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.
sped to a meteoric second-place finish,
and state-qualifying berth, at last
year’s San Diego Section championship
meet.
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.
