Brandon Arrington, Jr.’s :20.59 200 in the Grossmont League finals last week is the second fastest in San Diego County history to Kenon Christon’s :20.55 in 2019 and marked the fifth time this season that Arrington has covered the distance in under 21 seconds, rarified air for local sprinters.
(Morse’s Ike Okenwa ran :20.97 in 1997 and University’s Vince Williams :20.99 in 1996. Crawford’s Elijah Jefferson, before automatic timing, raced a wind-aided :20.9 in 1973.)
Arrington, Jr., a Mount Miguel sophomore who ran wind-aided :10.58 and :21.29 times as a freshman at Helix in 2023, is No. 1 in California and No. 4 in the country heading into the season’s final weeks and the 104th state meet at Clovis Buchanan High May 24-25.
Three dashmen, from Mississippi, Florida, and Texas, have run :20.43, :20.51, and :20.56, respectively, this year. Michael Norman of Vista Murietta ran :20.3 at the state meet in 2015.
Lincoln’s Vernus Ragsdale clocked :20.3 in 1962 and San Diego Bobby Staten in 1957 and Crawford’s Arnold Tripp in 1959 ran :20.5, but both sprints were wind-aided and on straightaway courses.
Season leaders updated in bold.
| EVENT | MARK | NAME,
SCHOOL |
STATE | OTHERS | NAME | SCHOOL |
| 100 | :10.43 | Arrington, Jr., Mount Miguel | 5T | :10.37 | Bragg | Los Alamitos |
| 200 | :20.59 | Arrington, Jr. | 1st | :21.04 | Bragg | |
| 400 | :47.91 | Slaughter, Mt. Carmel | 7th | :47.11 | Ochoa | Covina Northview |
| :48.25 | Jones, Mount Miguel | 15T | ||||
| 800 | 1:52.79 | Evans, Carlsbad | 4th | 1:49.91 | Morales | San Juan Capistrano JSerra |
| 1:53.26 | Cordero, Olympian | 6th | ||||
| 1:53.37 | Bowman, Sage Creek | 7th | ||||
| 1600 | 4:15.10 | Bowman | — | 4:05.51 | Noonan | Dana Point Dana Hills |
| 3200 | 9:02.96 | Hicks, University City | 24th | 8:40.47 | Perez | L.A. Cathedral |
| 110 High Hurdles | :13.72w | Martin, Helix | 2nd | :13.70 | Green III | Inderkum |
| :13.95 | Tseko-Biffle, El Capitan | 5th | ||||
| :14.28 | Atilano, Cathedral | 16th | ||||
| :14.52 | Bryant Ramona | 23rd | ||||
| 300 Hurdles | :37.42 | Atilano | 2nd | :37.06 | Roberson | Eastvale Roosevelt |
| :37.57 | Tseko-Biffle | 4th | ||||
| :37.58 | Martin | 5th | ||||
| 4×100 Relay | :41.90 | Helix | 22nd | |||
| :41.92 | San Marcos | 24th | ||||
| :41.93 | Cathedral | 25T | :40.29 | L.A. Granada Hills | ||
| 4×400 Relay | 3:19.3 | Mt. Carmel | 8th | 3:15.01 | Â | Fresno Central |
| 3:20.51 | Mount Miguel | 11th | ||||
| 3:21.90 | Carlsbad | 22nd | ||||
| 3:22.06 | Del Norte | 25th | ||||
| 4×800 Relay | 7:54.74 | Westview | 15th | 7:41.02 | Long Beach Wilson | |
| 7:55.68 | El Capitan | 17th | ||||
| 7:56.51 | Carlsbad | 19th | ||||
| High Jump | 6-10 | Cheeks II, Mission Bay | 3rd | 6-11 | Banks | L.A. Birmingham |
| 6-6 | Carmona, Fallbrook | 12T | ||||
| Martin | ||||||
| Stokes, Bonita Vista | ||||||
| Gross, Torrey Pines | ||||||
| Long Jump | 23-11 ¼ | Cheeks | 5th | 24-4 | Rogers | Lafayette Acalanes |
| 23-4 | McCotter, Cathedral | 14T | ||||
| Â | 23-0 | Shaw, Scripps Ranch | 21 | |||
| 22-10 1/2 | Martin | 24T | ||||
| Triple Jump | 47-8 3/4 | Reichenberg, Mission Bay | 2nd | 47-10 1/2 | Agbakoba | Fresno Central |
| 45-9 | Cheeks | 24T | ||||
| Shot Put | 57-9 | Gash, Helix | 16th | 64-6 | Claiborne | Fresno Hoover |
| 57-1/2 | Telemaque, Sage Creek | 19th | ||||
| Discus | 181-11 | Gash | 5th | 197-5 | Madsen | Clovis North |
| 176-9 | Telmaque | 8th | ||||
| Pole Vault | 16-8 | Anderson, University City | 3rd | 17-0 | McKee | Riverside King |
| 16-0 1/2 | Yarbrough, San Dieguito | 6th | ||||
| 15-7 | Weisman, Torrey Pines | 13T | ||||
| 15-6 | Sbuttoni IV, St. Augustine | 15T | ||||
| Farenc, Westview | ||||||
| Rynearson, Mission Bay | ||||||
| 15-2 | Saunders, Rancho Bernardo | 23T | ||||
| 15-0 | Bernier, Fallbrook | 25T |
Morse HS had a 220 yard + straightaway in the year 1963. I believe that may have been the first year Morse’s track was used. Any way, Walter “Buddha” Blackledge ran a wind aided :20.8 on
that straightaway in a dual meet with SDHS. He was on the 1963 880 yard relay (4 x 220 )yard California State Championship team. I have heard from other Cavemen buddies, that he was still alive and living in Baltimore, Maryland. He played for the Baltimore Colts, long ago. Other members of that team are/were: Charles Sanford, Gordon Baker, and Raymond Dixon. An occasional alternate was Lloyd Walder, both hurdles (120 yd HH, 180 yd LH) and a high jumper). PS: I truly enjoy your newsletter on SD CIF Sports and the pre-SD CIF news from the Southern Section. Thanks! Carroll
Thanks for writing, Carroll. You should go to the home page and search Charles Sanford. I wrote an obit after he passed in 2017 and most of it was about that great relay the Cavers ran at Berkeley in ’63. Speaking of Buddah’s :20.8, Tom Agsten of Hoover also ran :20.8, I think. The more-or-less, postseason event was to take seek a gest time and take advantage of the prevailing wind at Morse.