By Justin Vigil-Zuniga
Signal Sports Writer
Golden Valley track and field had a fantastic outing in their home tri-meet with the visiting Centurions and Cowboys.
The Grizzlies won on both sides with the boys’ scores of Golden Valley, 70, Canyon, 50, and Saugus, 50.
The girls finished with scores of Golden Valley, 77, Canyon, 49.50, and Saugus, 43.50.
Golden Valley
The bulk of the Grizzlies’ star athletes showed out in their home meet. Three Grizzlies cracked the 12-second mark in the 100-meter dash with Adonijah Currie finishing first in 12.02, a top-25 mark in the state. Tylar Gallien and Makayla Washington both registered new personal record times, finishing second and third behind Currie.
Washington also posted a personal record with a 34-3 mark in the triple jump, finishing second behind her teammate Meagan Humphries, who hit a top 10 mark in the state of 37-9 1/2.
A handful of girls set personal records in the long and high jumps, but Kylee Davis still topped the podium in both events. Davis flew for a 17-9 3/4 mark in the long jump as well clearing a 5-4 mark in the high jump, tying with Humphries.
Elijha Ellis again won the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.03. His teammate and running back for the Grizzlies’ football squad Jared Giles finished second in 11.22. The two also finished one and two in the 200-meter dash.
Canyon
Canyon’s boys fared well in distance running, winning the 1600, 3200 and the 4×400 relay.
Jacob Brown did the heavy lifting in the distance, winning both the 1600 and 3200.
“Jacob Brown has been the most consistent for the distance runners,” said Canyon head coach George Velarde. “He is our leader and he is on pace to be one of the top distance runners come League Finals.”
Jeremiah Taylor won the 400-meter as well with a time of 51.96 in his first event of the season for Canyon.
Taylor also ran anchor in the Cowboys’ tight victory in the 4×100, winning with a time of 44.16, a half-second ahead of Saugus in second and Golden Valley just behind them.
“In the relay, [Taylor] was our anchor and held his composure and ran relaxed,” said Velarde. “[I’m] looking forward to what he will do in the postseason.”
Cowboys’ runners Cynthia Herrera and Emily Cruz finished one and two in 3200-meter girls dash. Herrera won with a time of 12:42.82.
Caitilyn Leao won the girls’ 300-meter hurdles in 48.67. Leao also led the relay team of Kayla Young, Cayden Panariello and Briana Bartone to a dominating win in the 4×400.
Saugus
Makenna Blum finished strong in the girls’ 1600 run. Blum, a freshman, won with a time of 5:49.71, leading a four-runner pack finishing in less than a two-second span.
Blum also finished second in the 800-meter run behind teammate Brooklyn Bendrat, who won the race in 2:31,63.
“Makenna is new to track and field, as she came over to us from soccer,” said Centurions’ head coach Kevin Berns. “She is only a freshman and is very raw. Makenna is performing like a seasoned veteran.”
Lauren Wells swept shot put and discus. Wells edged her teammate Jazmarie Rhodes in discus with a throw of 99-5, four inches further than Rhodes’ throw.
Daniel Balayan swept the hurdle events for Saugus. Balayan finished the 110-meter hurdles in 15.31 and the 300-meter hurdles in 41.28.
“Daniel is a beast, great kid,” said Berns. ”He is always ready to train hard, prepares himself well for any battle that presents itself. Sky’s the limit for Daniel. Can’t wait to see what he can do at Arcadia next week.”
Jacob Fredericks won the 800-meter run, leading three Saugus runners finishing in the top four. Fredericks finished with a time of 2:00.13.
Yet again, all three teams displayed sportsmanship and kindness, showcasing the family that the track and field community in Santa Clarita has become.
“It’s always a respectful rivalry between the schools,” said Berns. “Many of the families and athletes from the competing schools know each other well. It’s cool seeing the different school colors in the stands. The track community in SCV is outstanding.”
