Track: L.B. Poly, Rancho Verde girls’ 400 relays fail to qualify

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The first major non-qualifiers at the state preliminaries is none other than Long Beach Poly and Rancho Verde in the girls’ 400-meter relay.

Poly, the state leader and No. 7 in the nation, botched the second handoff and the baton tumbled to the track. That could put a dent in Poly’s chances for a team state title. At the least, it will force the Jackrabbits to play catch-up in other events Saturday afternoon.

Two heats later, Rancho Verde, which had the same state-leading time as Poly, saw its chances for a repeat title in the event crumble when its opening-leg runner tripped and fell halfway through the turn and didn’t get up until the race was over.

I turned to the track gurus next to me about five minutes before the race and said I predicted that Poly would drop a baton today, I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

Compared with the rest of the nation, the girls’ pole vault has been one of the weaker events for Californians, with none ranked in the top 10. It appears the Southern Section has been especially left behind, as only one girl from the section qualified in the event, and she was a bit of a surprise.

Cypress senior Melissa Morris went 11-9 to claim one of nine berths in Saturday’s final. Her previous best mark this season was 11-6. Brooke Arthur of Mater Dei came into the meet tied for sixth in state at 12-0, but she was one of the three non-qualifiers at 11-9.

--Dan Arritt

Note: For up-to-the-minute results of the state meet, check here.