L.B. Poly and Wilson Favored

Long Beach Poly’s boys and Long Beach Wilson’s girls are favored to repeat as team champions this weekend at the CIF State track and field championships at Sacramento City College.

Five qualifiers from each event at the Southern Section Masters Meet and three qualifiers in each event from the City championships will take part in a meet that draws competitors from each of the CIF’s 10 sections.

Qualifying begins Friday. Finals are Saturday.

Long Beach Poly sprinters Kareem Kelly and Darrell Rideaux are expected to help the Jackrabbits score most of their points.

Kelly, a senior, is the defending state champion in the 200-meter event. Last week at the Masters meet, he won the 100 and 200. Rideaux, the defending state champion in the 100, finished second in both events.

Both sprinters also run legs for Poly’s 400 and 1,600 relays.

The Jackrabbits are also contending for a top-three finish in the 1,600 relay and senior Jeremy Johnson will contend for points in the 300 intermediate hurdles.

Wilson’s girls, co-champions last year with Long Beach Poly, will rely on Latrice Borders in the 100 and 200, Joni Smith in the 400, Kim Gildersleeve in the 800 and Lashinda Demus in the 100 high and 300 low hurdles. Although the foursome ranks as one of the best relay teams in prep history, it will not compete in the 400 relay after dropping the baton during qualifying for the division finals.

Riverside J.W. North could challenge the Bruins if it gets outstanding performances from hurdler Nichole Denby, sprinter Tracee Thomas and the Husky relay teams. Cari Song, Masters meet champion in the discus, and hurdler April Holliverse could also contribute points.

Long Beach Poly’s girls won the 400 relay at the Masters meet and finished second in the 1,600 relay. Blessing Ufodiama is the top qualifier in the triple jump and Naonka Mixon qualified fourth in the long jump.

Blaine Bussey of Woodland Hills Taft finished third in the 400 last year, but he enters this weekend’s competition with the fastest time in the state this year at 46.3 seconds.

Sprinter Warren Rogers of Gardena Serra has run the fastest times in the state this year in the 100 (10.42) and 200 (20.88).

James DeBruhl, who ran a state-leading 1:53.2 in the 800, will compete instead in the 1,600.

The girls’ 400 offers an outstanding matchup between defending champion Monique Henderson of San Diego Morse and Nakiya Johnson of Chino Hills Ayala.