for the team’s se­niors, because the Eagles had a number of talented student-athletes who would have left a lasting mark on this season, whether it be at the league, section or state finals.

ONE AND DONE

Granite Hills competed in its lone dual meet March 5 at West Hills High School.

The Eagles boys team cap­tured first-place finishes in six events while also notching three second-place finishes while the girls team captured first-place finishes in four events while recording seven second-place finishes.

A high school track and field meet consists of 16 events — 10 running events and six field events — in both gender fields.

Senior Levi Knobloch, a returning state meet quali­fier after placing second in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles at last year’s Division I section finals, sped to first-place finishes in both the boys 110-meter high hurdles (16.05) and 300 hurdles (41.50) in the season-opening dual meet against West Hills.

Senior Richard Harris Wil­liams, a silver medalist in the triple jump and bronze med­alist in the long jump at last year’s CIF finals, won the boys long jump with a mark of 21- 10.5 and finished runner-up in the 100 dash in 11.76.

Senior Lamont Taylor won the boys triple jump event with a mark of 42-4 and fin­ished runner-up in the long jump at 19-0.

Senior Hunter Davidson cleared 9-6 to win the boys pole vault event.

Junior Manuel Garcia was the standout distance runner by finishing first in the boys 3200 run in 10:23.40 and sec­ond in the 1600 run in 4:52.54.

Additionally, senior Jacob Adams placed second in both the boys 110 hurdles in 17.73 and high jump (5-6), while sophomore Gavyn Fejeran fin­ished second in the boys shot put (36-6.25).

Senior Clara May-Horn fin­ished first in the girls 100-me­ter dash in 12.82 while fresh­man Alexa Hernandez won the 400 dash in 1:07.71.

Freshmen Emma Nixon (2:59.54) and Savannah Barre (2:59.78) finished first and sec­ond, respectively, in the girls 800 run in a photo finish.

Granite Hills won the girls 4×100 relay in 52.42 via the fleet feet of May-Horn, Meghan Bostedt, Kayla Har­ris Williams and Halee Engle.

Freshman Abigail Cicalo finished second in the girls 1600 run in 6:04.86 and second in the 3200 run in 13:38.24.

Junior Makenna Chase finished second in the girls 100 low hurdles in 17.23 while senior Lillian Locken placed runner-up in the girls 300 low hurdles in 51.80.

Senior AnnaBelle Bras­well finished second in the girls shot put (28-1.5) while Kayla Harris Williams placed runner-up in the girls long jump (14-5).

Several Eagles were posed to soar this season in their specialty events.

Knobloch paced Gross­mont Valley League hur­dlers in both the 110 and 300 events. Other league leaders included Richard Harris Williams in the boys long jump, Taylor in the boys triple jump, May- Horn in the girls 100 dash and Chase in the girls 300 hurdles.

The Lady Eagles also topped the league in the 4×100 relay.

May-Horn’s 100 dash time led all conference run­ners and ranked fifth in the section.

Richard Harris Williams ranked fourth in the sec­tion in the long jump while Knobloch ranked fourth in the section in the 300 hurdles.

Garcia’s 3200 time ranked third among Gross­mont Conference runners.