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Carroll stuns with 10.30 legal for 100M!
Cathedral HS senior posts fastest legal California time since 1992!
| By Rich Gonzalez
Editor, DyeStatCal
(May 7, 2009) Hold on to your hats, everyone -- the level of California male sprinting has
just been torqued up a few notches!
Cathedral High senior Randall Carroll blasted down the straightaway to record the fastest
legal 100-meter time in California in 17 years last night, roaring to a wind-legal 10.30 seconds,
the fastest time in the nation this year, at the Del Rey League Finals at Serra High,
 Carroll, the defending state 100m and 200m champion,
relied on a strong getaway and controlled speed before
reportedly easing slightly the last 10 meters. The wind was
measured at +1.7 meters per second.
Carroll's time was the third-fastest wind legal mark in
state history, trailing only the state record 10.25 achieved
by Henry "The Heat" Thomas of Hawthorne way back in
1985 and the 10.29 effort by Compton's Ricky Carrigan
in 1991. It matches the 10.30 clockings by Southwest
of San Diego's Riley Washington from 1992 and by
eventual Olympian Quincy Watts of Woodland Hills Taft
from 1987, with the latter mark achieved at altitude.
Carroll's performance in the short dash was the main
highlight in a litany or great marks. Carroll also ran 21.06
legal (+1.6) in the 200, with plenty of speed to spare.
Serra won the boys 4x100 in 41.15, the fastest time
in the state this year. Cathedral, which was plagued by bad
handoffs throughout, was second in a seasonal best 41.74.
Additionally, Cathedral (left, Greg Smotherman photo)
ran 3:18 and change in the meet-ending 4x400 relay, where
Carroll ran 49-point, with two teammates (including Kevin
Ally, 48.1 out of the blocks) running faster splits.
The fast times now make the early- and mid-season
injuries that plagued some of the Phantom sprinters a distant
memory. Among those injuries was Carroll being sidelined
with a twisted ankle after horseplay one day. Others have
been injured as well, including the recent ankle sprain to
one of its promising sophomore dashers earlier this week.
"It was a blessing in many ways," said Cathedral sprints coach Roosevelt Ivory, in his second
year as the Cathedral sprints coach after previous coaching stints, including at Santa Monica
College (under Tommy Smith) and at Marymount during the early part of its heydays.
"Those injuries kept us from doing too many races and putting too much pounding on the legs.
We'd liked to have been in some of those (missed) races, but too many races (is a trap)."
Cathedral, with high-level performances in four events now (100, 200, 4x100, 4x400) now
becomes a key player in the state team title hunt. Their short relay team only ran together for the
second time this year because of injuries and the sloppy exchanges on Thursday revealed clear
room for improvement.
Regarding Carroll's upside, Ivory predicted a 10.24 by season's end "on a good day" where
everything falls into place. Carroll mentioned wanting to go '20-point' at prelims; Ivory shot back
that there's no need for that in a prelim meet. When Ivory first arrived at the school last year, he
viewed ample footage of Carroll and declared the then-junior would win state 100 and 200 titles
by the end of the year.
"He looked at me and thought I was crazy," Ivory recalled. "But he looked so good, the talent
was there. ... Now he's bought into the program and he knows how good he can be. He's seen
the message boards and heard the talk about this and that, all the skeptics and all... He's not
thinking football (he's signed to UCLA as a running back) right now. He's focused on track."
The coach also mentioned that Carroll's best remaining shot for a fast time at a Southern
California venue would be at CIF-SS Finals at Cerritos College on May 23rd, mostly because of
the afternoon hours and the greater chance for accompanying warm weather. At the Southern
Section Masters Meet (Friday night, May 29th), the cool weather typically hinders sprint times.
And his thoughts about likely having very warm weather in early June when the state meet
rolls into its new home in Clovis (near Fresno) for the first time?
"Oh I rrrreally love that," Ivory quickly quipped. "The warmer the better."
The Phantoms will be seeking both team and individual honors there.
"I always knew we'd be in contention (for a state team title) so long as we could avoid injuries,"
the coach added. "Now it's all coming together."
And coming together faster than we've seen in at least 17 years!
-------------------------
In other sprinting news... Dominguez long sprinter Leon
Dilihunt, the top 400-meter returnee in the state, will reportedly
compete in today's finals of the event at the San Gabriel Valley
League Finals despite being disqualified from that event at
prelims. It appears that Dilihunt (at left, Kirby Lee photo) was
entered to compete in both the 400 and 800 at prelims, but was
listed as a DQ in the 400 and a qualifer (at 2:04.20 in prelims)
for today's 800m league final. Although trying to still confirm
the situation, it appears the league's coaches may have some-
how voted him through to the final. ...
... From the Inland Valley League comes word that top
sprinter Greg Hornsby of Rancho Verde was disqualified for
a supposed false start in the prelims of the 100-meter dash,
ending his high school season in that event. The Mustangs
were counting on big points from Hornsby in the 100 in their
quest for postseason team hardware. ...
... We received a press release on Thursday from the
Adidas Classic pro meet (May 16 at the Home Depot Center
in Carson) that Jordan Hasay and Reggie Wyatt would both
be competing in the event. We were made aware by Hasay
 in the previous 24 hours of her intent to compete, but the
news of Wyatt competing was a shocker. Why? Well, the
adidas Classic is on the same day as the CIF-Southern
Section Division I Prelims at Mission Viejo's Trabuco Hills
High School.
According to one of the coaches at La Sierra, the intent
to compete at the Home Depot meet was news to them.
The team's plan, according to the assistant coach, was to
have Wyatt (at left) compete in the 400, 300IH, 200 and
4x400 at prelims. Trying both meets would have seemed
like a logistical nightmare. Then, within the last hour, we've
just received word from the adidas meet that Wyatt has
withdrawn his entry. Wyatt achived a nasty individual triple
(and likely did relay duty) on Thursday at the Inland Valley
League Finals, gonig 48.31 for 300, then 36.06 for 300IH
and then 21.81 for 200m!
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