By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Here are 10 storylines involving male athletes to keep an eye on Friday, May 27 and Saturday, May 28 at the 102nd CIF State Championships at Buchanan High’s Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis:

Pleasant dreams for Serra star

Rodrick Pleasant, a junior at Gardena Serra, became the 11th athlete in U.S. prep history to produce a wind-legal performance of at least 10.14 seconds to set the California state record at the Southern Section Masters meet May 21 at Moorpark High.

Pleasant also ran a wind-legal 20.49 to prevail in the 200, after producing the second-fastest wind-legal effort in state history May 14 by clocking 20.40 at the Southern Section Division 4 final at Moorpark.

Javelin Guidry of Vista Murrieta ran the fastest all-conditions performance in state history with a wind-aided 10.13 in the 100 final in 2017.

Michael Norman, also a Vista Murrieta graduate, boasts the fastest 200 time at the state meet by clocking 20.30 in 2015. Norman also boasts the state record of 20.14 from the 2016 Olympic Trials, where he also produced a wind-aided mark of 20.06.

Pleasant is looking to become the first Serra athlete to sweep the 100 and 200 titles.

Warren Rogers was the last Serra male competitor to win the 100-meter dash championship by running 10.42 in 2000. The Cavaliers have yet to achieve a boys 200 crown.

Pleasant is also pursuing the junior class national record of 10.09 set last year by Jaylen Slade of IMG Academy in Florida.

He is also looking to run the fastest wind-legal 100 time by a prep competitor this season, with T’Mars McCallum of Carolina Forest clocking 10.13 at the South Carolina state meet and Jordan Anthony of Tylertown High in Mississippi producing a 10.14 effort at his regional meet in April.

Moran looks to complete missing piece to Murrieta Mesa title puzzle

Cade Moran, a senior at Murrieta Mesa, is the only prep thrower in the country this season to rank in the top five in both the discus throw and shot put, with his state-leading marks of 207-4 (63.19m) and 66-10 (20.37m).

Moran is trying to become the first field event athlete in program history to achieve a state championship, joining the team title, 4x400 crown and 200-meter victory by Christian Shakir-Ricks achieved in 2018.

Moran, a Michigan signee, is also attempting to become the first male competitor to sweep the discus and shot put titles in the same year since former Esperanza standout Bronson Osborn in 2016.

Iffy Joyner of Pittsburg was the last discus state champion to surpass the 200-foot mark, producing a winning throw of 203-8 (62.07m) in 2017.

The championship record in the discus of 213-7 (65.10m) was established by Bo Taylor of Newport Harbor in 2007.

Moran is also looking to challenge the top prep performance in the country this season of 210-7 (64.18m) by Brett Schwartz of Santa Fe Trail High in Kansas.

Terraine Wiggins, Jr. of Golden Valley and Brendon See of JSerra have also surpassed 195 feet in the discus this season. Aiden Pastorian of Great Oak boasts a personal-best 66-7 (20.29m) in the shot put from the Southern Section Division 1 final May 14 at Moorpark High.

The search continues for sub-1:50 continues

Although Newbury Park junior Aaron Sahlman ran 1:48.91 in March in the 800 meters, there hasn’t been another sub-1:50 performance in the state this year outside of his older brother, Panthers senior Colin Sahlman, who is competing May 28 at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon and not participating at the state meet.

In addition, the last state champion to run under 1:50 was Immanuel Hutchinson of San Jacinto in 2011. And the last time a pair of competitors both produced sub-1:50 efforts in the state final was the previous year, with Sean Krinik of Valencia High in Placentia and Burbank’s Greg Dotson achieving the feat in the 2010 championship race.

Those droughts have the potential to end in the championship race, with Aaron Sahlman being joined by Ellis Delvecchio of Thacher, Jai Dawson of Dana Hills, Quinn Harder of San Marcos, Furious Clay of Crystal Springs Uplands, Yutaka Roberts of El Camino in San Francisco and Ben Pinkel from Bellarmine Prep.

Although Aaron Sahlman has been part of a state championship cross country lineup at Newbury Park and Dawson captured the Division 2 individual cross country title in November, none of the leading contenders in the field have secured a track title and the championship would also be the first for all of the schools involved in the boys 800.

The state championship record also remains the high school all-time mark of 1:46.45 held by Michael Granville of Bell Gardens, currently part of the Palo Alto coaching staff. Granville’s mark was tested May 20 by Cade Flatt of Marshall County in Kentucky, who ran 1:46.51 at the Trials of Miles NYC event at Icahn Stadium in New York.

Goode Vibrations

Despite there being no clear favorite to win the boys 400-meter title at the beginning of the season, two leading contenders have emerged during the postseason and their schools are separated by only 12 miles.

Christopher Goode, a senior at West Ranch, ran a state-leading 46.75 seconds at the Southern Section Masters meet May 21, just two days after Granada Hills junior Dijon Stanley clocked 46.94 at the L.A. City Section championship meet at Birmingham High.

Goode is looking to become the first state champion in program history and is still pursuing the West Ranch record of 46.59 produced by Solomon Strader at the 2019 Brooks PR meet in Washington.

Stanley is also looking to capture the first state championship for Granada Hills and is trying to secure the first 400 crown for a City Section athlete since David Gettis won the title for Dorsey in 2005.

Jeremiah Walker of Fresno Central, who won four titles at the Central Section Masters meet May 21 at Buchanan High, is also a strong contender with a personal-best 47.27 effort.

The past seven state champions from 2013-19 all produced sub-47 performances.

Goode and Stanley both competed in the 400 at the Arcadia Invitational, but did not square off in the same race, with the same scenario unfolding March 12 at the Redondo Nike Track Festival. Their only matchup this year came on the anchor of a 4x100 relay Feb. 26 at the Trevor Habberstad Invitational at Canyon High in Canyon Country.

Freshmen trying to reach rarefied air

Brandon Gorski of Mater Dei and Khaliq Muhammad of Dublin might not be the favorites in their respective events this weekend, but the freshmen standouts both have the potential to enjoy memorable state championship debuts.

Gorski has cleared 6-8 (2.03m) in the high jump and could challenge the California freshman record of 6-10 (2.08m) achieved by Gabriel Zarate of Selma in 1996.

Muhammad, who cleared 15-7 (4.74m) at the North Coast Section Meet of Champions on May 21 at Dublin High, could become the first ninth-grader to clear 16 feet in California since Ryan Shuler of Granite Bay set the freshman state record in 2003.

Seth Johnson of Cajon and Leon Gillis of Steele Canyon have both cleared 6-9 (2.05m) in the high jump this season.

Gorski is among five entries entering the May 27 prelims with 6-8 clearances, including Owen Pennington of Riverside Poly, Cole Hoegl of Crossroads, Justin Cardoza of Eastlake and Brandon Cheeks II from Mission Bay.

Hunter O’Brien of Eastvale Roosevelt is the state pole vault leader at 16-9 (5.10m), with Buchanan’s Hilton Green, Lemoore’s Shane Bagley and Ramona’s Gavin Hanes all having achieved 16-foot clearances this season.

A crowning achievement for Clovis

Although former Bakersfield Stockdale star Blake Haney represented the Central Section with back-to-back 1,600-meter state championships in 2013-14, the last time a male standout from the Fresno area secured a title over four laps in California, the event was still contested at the mile distance.

Bob Seaman from Reedley, located in Fresno county, captured the state mile crown in 1953.

Kellen Martinez of Fresno Edison was the last athlete from the city to prevail in the mile at the state championship in 1940.

But a pair of juniors from the Tri-River Athletic Conference have the potential to challenge for the 1,600 championship Saturday, highlighting the depth of distance running in Clovis.

Christopher Caudillo of Clovis High and Noah Ray of Buchanan are the top two entries in the field after placing first and second May 21 at Veterans Memorial Stadium at the Central Section Masters meet.

Caudillo boasts a personal-best 4:03.83 and Ray has run 4:09.68.

Clovis won a boys individual championship with Jonah Wilson prevailing in the shot put in 2017. Shawn Vanaman secured victory in the wheelchair boys 400 final in 2018.

Ray is not only trying to become only the second boys individual champion in program history, following Kyle Alcorn in the 3,200 in 2002, but also pursuing the Buchanan record 4:07.72 set in 2012 by Cody Brazeal.

The past nine state champions from 2011-19 have all run under 4:10.

Jeremy Kain of Scotts Valley has clocked 4:07.77 and Ethan Godsey of Agoura has run 4:09.49. They are the only other athletes in the field to produce sub-4:10 performances this season.

Upland seeking more hurdling history

Perhaps it is only fitting that the last male athlete to sweep both the 110-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles at the state championship meet was Upland standout Joseph Anderson.

The Highlanders will be looking to capture both titles again May 28, but this time, Upland will be relying on a pair of competitors to achieve the feat.

Kai Graves-Blanks and Delaney Crawford, both members of Upland’s state-record 4x110-meter shuttle hurdles relay, have the potential to become the first teammates in California prep history to secure the sweep of the hurdling championships in the same year.

Graves-Blanks is the leading entry in the 110 hurdles at 13.75 seconds and boasts an all-conditions best performance of 13.64 with a wind-aided effort in March at the 94th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays.

Crawford is the top qualifier in the 300 hurdles at 37.23 seconds with his May 21 performance at the Southern Section Masters meet.

Graves-Blanks is also scheduled to race the 300 hurdles with his 37.74 effort from the Masters meet.

Graves-Blanks will be joined by teammates Davis Davis-Lyric and DeQuan January in the 110 hurdles.

Without the presence of senior Jadyn Marshall of Stockton St. Mary’s, the state leader in both hurdling events, after a sore hamstring prevented him from qualifying for the state meet, new challengers have emerged for Graves-Blanks and Crawford.

Ben Kin Ho Tsang of San Jose Independence ran 37.32 in the 300 hurdles May 21 at the Central Coast Section finals.

Logan Lyght of Mater Dei ran a wind-aided 13.94 at the Southern Section finals May 14 at Moorpark, with Seth Johnson of Cajon also clocking a wind-aided 13.94 in a different division at the same event.

Potential for big relay breakthroughs

For all of its success at indoor and outdoor national championship meets throughout the country during the past decade, Cathedral is still searching for its first state title in the 4x400 relay, and the Phantoms have plenty of momentum on their side following a 3:13.98 performance May 21 at the Southern Section Masters meet.

Cathedral’s last state victories in any event came when Randall Carroll swept the 100 and 200 championships in 2008-09.

Long Beach Wilson, which ran 3:14.20 on May 14 at the Southern Section finals, last secured a 4x400 crown in 2015, with Fresno Central still seeking its first championship in any boys event.

In the aftermath of the April 9 altercation involving Central and Wilson at the conclusion of the Arcadia Invitational, resulting in Cathedral being declared the 4x400 winner, there is certainly unfinished business among the three programs, which all the teams involved aim to settle May 28 on the track.

Central, which has only previously celebrated victories at the state meet by Kristie Johnson in the girls 800 in 1994-95, also has the potential to triumph in the boys 4x100 for the first time following a 40.63 performance May 21 at the Central Section Masters meet that elevated the Grizzlies to No. 12 in California prep history.

The state championship record of 40.24 by Hawthorne has stood since 1989.

Fresno Edison was the last Central Section boys lineup to win the state 4x100 championship in 1983.

Appleford attempts to provide another chapter in Newbury Park legacy

The last time a state boys 3,200-meter final was held in 2019, Newbury Park’s Nico Young captured the title.

Daniel Appleford, a former teammate of Young, is looking to produce another championship May 28 for the Panthers, which would be another testament to the depth of the strongest distance lineup in U.S. prep history.

Appleford was consistently the No. 5 scorer for Newbury Park as part of its run to the Division 1 cross country title and RunningLane National Championship during the fall season.

But with teammate Aaron Sahlman focusing on the 800 and fellow Newbury Park athletes Colin Sahlman, Lex Young and Leo Young not participating in the California high school postseason, the opportunity has presented itself for Appleford to compete for the state 3,200 title.

The last time a pair of athletes from the same school won consecutive 3,200 championships was in 1986-87 when Eric Mastalir and Paul Thomas of Carmichael Jesuit secured back-to-back crowns.

Appleford prevailed in 8:58.85 at the Southern Section Masters meet and boasts a personal-best 8:52.19 from April 9 at the Arcadia Invitational.

The only athlete in the state 3,200 field to run faster than Appleford at Arcadia was Clovis junior Christopher Caudillo, who clocked 8:45.19. Caudillo is scheduled to run both the 1,600 and 3,200, and could become the first male athlete since Bakersfield Stockdale’s Blake Haney in 2013 to sweep both championships in the same year.

Bryce Gilmore of Sage Creek has run 8:53.23, Jason Parra of Long Beach Millikan has clocked 8:54.17, Milo Skapinsky of San Luis Obispo boasts a personal-best 8:57.19, Daniel Winter of Stockton St. Mary’s has achieved an 8:57.74 effort, with Max Sannes of Big Bear running 8:59.35 at Arcadia.

The past six state 3,200 champions from 2014-19 have produced sub-9 performances, with an impressive seven athletes eclipsing the barrier in the 2016 final. 

Ruling the runway

JC Stevenson, a senior at Great Oak, is not only attempting to match the success of his brother CJ Stevenson – the state triple jump champion in 2017-18 – by securing the title, but potentially sweep both the long jump and triple jump crowns, which Caleb Foster of Clovis North achieved at the last state final in 2019.

Stevenson joins Elijha Ellis of Golden Valley, Camryn O’Bannon from St. John Bosco, Elijah Yoshinaga of Elsinore and Bakersfield Liberty’s Christian Edwards as competitors in both the long jump and triple jump.

Eastlake’s Justin Cardoza and Brandon Cheeks II of Mission Bay are scheduled to participate in the long jump, triple jump and high jump.

JC Stevenson has jumped state-leading marks of 24-9.50 (7.55m) and 48-6 (14.78m) this season. Ellis soared to 48-3.50 (14.71m) at the Southern Section finals May 14 and O'Bannon has also jumped 48 feet (14.63m) on April 16 at the Mt. SAC Relays.

Jason Plumb of Corona del Mar boasts a 24-5 (7.44m) long jump, with Ellis achieving a 24-2.50 (7.37m) effort and Nathan Johnson of Clovis producing a leap of 24-1 (7.34m). Maceo McDowell of Lodi is also a leading contender at 23-10.25 (7.27m).

Nate Moore of Castro Valley was the last individual before Foster to sweep both long jump and triple jump in 2013-14, achieving the impressive feat of producing marks of 25-8.75 (7.84m) and 51-4 (15.64m) at the 2014 championship.

Joe Richardson of Pasadena was the last male athlete from the Southern Section to capture both long jump and triple jump state titles in the same season in 1984.