The three local Channel League high schools made their way down to Ventura on Thursday to compete in the Channel League championship meet.
The Royals, Dons and Chargers all came home with impressive showings, and plenty of CIF-SS prelim qualifiers to go along with it.
San Marcos
The Royals got a strong all-around performance from Logan Patterson Deakyne, who won the 400 meter, placed third in the 300 hurdles and anchored the second-place 4×400 relay team.
“Logan had a really great day,” San Marcos head coach Marilyn Hantgin said. “He ran three very tough races with not a lot of rest. Logan runs with a lot of heart and determination. He never gives less than his one hundred percent effort.”
He was joined by Miles Dentinger, Ashton Johnsen and Cole Heckman in the 4×400 to punch their ticket to the CIF-SS prelims.
TJ Deakyne advanced to the CIF-SS prelims with a second-place finish in the long jump and a third-place finish in the high jump.
“TJ has been battling an injury, but he was able to jump extremely well in the windy conditions down in Ventura,” Hantgin said.
Ethan Ball captured first place in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.92 seconds. Meanwhile, Dalton Shupe and RJ Robles finished first and second in the pole vault, respectively.
“Ethan is getting back on track after dealing with an injury, but he ran a pretty clean race, which is a great sign he will be ready to run much faster next weekend,” Hantgin said.
“[Shupe and Robles] both got their personal best jumps today. They have been improving almost every week. It’s been great to see such big improvements.”
Brody Green and Charlie Angeles rounded out the boys CIF qualifiers in the high jump and shot put, respectively.
As for the girls, Elsie Tuttle earned a spot in the CIF-SS prelims with a time of 5:22 in the 1,600-meter, good for second place.
“Elsie ran a very smart race today,” Hantgin said. “Our league is filled with many talented runners and Elsie ran a perfect race to qualify for CIF. Elsie has a bright future ahead for herself.
“Heading to CIF as a freshman is special. Most freshmen don’t get to experience CIF so early in their career.”
Ava Allen will also continue her season next weekend after throwing 31-2.25 in the shot put.
“Ava stepped up her game today,” Hantgin said. “She has been struggling lately, but she showed up today. I’m so happy for her as it is her senior year at SM.”
Santa Barbara High
Elina Stump had a stellar day for the Dons, taking first place in the long jump (16-6.25), triple jump (33-11) and 100-meter hurdles (15.41).
Meanwhile, Malachi Johnston took home a pair of league titles in the shot put and the discus with marks of 51-8 and 138-10, respectively. His shot put throw was a personal best.
Carter Battle won the boys high jump with a jump of 6-3, while Jazmin Amirfazlian Dennis took third in her high jump at 4-10.
Theo Harper and Julianna Aviani placed second in the boys and girls triple jump, respectively. Harper jumped a personal best of 41-11.5 while Aviani finished with a season best of 32-7.
Matthias Everest finished the 3,200-meter race in third place with a personal best time of 9:28.69.
“The conditions were challenging today for a variety of reasons,” Santa Barbara High head coach Olivia Perdices said. “Cold, wind, and some less than ideal setups on the field. Today was more about places and qualifying for CIF than it was about marks. These kids really stepped up to the challenge.”
Dos Pueblos
The Chargers had a successful day as a team, combining for 39 personal records and nine CIF-SS prelims qualifications.
“Our kids gave it all they had,” Dos Pueblos head coach David Jackson said. “Their coaches and I are proud of our student-athletes for all the heart and commitment they showed under adverse conditions.
“They supported and pushed each other all season. So it’s no surprise that’s how they competed today. We’re looking forward to seeing more of that next weekend at Ontario for CIF Prelims.”
Cullen Gully led the way with a first-place finish in the 1,600-meter race with a time of 4:34.42. He was followed by teammates Owen Abbott and Phil Contakes in second and third, making it a Charger sweep of the event.
Gully also qualified for the CIF-SS prelims in the 800-meter with a personal-record time of 1:58.80. The girls 4×100 relay team of Tabitha Weller, Hazel Burgess, Lucia Riley and Clehann Howard also finished in the top three to move on.
The other CIF qualifiers for Dos Pueblos were Eamon Gordon (3,200, 9:23.84), Julia VanDeVeier (pole vault, 10-0), Luna Gnagy (pole vault, 9-0), Kaley Orquiola (15-11.5) and Burgess (200, 26.29).