Long Beach Poly’s Rideaux Wins 100-Meter Showdown

Darrell Rideaux of Long Beach Poly High won a 100-meter showdown in the Southern Section Masters Meet at Cerritos College on Friday night, but the Jackrabbits’ state-title hopes took a hit when teammate Kareem Kelly was disqualified for a false start.

The boys’ 100 was the most anticipated event of the meet because it included the four fastest performers in the state this year in juniors Rideaux and Kelly and seniors Miguel Fletcher of Mission Hills Alemany and defending state champion Justin Fargas of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

The four of them had run between 10.36 and 10.39 in the Southern Section divisional championships at Cerritos on May 23, but Kelly’s false start and a headwind that measured 2.8 meters per second combined to slow the winning time to 10.62.

Fargas, who had a slight lead on Kelly for the first 70 meters, finished second in 10.68 with Fletcher a distant third in 10.84.

The top five finishers in each event qualified for the state championships at Cerritos on June 5-6.

Kelly and Rideaux, who finished 1-2 in the 200 with times of 20.98 and 21.37, had teamed with Aaron Smith and Samie Parker to clock a blazing 40.39 to win the 400 relay at the start of the meet.

The time moved the Jackrabbits to third on the all-time state list behind a 40.24 clocking by Hawthorne in 1989 and a 40.28 effort by Pasadena Muir last year.

Senior Chad Durham won the 3,200 in a personal best of 9:11.32 and the Jackrabbits’ 1,600 relay team finished second in 3:14.75 to advance to the state meet, but Long Beach Poly Coach Don Norford wasn’t making any predictions about the Jackrabbits’ chances at a second consecutive title and seventh overall.

“Anything can happen at the state meet,” Norford said. “I been there too many times not to know that.”