Castaic High School track star Meagan Humphries didn’t know history was on the line on Saturday at the CIF Finals.
Humphries found out a few days before the meet at Moorpark that she had a shot at history in a sport she’s dominating.
“I had no clue about what was at stake up until a few days prior to the CIF Finals,” Humphries wrote in a text message. “My coach told me he saw in an article written by MileSplit that said if I won all four of my events, I’d be the first person in CIF history to win in four individual events. I remember being super hyped but as we got closer to meet day, the pressure really started to sink in. Making history became my only goal and I was running on pure adrenaline and nervous energy. Safe to say it got me through, though.”
The junior in fact became the first athlete to top the podium in four events after winning the Division 3 high jump, triple jump, long jump and the 200-meter dash. Humphries hit a personal record in the 200, finishing in 23.85 seconds, and in the long jump after her leap of 20 feet, 0.25 inches.
Humphries couldn’t hit her personal best in horizontal jumps but still won both events by nearly 2 feet. The Coyote won the triple with a mark of 39 feet, 10.75 inches, and the high jump with a 5-foot, 8-inch leap. Teammate Regan Thompson hit her personal best mark in the high jump and took home a silver medal after clearing the 5-foot, 6-inch bar.
The junior then headed to the 200, but got off to a wild start after forgetting her shoes in her tent. However, once she set up, the determined Humphries told herself she needed to win the race no matter what and went into autopilot mode.
“When I do this I completely zone out and muscle memory takes over,” Humphries wrote. “All my senses feel numbed and any noises become muffled, aside from footsteps, which is something I specifically listen for. Unless something breaks my concentration, I don’t really think, I just kind of let my head go empty.”
Humphries fell behind Corona Del Mar’s Ava Simos early, but coming into the final stretch, she was able to blast by her competition and win her historic fourth event.
Golden Valley High School managed to have a successful day without their former star Humphries, who transferred out earlier this season. The girls’ team was the Division 2 runner-up thanks to a mix of talented young and veteran athletes.
Grizzlies freshman Marley Scoggins defied all odds and won the Division 2 100-meter dash in 11.89 seconds. Scoggins shaved 0.2 seconds off her time in prelims to win the race. Scoggins also finished third in the Division 2 200 with a 24.31-second finish.
“We knew Marley had a phenomenal youth career so we were excited to see what her high school career would look like,” Golden Valley coach Megan Cooper wrote in an email. “I’m super excited to see how CIF Masters goes for her. I think we have a strong chance of making it into state.”
Senior Nevaeh Williams finished just behind Scoggins in both events, bringing home some hardware and much-needed points for the Grizzlies.
In discus, sophomore Kiera Donovan hit a new personal best mark of 130 feet, 3 inches, to win the CIF crown. Donovan was the second to last thrower to compete and hit the mark on her final attempt.
Hart High School’s Laura Brennan nearly won her second straight CIF title in shot put after a throw of 43 feet and an inch, but was just edged by West Covina’s Devin Jackson.
Canyon High School had a few stars also finish second in their sections. Sophomore Jordehn Gammage shaved over a second off his time in the 300-meter hurdles preliminaries to earn a Division 2 silver medal in the finals after his 38.16-second finish. Gammage was one of two sophomores to finish top-four in the 300 in any division.
Cowboys co-head coach Chris Jackson was proud of his hurdler but still believes Gammage is yet to peak.
“Jordehn had a huge PR at the right time, but still has room to improve,” Jackson wrote in an email. “Jordehn’s hard work and commitment all season long is really paying off now. Jordehn finished second place in CIF Finals and now has the second fastest time as a sophomore in the 300 hurdles time in the state.”
Canyon’s boys 4×400-relay team also finished with silver after a 3-minute, 21.61-second finish. The team of Gammage, Jeremiah Taylor, Emrys Coleman and Josh Cambaliza will all continue their seasons at the CIF Masters.
Assistant coach George Stansell has worked all season long getting the Cowboys ready for these big moments. Stansell has worked with Gammage, the sprinters and his son George Stansell Jr.
The junior Stansell has been called “The face of Canyon throws” and made it known at the CIF Finals. Stansell launched a throw of 54 feet in shot put to add another silver medal to Canyon’s trophy case.
For West Ranch High School, senior Bille Issa finished second in the Division 2 3200-meter run after a 9-minute, 4.34-second finish.
Imudiase Aimiuwu finished third in a crowded boys Division 3 200. Imudiase hit a new personal best with his 21.71-second finish and was the third of five runners to complete the 200 in a 0.46-second span.
Former Golden Valley track star Adonijah Currie continued her dominance in the 200 and won the Division 1 race in 23.58 seconds for Quartz Hill High School.
Former Grizzlies head coach Lonnie Davis added yet another CIF ring to his collection and led the Cathedral Phantoms to a boys Division 3 title in his first season with the program.
All parties remain on top as Cooper is proud of her young team’s resilience throughout the 2023 season.
“The program lost four coaches and three returning athletes from last year’s CIF championship team, but still found a way to be successful,” Cooper wrote. “This plaque meant a lot to the program. It blows my mind that we won the plaque with only two seniors, and the rest being either freshmen or sophomores. It just shows how young our program is and how bright this future will be.”
The top athletes will now head to the Masters meet for a chance to earn a spot at the state meet in Clovis.
“We are excited by all the great performances by our athletes,” Jackson said. “We’re even more excited that only one of our CIF athletes is a senior. This season isn’t over yet. We are excited by the great things we have already seen, and by more things to come.”
Humphries and her fellow SCV stars head to Moorpark High School for the Masters Meet on Saturday.
“I am so, so excited for Masters and eventually state,” Humphries wrote. “It’s been a hella long season and honestly I’m excited to end it with a bang. I’m so excited to see what we do. I feel so lucky to have been put in the position I’m currently in, with so much support from so many people. So many people have given up so much of their time and energy to help and support me and I hope to continue to make them proud.”
