State Track Meet Begins

David Gettis and his Los Angeles Dorsey team are favored in the boys’ meet and Ebony Collins and her Long Beach Wilson team are the girls’ favorites as the state track and field championships begin today at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento.

Gettis, the two-time defending state champion at 400 meters, ran the 400 in a City Section-record time of 46.08 in the section finals -- the fastest time in the world this year by anyone 18 years or younger -- and said he hopes to break the national high school record of 45.25.

He probably will also run a leg on the 1,600-meter relay for Dorsey, which has run a state-best 3:11.49 this season. Dorsey was third in last year’s meet.

Collins, a sophomore, finished among the top five in the 100, 300 hurdles and the 1,600 relay last year and is competing in the same events this year. She probably will run a leg on the 400 relay as well.

Defending 1,600 champion Mark Matusak of Los Angeles Loyola is another athlete to watch. He has run the fastest times in the state this year in the 1,600 and 3,200 and is seeking a rare distance double. Jamere Holland of Woodland Hills Taft has the fastest 100 and 200 times in the state this year.

Sade Williams of Rancho Cucamonga could walk away with four first-place medals. She currently holds the fastest times in the state in the 200 and 400 and runs a leg on the 400 and 1,600 relay teams, each with the second-best time in the state this year.

The preliminaries for each event are today and the finals are Saturday.

Peter Yoon

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Softball

Teams might be able to ride a dominant pitcher to a Southern Section title, but the Division I final tonight will be played by two teams with options.

Second-seeded Valencia (29-3) and fourth-seeded Simi Valley Royal (27-2) -- each playing in its first championship game -- have two front-line pitchers.

Valencia brings to the final senior Courtney Baughman (11-0, 0.57 earned-run average) and sophomore Jordan Taylor (18-3, 0.60), while Royal counters with juniors Becca Heteniak (16-1, 1.27) and left-hander Jessi Waers (12-1, 1.12).

In the most recent state rankings, Royal is No. 1 and Valencia No. 2. Among the eight quarterfinalists in the deepest division ever, they were the only teams that started different pitchers in the playoffs. Powerhouses such as Garden Grove Pacifica and Corona, who relied on Brittany Weil and Brittney Bargar, respectively, failed to get past the second round.

“It’s an advantage, it gives the team options,” Valencia Coach Donna Lee said. “If they’re hitting the ball hard off Courtney in the first or second inning, I’m not going to be hesitant to bring in Jordan. Both throw hard, but have different out pitches, so it gives teams a different look. They complement each other.”

So too do Royal’s tandem, who got a workout in an 8-7 quarterfinal victory over Fullerton Rosary.

Game time at Barber Park in Irvine is 7:30 p.m. Also playing today will be Paramount vs. Goleta Dos Pueblos in Division IV at 5:15 p.m. and Pasadena La Salle vs. Whittier Christian in Division VI at 3 p.m. The other divisions play Saturday.

Martin Henderson

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Volleyball

The 28th Dave Mohs Memorial Orange County All-Star matches are tonight at Newport Harbor High. The girls’ game starts at 6 p.m., followed by the boys’ game. Admission is $5.

The Ventura County East-West All-Star games will be held Saturday at Moorpark College. The girls’ match will start at 6:30 p.m. and the boys’ match will follow. Information: (805) 378-1400, ext. 1711.

Football

Erik Lorig, a highly recruited 6-foot-4, 250-pound tight end from Rolling Hills Estates Peninsula, ended 120 days of indecision by announcing Thursday that he has signed scholarship papers to attend Stanford.

Lorig had been considering four schools since Feb. 3, the first day high school recruits could sign a letter of intent.