Bruno Sweeps 100 and 200

Matt Bruno desperately wanted to prove he was the fastest high school runner in the state this season, so he did it twice Saturday.

Bruno, a senior at Mission Viejo Trabuco Hills High, won the 100 and 200 meters in front of 10,751 at the state championships at Cerritos College, becoming the first white athlete to capture both events since Forrest Beaty of Glendale Hoover in 1961. The last white runner to win either the 100 or 200 was Chuck Bommarito of San Bruno Crestmoor when he won the 200 in 1971.

Bruno won the 100 in 10.55 seconds, despite a headwind of 1.5 meters per second, then came back less than an hour later to win the 200 in 20.82, the fourth-fastest time in the nation this season.

“I’m especially happy I won both races,” said Bruno, who has signed with UCLA. “I haven’t had as much confidence in the 200 as I’ve had in the 100.”

Bruno single-handedly earned 20 points and helped Trabuco Hills finish third in the team standings. Bakersfield won the team title with 32 points and Long Beach Poly was second with 30. Bakersfield began the final event, the 1,600 relay, needing a top six finish to clinch the team title. The Drillers finished fifth, while Poly won the relay in 3:12.90.

Poly had a clean run in the opening 400 relay, winning in 40.63, the second-fastest time in the nation this season, but Bakersfield took the lead for good with back-to-back victories by Thomas Mack in the 110 hurdles (14.34) and Blake Mackey in the 400 (47.93). Mack also won the 300 hurdles in 37.45.

Irvine Woodbridge sophomore Michael Haddan upset Duane Solomon of Lompoc Cabrillo in the 800. Haddan won in 1:51.41, the only underclassman to win a boys’ state title.

Other winners from the region were:

* Ronald Hill of Walnut in the long jump (23-91/2).

* Nathan Atkins of Cerritos in the triple jump (49-73/4).

* Noah Bryant of Carpinteria in the shotput (65-73/4).

* Jarered Morgan of La Quinta in the discus (194-1).

Among the notable winners: David Moore of Orinda Miramonte upset defending state champion Mike Landers of Merced Golden Valley in the pole vault, clearing 16-6; Matt Johnsrud of Roseville Woodcreek passed Oxnard Rio Mesa’s Phillip Reid with about 30 meters remaining in the 1,600 and won in 4:11.89. Reid, the Southern Section Division I and Masters Meet champion, was second in 4:12.38.