Central Coast Section track begins with trials Saturday

The Serra track and field team came up short in winning the West Catholic Athletic League team title at the WCAL championships last weekend, with Bellarmine claiming the team title.

“I was really pleased with how the guys performed (at the WCAL championships),” said Serra head track coach Jim Marheineke.

But the Padres’ second-place showing means they should be in the mix for a Central Coast Section team title. At the very least, the Padres have a number of athletes who are among the favorites to win section titles.

But Marheineke said the emphasis is on the individual and if at the end of the meet, the points add up, he’ll certainly take a CCS team title as well.

“We focus more on the individual (at this point of the season) and then see how the points stack up,” Marheineke said. “For me, it’s easier to focus on the individual events than putting pressure on them to win the team title. Then they start pressing.”

But first is the quest to qualify for the finals and that begins Saturday at the CCS trials at Gilroy High School. The championships are May 20, also at Gilroy.

Note that the seeding times and distances posted on the CCS website are numbers that were posted at the various league championships. The numbers are not based on an athlete’s best performance of the year.

Thus, you have Menlo’s Justin Pretre, one of the top middle-distance runners in the country, being seeded third in both the 800 and the 1,600. Pretre has the fastest time in the section in the 800 this season, a 1:52.98, set at the Stanford Invitational April 1, which is nearly three seconds faster than the second-fastest time.

But in the WBAL championship, Pretre won the 800 in a time of 1:57.82, which is his seeding time for CCS and is behind Homestead’s Evan Gardner, who posted a 1:56.71 at the Blossom Valley Athletic League championships.

But make no mistake, Pretre is a favorite for both the 800 and 1,600 titles at CCS.

In Serra’s signature event, the 4x400 — yes, the Padres have a signature event — the team of Jaxon Igtanloc, Dylan Joudieh, Jaden Green and Parker Harrison are seeded behind only defending CCS champion Los Gatos.

The Padres won the CCS 4x400 title for five straight years, from 2014 to 2018. They won it again in 2021 before Los Gatos knocked them off last year.

Marheineke said Los Gatos and Serra have been battling in the 4x400 for years.

“Los Gatos has a phenomenal team,” Marheineke said, adding that three of the Wildcats’ four relay runners are favorites to advance to the final of the open 400.

“For a number of years, we were the hunted,” Marheineke continued. “Now, we’re in the roll of the hunter.”

Harrison also has a chance at capturing the open 400. He enters the trials with the third-fastest seeded time of 48.88. That puts him within striking distance of Los Gatos’ Wil Brennan, who comes in with the fastest qualifying time of 48.06.

Serra’s Parker Olson will go for the hurdles double. He is the top qualifier in the 300 hurdles, with a time of 39.27 and is one of just four hurdlers with sub-40 second times. Santa Teresa’s Richard Salazar is the second seed, with a time of 39.78.

In the 110 hurdles, Olson sits just behind Bellarmine’s James Buellesbach, who comes in with a qualifying time of 14.70. Olson has a time of 14.72. They went 1-2 at the WCAL championships.

Serra’s Luke Lewis is the favorite in the shot put after uncorking a 55-3.25 at the WCAL championships, a new PR that surpassed his previous best of 53-7, that he threw in the WCAL trials. He has been over 50 feet at his last five events.

Sacred Heart Prep features some of the fastest sprinters in the field. The 4x100 relay team, comprised of Tynan Macaluso, Luke Maxwell, Carter Shaw and James Mustarde, come into the trials with the top seed and a time of 42.21, which is just off their season-best of 42.06, set at the CCS Top 8 Meet in April. The Gators qualified just ahead of Los Altos (42.26) and Harker (42.45). The Serra team is fourth with a time of 42.64.

Los Altos, however, has the top time in the section this season, out-lasting SHP at the same CCS Top 8 Meet with a time of 41.89.

SHP’s Shaw also has a shot in the 100 and 200. He ran a 10.83 at the WBAL championships and enters the 100 as the fifth-fastest qualifier. Harker’s Andrew Fu is the top qualifier with a time of 10.74, who has a season-best of 10.50. Shaw is just behind Fu in the 200. Shaw has a qualifying time of 21.76, which is a new PR, just behind Fu’s 21.73. Leland’s Ryan Teeple, the No. 3 qualifier, has the fastest time in the section this season, a 21.42.

On the girls’ side, SHP’s Anna Sonsini should be in the mix for the 100 title. She comes into the trials with the third-fastest time, 12.58. She’ll have some work to do to catch St. Ignatius freshman, Ellie McCuskey-Hay, who is the top seed with a time of 12.00. McCuskey-Hay is also the top qualifier in the 200 and the long jump as well.

Here are other top-three seeds in events:

Boys

High jump: Tomi Adenekan, Hillsdale. The junior enters the trials with the second-best mark of 6 feet, one of eight to hit that mark. Los Altos’ Zachary Fagin is the top qualifier, with a jump of 6-2.

Pole vault: William Floyd, Menlo School; Erik Dodge, Aragon. Floyd, a senior, went 14-6 at the WBAL championships to earn the top seed. Dodge, also a senior, won the PAL title with a vault of 14 feet. But Dodge, who finished third at CCS last year, has the top height in section this season with a 15-1.

3,200: Landon Pretre, Menlo School. A sophomore, Pretre comes into the trials as the top qualifier after a 9:08.72 at the WBAL championships. His best this season is 9:05.63, but that is well of the best time of Palo Alto’s Grant Morganfeld, who is seeded only third, but has run an 8:49.21 at the Arcadia Invitational.

4x800: Menlo School. The Knights have the top time in the newly contested event. The Knights’ time of 7:57.05 is the only sub-8 run in the field. Their season-best is a 7:47.23. Scotts Valley is second with an 8:06.75. Bellarmine, the No. 4 seed, has the second-fastest time in the section this season, with a 7:55.39.

Girls

Long jump: Pia Cho, Aragon. A senior, Cho finished fourth last season and has the second seed this year. Her jump of 17-7 at the PAL championships is well off the mark of top-seeded McCuskey-Hay’s WCAL-winning leap of 18-4.50.

4x100: Menl0-Atherton. The Bears have the third-fastest qualifying time of 49.50. Mitty has the top seed with a time of 49.18.

4x400: Burlingame. The Panthers are the second seed with a time of 4:06.83. They have some work to do to catch top seed St. Francis, which posted a time of 4:01.36.

1,600: Annie Pflaum, M-A. The junior has the second qualifying time of 4:59.76, just behind top seeded Anna Fawcett of St. Francis, who has a time of 4:59.60. They are the only two runners with sub-5 qualifying times.

300 hurdles: Avah Reichow, Burlingame. The junior is the second seed and along with Christopher’s Melia Middleton, are the only two hurdlers to post sub-46 times. Reichow’s time is 45.26, while Middleton posted a blistering 44.10.