The 101st CIF State Track & Field Championships are May 24-25, at Veterans Memorial Stadium – Buchanan High School in Clovis.
The Redwood Empire is sending a talented group of 9 boys in 6 events and 6 girls in 5 events.
Two of those athletes are returning to this meet to improve on what they did last year.
Gabrielle Peterson of Healdsburg was 10th in the 1600m at 4:54.16, and Brayden Glascock of Santa Rosa was 19th in the 300 hurdles at 40.51.
What’s really exciting is that five of the Empire’s competitors are all underclassman.
Zavier Rodrigues, Maria Carrillo
Kassidy Sani, El Molino
Kalathan Laiwa-McKay, Ukiah
Lillian McCoy, Casa Grande
Harper McClain, St. Helena
Here is a look at what to watch for in event by event.
Number before locals name is their seed.
3:00 p.m. Boys’ Discus top 12 move from Friday to Saturday.
9th Bryson Trask, 12, Middletown 2nd DT 172-10
Top Seed: Christian Johnson, Buchanan 190-09
Trask has a best of 176-3 and has been amazing consistent with five meets over 175.
Has a great shot at making the final and would not surprise by taking down the 38 year old Empire record of 181-6¼ Chris Day, Montgomery 4/29/81.
Past Redwood Empire Top 8
1st Clifford Merritt, Santa Rosa 113-0 (2 kilo) 1915
1st Wayne Weeks, Santa Rosa 117-0 (2 kilo) 1916
1st Bill Hook, Ukiah 145-0 (2 kilo) 1958
1st Bill Hook, Ukiah 166-8 1958
2nd Chris Day, Montgomery 179-1 1981
3rd Wayne Weeks, Santa Rosa (2 kilo) 1915
3rd Beverly Broaddus, Ukiah 1917
3rd Beverly Broaddus, Ukiah 1918
3rd Owen McCann, Santa Rosa 1929
4th Glenn Winkler, Analy 1919
4th Lloyd Piller, Vallejo 1929
6th Chris Day, Montgomery 174-4 1980
7th Paul Troppy, Santa Rosa 161-8 1984
3:00 p.m. Boys’ High Jump top 12 move from Friday to Saturday.
=16th Zavier Rodrigues, 11, Maria Carrillo 6th HJ 6-04
Top Seed: Jack Wiseman, Hunting Beach and Jaydn Mata San Marcos 6-10
Rodrigues cleared 6-4 in his last meet and a first time clearance of 6-6 here could get him to the final.
Past Redwood Empire Top 8
2nd Vernon Higbee, Vallejo 1938
2nd tie Ernie Strickland, Vallejo 5-11.5 1941
2nd Gabe Manville, Santa Rosa 6-10 1989
3rd Oce Brown, Vallejo 1940
4th Eric Richardson, Ukiah 1920
4th Paul Maloney, St. Vincent 6-9 1989
4th Dave Swanson, Analy 6-9 1982
4th Pat Leonard, Piner 6-9 1995
tie 6th Jim Reis, Sonoma Valley 6-6 1985
7th Pat Leonard, Piner 6-6 1994
7th Jeff Poisson, Cardinal Newman 1996
5:30 p.m. Girls’ 1600m Run top 12 move from Friday to Saturday.
3rd Gabrielle Peterson, 12, Healdsburg 1st 1600 4:48.54
16th Sierra Atkins, 12, Analy 3rd 1600 5:02.00
Top Seed: Audrey Suarez, Mayfield 4:45.04
While Suarez had to run a state leading 1600 to win her section Peterson totally ran away from her section with an amazing 11 second win.
Gabby tasted what it was like to win a state championship in cross country and I’m sure she would like back at the table for seconds.
Atkins has a 4:51.84 best and is less afraid of a fast pace than any girl I have ever seen. Very good chance we will have two in this final.
Past Redwood Empire Top 8
1st Julia Stamps, Santa Rosa 4:44.78 1997
1st Sara Bei, Montgomery 4:49.21 1998
1st Jenny Aldridge, Maria Carrillo 4:49.63 2000
2nd Sara Bei, Montgomery 4:46.71 1999
2nd Sara Bei, Montgomery 4:49.98 2000
2nd Sara Bei, Montgomery 4:47.96 2001
2nd Jenny Aldridge, Maria Carrillo 4:55.94 2002
2nd Jacque Taylor, Casa Grande 4:49.63 2008
4th Jacque Taylor, Casa Grande 4:50.70 2009
4th Rylee Bowen, Sonoma Academy 4:50.40 2016
4th Rylee Bowen, Sonoma Academy 4:53.92 2017
5th Laurie Hollingworth, Piner 4:54.27 1981
5th Jacque Taylor, Casa Grande 4:56.41 2010
7th Laurie Hollingworth, Piner 4:55.65 1982
5:30 p.m. Boys’ Shot Put top 12 move from Friday to Saturday.
9th Bryson Trask, 12, Middletown 1st SP 57-4.25
22nd Kalathan Laiwa-McKay, 11, Ukiah 3rd SP 52-11.5
Top Seed: Daniel Viveros, Liberty 65-09.75
Trask be looking to make the finals in this event as well.
A big throw by Laiwa-McKay could move him into the Empires best 25 ever.
Past Redwood Empire Top 8
1st Wayne Weeks, Santa Rosa 46-2 3/8 1915
1st Wayne Weeks, Santa Rosa 47-4½ 1916
1st Ben Steele, Santa Rosa 54-4½ 1940
1st George Souza, Vallejo 52-4.25 1941
2nd Dennis DeSoto, Santa Rosa 63-6¾ 1981
3rd Cervera Norgard, Ukiah 1918
3rd Beckford Young, Petaluma 1926
3rd Elmer Kaufman, Vallejo 52-2 1934
3rd Bill Sweikert, Vallejo 1938
3rd Bill Sweikert, Vallejo 50-8.5 1939
3rd Brian Chase, Cardinal Newman 60-3½ 1995
4th Fran Burke, Santa Rosa 50-8¾ 1941
4th Bill Hook, Ukiah 57-2 12# 1958
4th Bill Hook, Ukiah 48-8¼ 16# 1958
4th Dennis DeSoto, Santa Rosa 59-2¾ 1980
4th Brian Chase, Cardinal Newman 60-9½ 1996
5th Otto Beringer, St Helena 48-3½ 12# 1933
5th Otto Beringer, St Helena 16# 1933
5th Bill Ford, Ukiah 1935
5th Bill Hull, Santa Rosa 1940
7th Daniel Erdman, Healdsburg 57-3 2007
?th John Balletto, Analy 1977
5:30 p.m. Girls’ Discus top 12 move from Friday to Saturday.
19th Kassidy Sani, 11, El Molino 2nd discus 130-0
Top Seed: Jocelynn Budwig, Fowler 161-09
This may just be Sani’s warmup year for 2020 or maybe she uncorks a really big one?
Past Redwood Empire Top 8
4th Kathleen Durand, Maria Carrillo 144-3 2013
4th Alison Scranton, Petaluma 149-4 2015
6th Alison Scranton, Petaluma 141-3 2014
6:15 p.m. Boys’ 110m HH top 9 move from Friday to Saturday.
23rd Zavier Rodrigues, 11, Maria Carrillo 3rd 110HH 15.39 -1.0
Top Seed: Jamar Marshall, St Mary’s 13.84
This could be the race were Rodrigues cracks the magic 15 second mark.
Past Redwood Empire Top 8
2nd Tom Moore, Petaluma ?CH 1932
2nd Sid Nikolas, Vallejo 14.1y 1960
4th Floyd Talbot, Analy ?CH 1924
5th Lyman Cox, Santa Rosa ?CH 1929
5th Joe Grenier, Analy ?CH 1934
7th Mike Koellsted, Calistoga 14.77 1986
7:00 p.m. Girls’ High Jump top 12 move from Friday to Saturday.
29th Gianna Troppy, 12, Justin-Siena 3rd HJ 5-1
Top Seed: Alysah Hickey, Coronado and Rachel Glen, Wilson-LB 5-08
Troppy has a 5-2 best and would love to improve on that here.
Past Redwood Empire Top 8
2nd Mindi Wiley, Sonoma Valley 5-10 2003
4th Mindi Wiley, Sonoma Valley 5-8 2005
Tie 6th Morgan Bertsch, Santa Rosa 5-5 2012
Tie 8th Deanne Neff, Montgomery 5-6 1978
8th Mindi Wiley, Sonoma Valley 5-5 2004
8th Kiana Herold, Sonoma Academy 5-6 2013
8:00 p.m. Girls’ Shot Put top 12 move from Friday to Saturday.
20th Lillian McCoy, 11, Casa Grande 1st SP 40-05
Top Seed: Faith Bender, Liberty 47-04.75
McCoy seems to improve with every meet and now that she is in the 40 club this junior may be ready to more than just prep for next years meet.
Past Redwood Empire Top 8
5th Melissa Van Paris, Sonoma Valley 43-9 2004
7th Renee James, Casa Grande 37-9 1986
7th Faith Matranga, Healdsburg 41-11 1998
7th Jean Lightfoot, Maria Carrillo 42-9½ 2006
8:25 p.m. Boys’ 300m IH top 9 move from Friday to Saturday.
18th Brayden Glascock, 12, Santa Rosa 3rd 300H 39.26
Top Seed: Reyte Rash, King, ML 37.89
With a small improvement on Glascock’s best of 38.76 he could have a shot at making the finals.
Past Redwood Empire Top 8
7th Chris Barnsdale, Montgomery 38.05 1996
8th Jake Arnold, Maria Carrillo 39.21 2002
9:40 Boys’1600m Relay top 9 move from Friday to Saturday.
20th Casa Grande 3rd 1600 Relay 3:23.86 Matthew Giroux, Logan Moon, Matthew Mason, Jalydon Love
Top Seed: Wilson-LB 3:13.86
Can the Gaucho’s lower their school record even lower, I think yes.
Past Redwood Empire Top 8
6th Maria Carrillo 3:17.65 2017
?th Santa Rosa 3:17.6 1970
Saturday
9:40 Girls’ 3200m Run Finals
9th Gabrielle Peterson, 12, Healdsburg 2nd 3200 10:32.53
10th Harper McClain, 10, St. Helena 3rd 3200 10:33.87
Top Seed: Sarah Shulze, Oak Park 10:26.6
With no trials these two are automatically in the finals but I’m sure they would have made it even with trials.
Gabby’s 10:25.15 at Arcadia showed she can run with the best here and McClain is still an unknown force who could surprise a lot of people.
Past Redwood Empire Top 8
1st Julia Stamps, Rincon Valley JH 10:26.51 1994
1st Julia Stamps, Santa Rosa 10:15.27 1995
1st Julia Stamps, Santa Rosa 10:15.17 1997
1st Sara Bei, Montgomery 10:31.06 1998
1st Sara Bei, Montgomery 10:11.11 2001
2nd Julia Stamps, Santa Rosa 10:15.13 1996
2nd Sara Bei, Montgomery 10:31.67 1999
2nd Sara Bei, Montgomery 10:34.84 2000
3rd Trina Cox, Santa Rosa 10:33.75 1998
3rd Shelby Leland, Ukiah 10:38.09 2003
4th Sherri Minkler, Analy 10:37.78 1985
4th Trina Cox, Santa Rosa 10:30.82 1997
4th Phyliss Blanchard, Rancho C. 10:41.83 2003
4th Jacque Taylor, Casa Grande 10:34.39 2007
5th Shelby Leland, Ukiah 10:44.68 2002
6th Shelby Leland, Ukiah 10:48.69 2004
7th Amber Trotter, Ukiah 10:50.22 2000
8th Trina Cox, Santa Rosa 11:03.00 1996