April 8-9, 2005

June 17-18, 2005

Mens 100 -- 6:34 p.m.

-- The meet record is 10.38 and we have a few who could take a stab at it under ideal conditions! North Carolinian J-Mee Samuels (Mt. Tabor HS, Winston-Salem) is America's leading returnee this spring after a sensational 10.25 legal clocking last summer, with the University of Arkansas-signed dasher eager to return to Los Angeles after a third-place finish (behind phenomenal former meet MVP Xavier Carter of Florida) two years ago! Jamere Holland of Woodland Hills Taft dropped the jaws of onlookers while blasting a nation-leading 10.40 at the Pasadena Games two weeks back, with the City Section workhorse confronting fellow San Fernando Valley talents Rodney Glass and Cary Harris (both of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame), and Randle Harris of Crespi as well as Fresno Edison speedburner Joe Turner. Nationly Junior Olympic talents Marc LaTouche (Pickering HS, Ontario, Canada) and Isaiah Green (Long Beach Poly) are two others with glistening credentials!

Mens 200 -- 8:50 p.m.

Taft's Jamere Holland sent his season into overdrive at the nearby Pasadena Games in late March, torquing it up for a huge victory in a nation-leading 21.15 that had the spectators howling! Now Holland takes on North Carolina speed demon J-Mee Samuels, who ended the 2004 campaign as Amercia's best short sprinter by late summer. Both Holland and Samuels boast tremendous getaways from the blocks, with California Central Section star Joe Turner (Fresno Edison) aiming to rell them in after posting a blistering 20.8 hand clocking in Week 2. Long Beach Poly's age-group national 400m champion, Bryshon Nellum, is also in the clash here, along with UCLA-signed talent Alex Pearlstone and Canadian Juniors finalist Marc LaTouche (21.75)

Mens 400 -- 7:31 p.m.

Two-time defending state one-lap champion David Gettis of Dorsey faces off with prep newcomer phenom Bryshon Nellum of Long Beach Poly in a quest for early bragging rights to carry the moniker as America's fastest long sprinter this spring. Gettis toured the oval in 46.39 to win the L.A. City Section title as a junior last year, while Nellum ripped a stunning 47.27 9th-grade clocking in winning the Junior Olympics competition last summer. A plethora of Golden State speed fills the key lanes here, with Dominguez star D'Andre Hall and Taft speedster Elijah Wells facing Tennessee's Bryan Webb (Beardnen HS) for the medals positions. Age-hroup standouts Marcel Keeling (Serra, Gardena) and Zach Chandy (Sage Hill) are other big names on tap.

Mens 800 -- 6:50 p.m.
The highly anticipated two-lap challenge takes on an international flavor as Canadian Junior Championships medalist Ryan Finn (1:50.1, Pickering HS, Ontario province) crosses the border to challenge New Mexico workhorse Cody Harper (Albuquerque Academy, 1:51.80 at the City Championships), Virginia's Brian Fussell (Hayfield HS, 1:52.28 in Junior Olympic competition last summer), New York Syosset's Sean Tully (1:52.55 and part of the school's national recordsetting 4x800m indoor relay team), and Californians Josh Castaneda (Bonita HS) and Ryan Gamboa (Uplan HS) and a host of others. Castaneda (lifetime-best 1:52.72 at the 2004 Southern Section Masters Meet) was the runaway heat winner in open competition at Arcadia last year, then tried sneaking into the night meet hours later. No sneaking this time... he's earned his spot in 2005! Gamboa ranked as America's #2 frosh in this event last year with a sizzling 1:53.07 effort at the Masters Meet.

Mens Mile -- 6:00 p.m.
The big question looming here is just how many of the big names will actualyll take part in the grueling "distance double" at Arcadia. FootLocker cross-country national champion Ken Cormier (Douglas HS, Arizona) and reigning California state 1600m champion Mark Matusak (4:10.71/1600, Loyola HS, Los Angeles) are in the field, but are scheduled in the mind-blowing two-mile affair in late evening as well! El Toro's Brandon Bethke (4:09.73/1600) is the Golden State's other headlining entry, with the Southern Section Division I champion penned to attend the famed University of Wisconsin program in the fall. New York-based 11th-grade star Dan McManamon (Shenendehowa HS) has weathered recent injuries to catch many off guard with a fine 4:13.24 mile effort at the National Scholastic Indoor Championships last month! New Mexico's Cody Harper, an 800m specialist, posted a fine race-from-the-front 4:14.67 effort at the recent Nike Indoor Nationals in Maryland, while nearby talent Luis Medina (Arroyo HS, El Monte) has already run a superb 4:14 for 1600 meters this spring! Keep your eye on Utah's Jared Rohatinsky (Provo HS, Utah), an exceptional highlands-based talent who has posted fine altitude-affected efforts in his career.

Mens 2-Mile -- 8:57 p.m.
Arcadia is home to America's fastest two-mile races (the top three all-time U.S. races in terms of depth have occurred here), with 2005 sure to add to the lore. Defending champion Andrew Bumbalough (Brentwood Academy, TN) moved into the national spotliht with a great 8:49.87 effort here last time, with cross-country national champ Kenny Cormier (Douglas HS, AZ) arriving in search of the same dramatic improvement that closed out his hill-and-dale campaign last fall. Mega-tough Eastern talent Chris Barnicle (Newton North HS, MA) makes his Arcadia debut, with the popular talent clocking 8:50.8 for the full deuce last May. California state 3200 champion Yosef Ghebray (James Logan HS) and 1600m champ Mark Matusak (Loyola HS) -- both UC Berkeley-signed products along with Redwood's Jake Schmitt -- are two other All-Americans in the fray, with a total of 15 entrants boasting previous FootLocker Nationals experience. The race spills over with endless talent from 11 states, including Washington's Laef Barnes, North Carolina's Sandy Roberts, Florida's Justin Harbor, Jeremy Criscione and Bryan Sharkey, and a ton of others. Get ready for a barnburner!

Mens 110m High Hurdles -- 6:14 p.m.
America's finest hurdler takes on America's finest athlete and America's premier sophomore in a hotly contested showdown race over the barriers! UCLA-bound senior Kevin Craddock of James Logan HS (Union City) clocked a state meet record 13.39 in winning the California title last June, with the lanky superstar sidelined by a hamstring injury for much of the spring thus far. If healthy, Craddock will have his hands full against California HS (San Ramon) junior David Klech, who has posted a series of sensational all-around marks (see high jump and intermediate hurdles previews) including a 14.28 effort at the recent Stanford Invitational! Diamond Ranch's Terry Prentice has been another quiet headliner thus far in 2005 after just missing taking down Craddock's state frosh record last spring! Prentice was timed in a lifetime-best 14.33 at last year's state meet. West Covina's Walter Thurmond III is the stellar local entry, posting a series of performances in the low 14-second range thus far.

Mens 300m Intermediate Hurdles -- 7:59. p.m.
Kevin Craddock has already established himself as among the greatest prep hurdlers of all time with his brilliant 35.93 performance a year ago, with the James Logan HS star now taking dead aim on George Porter's 35.32 national record set while attending Lompoc HS in 1985. Craddock's technique and budding strength have proved too much for his rivals to match, with Ohio's Mike Mickens (Huber Heights HS) being his prime challenger this weekend off a personal-best 37.48 effort last year. California San Ramon's David Klech will be sporting the knee-high orange socks this weekend, looking to defy logic of harnessing tremendous versatility in and along the oval. Klech busted out a fine 37.79 performance last month, leaving him just .04 seconds behind Diamond Ranch star Terry Prentice's best from the 2004 state meet!

Mens 4x100 Relay -- 5:39 p.m.
A trio of sub-42.00 teams fill the staggers here, with perennial power Long Beach Poly assuming the favorite's spot in the middle lane thanks to preseason all-state talents Isaiah Greene, Bryshon Nellum, Vincent Joseph and Travon Patterson combining their talents! The squad rolled to a state-leading 41.31 clocking at last weekend's Trabuco Hills Invitational, opening temporary daylight between themselves and Central Section power Fresno Edison (led by all-state talent Joe Turner) and Woodland Hills Taft (paced by Elijah Wells and Jamere Holland). Dorsey has the speed (David Gettis, Courtney Williams, Marquis Charles) to contend as well, with a key for all teams here being the ability to safely tote the aluminum cylinder safely through the exchange zones!

Mens 4x400 Relay -- 9:49 p.m.
The meet will close down in heart-thumping style as some of the nation's finest sprint squads lay it all on the line! Dorsey tangled with main nemesis Dominguez in relay action (both timed in 3:16) early this season), with Gardena Serra returning three (including Marcel Keeling) from a crew timed in 3:15.21 at last year's state meet! Long Beach Poly has All-American candidates Bryshon Nellum (a reigning Junior Olympics national champion) and Isaiah Green on board, while always-dangerous Taft is led by Elijah Wells. Depthwise, this could be one of the finest relay showdowns the state has seen in years!

Mens Distance Medley Relay -- 9:12 p.m.
East meets West in a baton barnburner where regional bragging rights will definitely be up for grabs! Form the East, the cavalcade of quality teams includes New York powers Shenendehowa (anchored by 4:14 miler Dan McManamon) of Clifton Park, Ridgewood, Monsignor Farrell, and Shaker, with the latter setting the #2 mark all-time indoors at 4x800 recently! From the West, state cross-country team champion Royal (paced by 12th-grader Dylan Jaedtke), DMR megapower Don Lugo (headed by senior Fitsum Tesfa) and Inland Empire juggrnaut Murrieta Valley are joined by rising force La Sierra of Riverside (featuring the Knight Twins and senior Adam Sidoti) in healping co-headline one of the most talented yet wide-open races on the weekend docket!

Mens Long Jump -- 5:30 p.m.
Serra High's Marcel Keeling spanned 24-5 a year ago to rank as the leading returnee in the Goldn State and #3 in America for this outdoor season, with Washington area talent Rashaad Toussaint and Fresno Bullard rising standout Cordarrian Cooper (both with 24-foot leaps to their credit) helping give this event fien depth! Rio Mesa's Rex Bridgeforth, at one point feared lost for a while after injury, has returned on a hot streak and will challenge here!
Also keep an eye on James Logan's Nkosinza Balumbu, who recently bounded a nation-leading 52-4 in triple jump action!

Mens Triple Jump -- 7:30 p.m.
Nkosinza Balumbu of James Logan HS grabbed the national spotlight with a stunning 52-04 effort in winning the Oakland Relays last weekend, with the Northern California star no doubt playing a key role this Spring if the Colts are to successfully defend their statewide team championship! Balumbu's meteoric improvement has tabbed him as the solid favorite here, with Colorado state champion Brent Byrd (48-3.75 at Harrison HS) and Fresno Edison's Charles Amadi also courting 48-foot-plus credentials!

Mens High Jump -- 7:15 p.m.
David Klech has been the hot new name beginning to surface on the national lists, with his recent 7-00.75 clearance in the high jump being coupled with a 24-7.75 leap on the long jump and national-class clockings in the barrier races! Perhaps one of America's next great decathletes, Klech aims to "raise the bar" against the likes of Long Beach Poly's Donn Thompson Jr. (6-10 indoors this winter) , San Diego La Jolla's Nathan Gwozdz (it's in the bloodlines, with his father reportedly being a 7-5 high jumper on the European circuit back in his prime) and Vintage's Carlyle Fletcher III (with a personal best 6-9). Athletes take their cracks at a new PR on Arcadia High's newly installed D-ring aprons, with the better footing no doubt a big plus for performers here!

Mens Pole Vault -- 5:45 p.m.
California has led the way on the pole vault scene this Spring, with many of the nation's best 2005 marks coming from Golden State athletes. Southlander Derek Scott of Oceanside El Camino leads the nation with a 16-8 effort already this season, with Granite Bay teammates Scott Roth and Ryan Shuler (both former California state champions) already at 16-6 in the opening month of the season. National Scholastic Indoor Championships winner Brian Duggan of New York-based Monsignor Farrell has scaled 16-2 undercover this winter to lead the out-of-state contingent, with Nevada's Jordan Savidge (Scotts Valley HS) and Granite Hills' Scott Finley among the other national-class performers set to burn up the runway!

Mens Shot Put -- 6:15 p.m.
Pennsylvania's Ryan Whiting has been blowing the doors off the competition at meets across the nation in recent months, with the Arizona State-bound talent heaving a stunning 68-11 effort at the recent state indoor championships in recording one of the finest marks in the last 15 years! Whiting arrives here as the heavy favorite, although Danny Rohr of California throws factory Arroyo Grande and Aaron Dan of the powerhouse Esperanza throws program are other accomplished 60-footers here. Arcadia has played host to some of America's all-time great throwers, with Whiting seemingly ready to prominently add himself to that list!

Mens Discus -- 4 p.m.
The platter action is really picking up in recent weeks, with Arroyo Grande's Danny Rohr being the latest to top the national charts with a sensational 202-0 tape measure job last weekend! Before that, it was Mayfair's Cameron Carter that headlined the national lists with a 194-4 sling in early March, with Pennsylvania's Ryan whiting (Central Dauphin HS) boasting a personal best in thr 195-foot range a year ago. With the right-quartering winds expected to pick up yet again during the late-afternoon hours, look for some great marks here! Keep in mind that the last two national records on the boys' side -- including Niklas Arrhenius' monstrous 234-3 effort here in 2001 -- have come right here at Arcadia!