It is true, there were still some area athletes competing at the furthest fork in the road that the CIF Southern Section brackets will allow. One way leads home, and the other has CIF champion written all over it. Some local prep golf and track and field student athletes, as well as tennis and baseball and softball players, all still had a little left in the tank, so here are the updates from last week.
Great Oak senior Ryan Abuan finished in second place after shooting a round of 67 (7-under-par) during the CIF-SCGA state qualifier played at the Los Serranos Country Club’s South Course in Chino Hills last week. The future University of San Diego golfer was the only area golfer to advance to the CIF State Championship, which will take place Wednesday, May 31, at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach.
On the tennis courts there are no individual players from the local area still competing, and on the baseball and softball fields here is what is coming up:
The 2023 CIF State Regional championship brackets were released this past weekend. The first round started Tuesday, May 30, with the only semi local team, the Fallbrook Warriors, having a home playoff game vs. Peninsula (Rolling Hills Estates). The Regional Semifinals take place Thursday, June 1, and the Regional Championships will be Saturday, June 3. Fallbrook’s game is a part of the Division 4 tournament.
Round 1 for softball also started this week (Tuesday, May 30), but no local schools opted to play in. Great Oak and Liberty would have had the option, but it looks like they wanted to go out on top in the Southern Section and focus on end of the school year activities. The Regional Semifinals will take place Thursday, June 1, and the Regional Championships will be Saturday, June 3. All baseball and softball games are played at host sites.
Finally, the CIF State track and field finals took place in Clovis this past weekend at Buchanan High School. One local standout included Elsinore senior Daj’Eauna Williams who swept the triple jump events, reportedly making her the first state track and field champion in the 132-year history of the school.
While Orange Vista’s Kailah McKenzie did not win a state title, she still brought home medals in three events. McKenzie finished third in the 100 hurdles, fifth in the long jump and eighth in the high jump. It wasn’t an easy feat as she apparently had to race back and forth between the high jump and long jump, which took place at the same time.
BOYS RESULTS (Events with results from area athletes only)
200m: 6. Jason Deal (Paloma Valley) 21.38.
800m: 8. Tarron Johnson (Vista Murrieta) 1:54.23.
1,600m: 5. Westin Brown (Great Oak) 4:10.12; 10. Gabriel Rodriguez (Great Oak) 4:14.18.
Shot put: 9. Leland Godfrey (Chaparral) 56-4 3/4.
Triple jump: 4. Obi Nwafor (Vista Murrieta) 46-7 1/2; 6. Andrew Robinson (Great Oak) 45-10 3/4.
GIRLS RESULTS (Events with results from area athletes only)
400m: 5. Mercy Ehiemere (Orange Vista) 55.12.
1,600m: 8. Sofia Lieberman (Murrieta Valley) 4:48.02.
3,200: 1. Rylee Blade (Santiago) 10:02.19. Other Inland results: none.
100m hurdles: 3. Kailah McKenzie (Orange Vista) 13.89.
High jump: 8. Kailah McKenzie (Orange Vista) 5-4.
Pole vault: T9. Madisyn Negro (Murrieta Valley) 11-11.
Long jump: 5. Kailah McKenzie (Orange Vista) 19-9 1/2; 7; 8. Alyssa Alumbres (Vista Murrieta) 19-0 1/4.
Triple jump: 1. Daj’Eauna Williams (Elsinore) 40-7 1/4. Other Inland results: 5. Alyssa Alumbres (Vista Murrieta) 38-6 1/4.
JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.
