Last updated 4/14/20
100m Top Performances
Vallejo’s Al Williams is the areas first known 100 star.
He won the 1932 North Coast Section Meet of Champions 100 yard dash in 10.1 seconds and then placed 5th at the state meet that year.
Santa Rosa High’s Delbert Butler is our first known sprinter to break the 10 second barrier running 9.9 in 1934. Sonoma Valley’s Ben Scribner tied that mark in 1936.
In 1937 Petaluma’s Kenneth Battaglia won the NCS MOC in 10.2.
Calistoga’s Bob (Butch) Paris lowered the Redwood Empire Record to 9.7 in 1949.
Then along came one of the Redwood Empires greatest stars, Montgomery’s Mel Gray.
As a sophomore in 1965 he would win the North Bay League 100 in a new meet record 9.9 seconds.
He would become one of only two NBL runners to ever win three 100 titles taking 1966 in 9.8 and 1967 running a wind aided 9.4 in the trials before taking the finals in a wind legal 9.5.
His senior year he won the California State Meet in record time.
Gray ran four 100 yard races of 9.4 in 1967. All equaled the National High School record and the last, at the State Meet, broke the California State Meet record.
As a junior he broke the Redwood Empire Record running 9.6.
His 9.4’s are equal to about 10.54 for 100 meters.
Of all the 100’s under All Conditions for the Redwood Empire, Gray has the seven fastest ever run.
The Empire’s next greatest sprinter ever was Piner’s James Burrell.
As a junior Burrell would win the 1976 NCS MOC in 9.9 followed by a 7th place finish at state in 10.3 -7.6.
His senior year he would again win the 1977 NCS MOC in 9.7 followed by a 6th place finish at state in 9.86 +4.4.
Although high school races were all still run in yards back then Burrell competed in some Invitationals that ran 100 meters.
In 1976 he ran a metric 10.6 for a Redwood Empire Record, then in 1977 ran a wind legal 10.69 to better it.
That mark is still the Empires full 100 meter record and even figuring a maximum +2.0 wind the mark is equal to a wind adjusted 10.81, also the fastest ever in the Empire.
Of all the 100’s under All Conditions for the Redwood Empire, Burrell has 16 of the fastest 41 races ever run, an Empire best.
Montgomery’s Steve Gullickson became the only other NBL runner, besides Gray, to win three titles,
1977 10.0, 1978 9.9, 1979 9.8.
The NCS & CIF finals changed from 100 yards to 100 meters for the 1980 season. Our local meets did not switch until 1981.
In 1987 Casa Grande’s Marcell Lawson won the NCS MOC in 10.7.
In 1990 Kelseyville’s James Robinson won the NCS MOC in 10.87 and had a PR of 10.85.
At the 1995 NCS MOC finals Rancho Cotate’s Chris Stevens would run a time of 11.09 into a negative -1.8 wind giving him, what is today still, the fourth fastest wind adjusted time ever at 10.94.
Sonoma Valley’s Demario Glemann ended his career with four of the top 60 All Condition marks ever.
His 10.94 +1.6 4/30/05 at the SacMOC is the #14 fastest wind adjusted time ever at 11.05.
Santa Rosa’s Maurice Whitlock has 3 of the 38 fastest Fully Automatic times (FAT) and two of the four fastest ever wind legal times.
His 10.92 +1.1 at the 2007 state meet is equal to the 8th fastest wind adjusted time ever at 10.99.
Healdsburg’s Dante Fountain is Sonoma County Leagues only three time winner,
2007 11.20, 2008 10.9 and 2009 10.94 equal to the meet record.
He produced one of the best series of races including, three of the top 60 All Condition marks, 5 fastest 44 FAT and 4 fastest 37 wind legal marks.
His best wind adjusted race is the 13th best ever at 11.04 (11.03 +0.2) from the 2009 NCS MOC meet.
Healdsburg’s Thomas Kozel also produced a number a fast races including, three of the fastest 48 FAT and 3 fastest 22 wind legal marks.
His best wind adjusted race is the 11th best ever at 11.02 (10.94 +1.2) from the 2010 NCS MOC finals.
Rancho Cotate’s David Forman also produced a number a fast races including, three fastest 52 FAT times and an Empire record six fastest 42 wind legal marks.
His best wind adjusted race is the 12th best ever at 11.03 (11.10 -0.9) from the 2012 NCS Redwood Regionals.
Maria Carrillo’s Herbie Polk was a 400 runner who dropped down to the 100 for the 2013 Viking Classic.
In that race he ran a wind adjusted =6th best ever at 10.98 (10.83 +2.4 5th All-Time FAT).
Ukiah’s Hugh Pegan ran the number five wind adjusted race ever at 10.95 (11.01 -0.8) at the 2014 NCS MOC meet.
He had 4 of the fastest 40 FAT ever and 5 of the fastest 29 wind legal ever.
El Molino’s Lani Gaspar ran an Emptre record seven of the fastest 52 FAT marks ever and five fastest 27 wind legal marks.
For wind adjusted marks only Burrell’s record run is faster than Gaspar’s 2015 Stanford prelims time of (10.81 +1.6) which is our number two mark ever at an adjusted 10.91.
Cardinal Newman’s Tommy Streb ran an NBL wind legal meet record in 2015 of 10.97.
That’s a wind adjusted race of =6th best ever at 10.98 (10.97 +0.2). In that same race Maria Carrillo’s Ian Herculson ran number ten wind adjusted race ever at 11.01 (11.00 +0.2 ).
The 2015 season produced seven runners at 11.13 or faster to be our fastest year ever.
Montgomery’s Jaymes Tischbern ran five of the fastest 48 FAT ever and an Empire record six fastest 45 wind legal marks.
His 2017 Viking Classic win in (10.85 +2.2) is the number eight wind adjusted mark at 10.99.
Maria Carrillo’s Severin Ramirez 2017 NBL win at 11.09 +0.6 and his 2018 win at 11.42 -3.6 gives him a shot a being only the third three time NBL winner of this event. His 2018 NBL trials time of 10.94 +1.4 is the NBL FAT meet record.
His (11.03 -1.3) mark at the 2018 NCS MOC finals is the number three wind adjusted mark ever at 10.93 behind Burrell’s and Gaspar’s.
The 2018 season was our area’s second fastest season ever with seven runners at 11.14 or faster.
Santa Rosa High and Montgomery have the most 100 meter runners to run 11.04 or faster with six each.
Evolution of Redwood Empire 100 Record
100 yds
9.9 Delbert Butler, Santa Rosa 1934
9.9 Ben Scribner, Sonoma Valley 1936
9.7 Bob (Butch) Paris, Calistoga 1949
9.7 Willie Harrison, Hogan 1963
9.6 Mel Gray, Montgomery 3/22/66 dual at Hogan
9.5 Mel Gray, Montgomery 4/22/67 Santa Rosa Relays
9.5 Mel Gray, Montgomery 5/6/67 NBL I finals
9.5 Mel Gray, Montgomery 5/13/67 NBL combine
9.4 Mel Gray, Montgomery 5/6/67 NBL I trials windy 5 mph = to 10.54 100 meters
9.4 Mel Gray, Montgomery 5/20/67 NCS 3A
9.4 Mel Gray, Montgomery 6/3/67 State finals
9.4 Mel Gray, Montgomery 6/17/67 Golden West Invitational
100 m
10.6 James Burrell, Piner 1976
10.69 James Burrell, Piner 1977, wind legal
Top 50 Empire 100 runners
Class records
NBL Champions
SCL Champions
CMC Champions
Best years for the event
State Meet Top Places
1st Mel Gray, Montgomery 9.4y 1967
5th Al Williams, Vallejo 1932
6th James Burrell, Piner 9.86y 1977, w+4.4
7th James Burrell, Piner 10.3y 1976, w-7.6
North Coast Section Meet of Champions by school
Casa Grande
1987 Marcell Lawson, 10.7
Kelseyville
1990 James Robinson, 10.87
Petaluma
1937 Kenneth Battaglia, 10.2y
Piner
1976 Jim Burrell, 9.9y
1977 Jim Burrell, 9.7y
Vallejo
1933 Al Williams, 10.1y
compiled by Jim Crowhurt