CLOVIS -- Andrew Hill's Miguel Vasquez was careful in setting goals for Saturday's state track and field championships at Buchanan High. After qualifying for the 1,600 at Friday's preliminaries, he said he knew it might be a stretch, but he would like to finish in the top three in the finals and break 4:10.

That turned out to be a modest wish.

Vasquez, unleashing the remarkable last-lap kick that has come to be his late-season trademark, went from seventh place at the start of the final lap to second at the finish line with a 58-second fourth lap, and was clocked in 4:08.44.

Vasquez has brought his best time in the 1,600 down 10 seconds the last two weeks, from 4:18.23 to 4:12.58 in winning the Central Coast Section championship and then down to Saturday's 4:08.44 in taking second at state. At that rate, give him a couple more races and he'll break the four-minute mile.