The Moore League Track and Field Finals were a lengthy affair on Thursday, so there was a spotlight on the finish line by the time they concluded. As it turned out, that was a fitting image, as the city’s best athletes deserved the Hollywood treatment.
The Long Beach Poly and Wilson boys’ 4×400 relay was the last event of the evening, and it was a good thing there wasn’t anything planned for afterwards, because it was an absolute show-stopper. The Jackrabbits quartet of Octavian Hall, Liam Anderson, DeAngelo Chester, and Everett Steward ran a 3:13.93, the No. 2 time in the state and No. 3 time in the nation, followed closely by Wilson’s Andrew Richards, Seaver Cardoza, Jordan Weimer, and Armando Bryson, whose 3:14.37 was No. 3 in the state and No. 5 in the nation.
“What a great meet and what a great showcase for our kids in Long Beach,” said Poly director of track and field Crystal Irving.
“It’s a battle with Poly for everything, it was a great meet,” said Wilson director of track and field Neil Nelson. “We’re not happy with second in some events but we had some great results and if we’re going top two or three in the state together, what can you say?”
Poly won the boys’ and girls’ 4x100s and 4x400s with both the Jackrabbits and Bruins running fast times in the relays–Wilson’s boys’ 4×100 had a missed exchange, in basically the only thing that went wrong for either school.
Wilson’s Rachel Glenn won three individual league titles at the event, the high jump, 100 hurdles, and 300 hurdles. She took second in the 400 to Millikan freshman phenom Samarra Monrroy, who blazed a 55.07. Glenn will compete in those three individual events at CIF, as well as the Bruins girls’ 4×400.
Poly’s Kenyon Reed took a huge leap at the event, doubling in the 100 and 200 and running a top 15 time nationally in the 200 with a 21.09.
“Our sprinters pretty much all PRed, we’re very excited to see how they all do going forward,” said Irving.
Saundria Martin had a great meet for Poly, doubling the 100 and 200 golds as well as the 4×100 and the 4×400.
Other multiple events winners included Wilson’s Ryann Mayo and Poly’s Will Frankenfeld, who won the mile and two mile, and Poly’s Liam Anderson, who won both boys’ hurdles races.
The league meet was as fast as its been in years, with some events featuring four or five qualifiers for the CIF-SS prelims, which will be May 4 at Trabuco Hills. After that, the CIF-SS Finals will be May 11 at El Camino College, where several Long Beach athletes figure to have a big weekend.
