Shining Stars: Long Beach Poly Boys' 4x400 Relay Team Excel at California State Track and Field Competition
Race fans at the CIF State Track & Field Finals in Buchanan High School were left on the edge of their seats as the stars took center stage, culminating in an electrifying 4x400-meter relay. Long Beach Poly's squad brought the house down with a thrilling performance, finishing in 3 minutes 8.68 seconds, just shy of the current state record of 3:08.42 set in 2010.
Central East of Fresno narrowly missed out on the crown, crossing the finish line in 3:09.23. Servite clinched the team title with a strong 33-point run thanks to their third-place finish in the 4x400 (3:09.46), while L.A. Cathedral and Long Beach Wilson finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
The sprint events kicked things off on Friday, but Saturday beamed the spotlight on the distance runners. Standout athlete Rylee Blade from Corona Santiago demonstrated her knack for delivering her best on the biggest stage, running her personal best in the girls' 3,200-meter race (9:50.51), only to be edged out in the final stretch by Hanne Thomsen from Santa Rosa Montgomery, who sealed the win in 9:48.98.
In a heartbreaking twist, Evan Noonan, last year's boys' 3,200 champion from Dana Hills, had to withdraw due to illness before the race, leaving a vacancy for Woodcrest Christian's Eyan Turk to make the most of it, winning the race in 8:51.62.
The weekend was full of trying moments and unexpected twists. In another shocking development, transgender athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School bagged multiple medals despite a threat from President Trump to block her from competing. Hernandez went on to win the triple jump and also shared the high jump title with Lelani Laruelle of Monta Vista and Jillene Wetteland of Long Beach Poly.
High school senior and Notre Dame athlete JJ Harel won the boys’ high jump title Saturday, while Sherman Oaks Notre Dame's Aja Johnson clinched the girls' shotput, marking her second triumph in three years.
Oaks Christian's girls claimed their second consecutive title as 4x100 champions after a photo finish with Long Beach Poly, while Servite swept the boys' 4x100 relay in 40.27 seconds. Concord De La Salle junior Jaden Jefferson secured the boys' 100-meter title in 10.27 seconds, with Servite's Benjamin Harris following closely behind in second.
In the end, Servite emerged victorious as the boys' team champion, while Clovis North took the runner-up spot, and Santa Margarita placed third. Long Beach Wilson successfully retained the girls' team title, with Long Beach Poly finishing a close second, and Santiago Corona claiming the third position. For those craving more updates on this year's CIF State finals, check out our coverage on the athletes to watch, Servite's impressive performance at the preliminaries, and RJ Sermons' impressive speed at the Masters Meet.
At the USC-bound Rylee Blade from Corona Santiago and Hanne Thomsen from Santa Rosa Montgomery displayed their extraordinary running skills in the girls' 3,200-meter race at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a common ground for many athletes aspiring to join the University of Southern California (USC) sports programs. AB Hernandez, a transgender athlete from Jurupa Valley High School, showed resilience, winning multiple medals amidst political controversy surrounding her participation at the finals.
