Servite's ‘Fab Four' show their blazing speed at state track and field prelims
Servite's boys' 4x100-meter relay team, consisting of freshmen Jace Wells, Jaelen Hunter, Kamil Pelovello and Jorden Wells got Friday's CIF State Track and Field Championships off to a blazing start by winning the first heat in 40.28 seconds and earning the top qualifying time — not bad for the foursome's first go around the oval.
Robert Gardner ran the anchor leg behind Jace Wells, Hunter and Pelovello six days earlier when the Friars clocked 40.40 to win the Southern Section Masters Meet and fellow sophomore Benjamin Harris joined Jorden Wells, Hunter and Gardner when Servite set a state and meet record at the Arcadia Invitational in April.
Friday was all about the 'youth movement.' They left Veterans Memorial Stadium at Buchanan High believing that they could return Saturday to break the state meet record of 40.24 set by Hawthorne in 1989.
'This is the first time that all four of us have been in the same relay,' Hunter said. 'We're going after the record tomorrow.'
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame won Heat 2 in 40.83, the second-fastest time.
Hunter showed why he's the fastest freshman in the country one hour later when he looked like he was saving his energy for the finals even while winning his 400-meter heat in 47.43, the third-fastest prelims time behind Temecula Valley senior Jack Stadlman (46.99) and Culver City's Duaine Mayrant (47.38).
Jace Wells clocked a personal-best to win his 200 meters heat in 21.03 while Stadlman (21 flat), Antrell Harris (21.14) and Leo Francis (21.16) from Santa Margarita also advanced to the finals ahead of USC-bound RJ Sermons of Rancho Cucamonga, who raced Nicolas Obimga of Torrance head-to-head at 11 p.m. for the last qualifying spot after they tied to the thousandth of a second for ninth.
Sermons won by 20 hundredths in 21.11 with the stadium empty to secure his spot in the finals.
'I've never been in a run-off before,' Sermons said, shaking his head. 'I had a bad start the first time. No one to blame but me.'
Servite capped its impressive day by winning its 4x400 meters heat in 3 minutes 10.94 seconds, holding off Cathedral (3:11.13) for the second-fastest qualifying time behind Long Beach Poly (3:10.70).
Maintenance crews will be working overnight trying remove the scorch marks on the track after the boys' 100 meters. All nine sprinters to advance to Saturday's finals clocked 10.51 or under led by De La Salle junior Jaden Jefferson, whose wind-legal 10.01 bettered the California record of 10.14 by Rodrick Pleasant of Gardena Serra in 2022. Second in the heat was Obimga (10.20) and third was City Section champion Antrell Harris of Birmingham, giving a single heat the first, second and fourth-fastest times in the state this year.
USC-bound RJ Sermons of Rancho Cucamonga bounced back from a subpar Masters race, where he finished fourth in 10.47, to win his heat in 10.40 and Demare Dezeurn, who repeated as Masters champion in 10.35 seconds, also topped his heat Friday in 10.43. Benjamin Harris won Heat 4 in 10.49.
'Today was all about qualifying for finals, said Dezeurn, a 10th-grader from Alemany. 'It's great competition. I have to go hard tomorrow. If I can beat him at the start I can beat him in the race. He [Jefferson] is good, though. Seeing those times just makes me love the game even more. I want to prove I belong here. I run to win!'
Carson's Christina Gray anchored the Colts' 4x100 relay, which posted the fastest qualifying time (46.16) while Journey Cole's late kick on the anchor leg in Heat 2 allowed Redondo Union (46.33) to clip last year's state champion Oaks Christian, which posted the same time (46.39) as Long Beach Poly. Gray followed with a personal-best 11.47 in the 100, beating Chaparral's Keelan Wright by two hundredths of a second for second in her heat.
Calabasas sophomore Malia Rainey yelled 'C'mon' after winning her heat in a personal-best 11.57 while teammate Marley Scoggins won Heat 4 in 11.67. Wright bounced back to post the best time (23.58) in the 200 while Gray finished second in 23.71, the second-fastest time and much swifter than her 24.62 at City Finals.
'In the 100 I had a great start, now I just have to work on the finish,' Gray said. 'It's still a great time for me. I'm feeling pretty good, there was no negative wind and winning the relay gave me confidence as I was feeling doubtful before that but after the 4x100 I knew I'd do well the rest of the day.
Reigning discus champion Aja Johnson Sherman Oaks Notre Dame struggled Friday but secured the 12th and last finals spot with an effort of 139 feet 3 inches. Camarillo's Trinity Tipton was the top qualifier at 152-06. The 2023 shot put state champion, Johnson was the top qualifier Friday at 45-05, beating Aliso Niguel's Jaslene Massey by six inches.
Transgender athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley was the leading qualifier in the girls' long jump (19-11.75), triple jump (40-09.75) and high jump (5-05.00).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
U.S. Amateur leaderboard updates, what you need to know about Saturday's semifinals
And then there were four. The 2025 U.S. Amateur at The Olympic Club in San Francisco is down to the semifinals. The final four survivors are closing in on victory in one the premiere men's amateur event in the world. During Friday's quarterfinals, the local favorite was able to ride momentum late again and win in 19 holes, the 63 seed advanced into the semifinals and more. By Saturday night, we'll know who the final two players are with a chance to win the Havemeyer Trophy, and we'll also know the players who earned likely invitations to the 2026 Masters and exemptions into the 2026 U.S. Open. Get everything you need to know about the Saturday semis right here at the 125th U.S. Amateur. U.S. Amateur 2025 leaderboard Click here to follow scores from the U.S. Amateur. What are the semifinals matchups? All times ET 2 p.m.: No. 49 Niall Shiels Donegan vs. No. 37 Jackson Herrington 2:20 p.m.: No. 63 Mason Howell vs. No. 11 Eric Lee Where to watch the 2025 U.S. Amateur on TV, streaming All times ET Watch Golf Channel for free on Fubo Where does Olympic Club rank by Golfweek's Raters? Olympic Club is private and has a 9-hole course called the Cliffs as well as two 18-holers: Lake and Ocean. It's the Lake Course where all match-play action is taking place. The Lake Course is ranked 43rd in the Golfweek's Best 2025: Top 200 Classic Courses in the U.S. list and it's No. 8 in California in the Golfweek's Best 2025: Top private golf courses in every state list. U.S. Amateur format Every player in the field competed in 36 holes of stroke play on Monday and Tuesday, where the field was cut to the low 64 players for match play, which started on Wednesday. A 20-for-17 playoff was needed to to determine the 64 players. Then, it was the Round of 64 on Wednesday, the Round of 32 and Round of 16 on Thursday and now we're at the quarterfinals on Friday. The semifinals are Saturday and the 36-hole championship final is set for Sunday. What does the winner of U.S. Amateur get? U.S. Amateur ticket information Fans must purchase tickets to attend the U.S. Amateur. For more information, click here.
San Francisco Chronicle
7 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Jaguars are taking a cautious approach with 2-way star Travis Hunter in preseason game at the Saints
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars plan to be cautious with two-way star Travis Hunter in their preseason game at New Orleans on Sunday. Although coach Liam Coen said Saturday that starters would play against the Saints, the Jaguars declined to commit to getting Hunter on the field after he sustained an upper-body injury during a scrimmage Thursday. Hunter is expected to go through pregame warmups inside the Superdome before the team determines his playing status. The Heisman Trophy winner was held out of a walk-through Friday as a precaution. He was on the field for the hourlong session and carried a play-calling sheet while following the action closely. Hunter played on offense and defense, totaling 18 snaps, in Jacksonville's preseason opener against Pittsburgh last Saturday. He also played both ways during a sloppy scrimmage five days later before crashing hard to the ground while defending a deep pass late. The scrimmage included 10 penalty flags, at least seven dropped passes, an interception and a few more balls that nearly got picked. It was the kind of performance that surely factored into Coen's decision to get his starters — including quarterback Trevor Lawrence — back on the field against the Saints. 'That's fatigue,' Coen said. 'That's lack of concentration when you're getting fatigued and tired. Every time we come out, they go hard.' Hunter was one of 10 players held out of practice this week because of injuries, joining right guard Chuma Edoga, right tackle Anton Harrison, defensive lineman Arik Armstead, defensive lineman Maason Smith, offensive lineman Cole Van Lanen, safety Caleb Ransaw, linebacker Jalen McLeod and cornerbacks Tyson Campbell and Montaric Brown. ___
USA Today
9 hours ago
- USA Today
USC football countdown to kickoff—Drake London in focus
The countdown to USC's 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 15 days from today. You need something to help you while away the days and hours in the spring and summer. This is one way to do so. In this new series, countdown to kickoff, we will be counting down the days by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number. Today, we look at former USC wide receiver Drake London. Position: Wide receiver Years played at USC: 2019-2021 Career highlights: Despite entering a crowded USC receiver room featuring Michael Pittman Jr., Tyler Vaughns, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Velus Jones Jr., London earned immediate playing time as a true freshman in 2019. He finished that season with 39 catches for 567 yards and three touchdowns. In the COVID-shortened season the following year, he caught 33 passes for 502 yards and three scores in just six games. As a junior in 2021, London became the Trojans' go-to option in the passing game. He came out on fire and appeared to be on his way to breaking numerous USC receiving records, before an ankle injury against Arizona sadly ended his season prematurely. Despite playing just 7.5 games, London racked up 88 receptions for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns. For his performance, he was named the Pac-12 offensive player of the year. After USC: Following USC's 2021 season, London declared for the 2022 NFL Draft, where the Atlanta Falcons selected him with the eighth overall pick. After two solid seasons in his first two years in the league, London broke out in 2024. He finished last season with 100 catches for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns. London enters the 2025 season as one of the top young receivers in the NFL. He should once again be the go-to option for Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. this fall.
