Ventura's Fast Horse employs herd mentality at CIF-SS Masters track and field meet

Anthony Fast Horse wasn’t just concerned with his own qualification for the CIF State track and field championships.

He wanted to help his fellow runners move on to this weekend’s state meet in Clovis.

So the Ventura High junior brought his fellow competitors into a group text and volunteered to pace the first lap of the 1,600 meters at the CIF-Southern Section Masters Meet on Saturday at Moorpark High.

“We kind of just talked,” Fast Horse said. “We wanted to get as many to state as we could.”

With Fast Horse, Ventura teammate Micah Grossman and Highland senior Matthew Donis each pacing a lap, eight section runners bettered the state qualifying threshold of 4:13.89 to advance. A ninth, Brett Ephraim of San Clemente, missed by a hundredth of a second.

“We fell short of our goal of 12,” Fast Horse said. “We got eight.”

Fast Horse was fifth in 4:12.65 and Grossman took seventh in 4:13.82. They were two of the 22 local athletes and seven relay teams who qualified for the state meet Saturday.

Ventura sophomore Sadie Engelhardt wrestled with her competitive nature as she advanced in the 1,600 and 800 meters and joined teammates Valentina Fakrogha, Melanie True and Ryan Mendez to qualify in the 4x400 relay.

After surging late to win the 1,600 in 4:46.02, she managed her effort in the 800, finishing second in 2:09.76.

“I was like ‘You know what? I’m right here, there’s no one behind me.’ I could make the extra little surge to get the win,” Engelhardt said of the 1,600 win.

The Oaks Christian quartet of Lexington Leffall, Isaiah Green, Davon Benjamin and Deshonne Redeaux won the boys 4x100 meter relay in 41.44 seconds.

“The boys have a chip on their shoulder,” Oaks Christian coach Wes Smith said. “They want to see what they can do in that 4x100. … They want to go out and compete with people.”

Oaks Christian sophomore Chase Hansen was disappointed to finish second in the boys 400 meters in 48.02.

“I just feel I didn’t do my best,” Hansen said. “I might have gone out a little too fast. I’m not used to going so fast. … Hopefully, we’ll put it together next week.”

A long-awaited moment arrived for Thousand Oaks seniors Jeremy Frank and Pyrce Edwards, who both qualified for state for the first time.

Frank advanced in the 110 hurdles in 14.18. Edwards advanced in the 110 hurdles in 14.55 and the 300 hurdles in 38.44.

“It’s big for me to be able to get it done today,” Frank said.

Moorpark senior Victor Ezike cleared 6 feet, 7 inches to finish second in the boys high jump and break the school record he previously shared with former teammate Jordan Navarro.

“I was expecting to qualifying and that was it," Ezike said. "But I was feeling good so I kept jumping. ... It was close to 6-9, but we’ll save that for state.”

Championship push

It was also good day for a potential state-title push by the Oaks Christian girls track team.

“Execute and qualify,” Smith said. “That’s what we keep saying.”

Junior Niya Clayton and freshman Rayah Rodriguez both qualified in four events for the Lions.

Clayton junior won the girls 100-meter dash in 11.46 seconds.

“The whole race was really fun,” Clayton said. “I liked having people within the same competition level as me, just pushing me along. Feeling people behind me made me want to push more.”

Clayton was also sixth in the 100-meter hurdles in 14.39 and was a part of two relay teams, which also advanced.

“Niya is really coming of age in that 100,” Smith said.

Rodriguez placed third in the 400 (54.44) and sixth in the 200 (24.03).

“It means a lot,” Rodriguez said. “I knew at the beginning of the year, I was going to go pretty far, but I didn’t know it was going to be this far. I just kept surprising myself with all the hard work I was putting in.”

Oaks Christian junior Payton Godsey was working on racing tactics as she finished third in the 3,200 in 10:28.52.

“I didn’t want to be in the front for the race,” Godsey said. “I was trying to work on patience and learning how to beat people when it’s not just an all-out sprint all the time.

“I’m learning how to race different ways.”

Oaks Christian sophomore Eleanor Borchard was fourth in the 300 hurdles in 43.85.

The 4x100 team of Rodriguez, Imani Clayton, Borchard and Niya Clayton finished sixth in 47.02. The 4x400 team of Borchard, Niya Clayton, Danielle Irvin and Rodriguez also finished sixth in 3:51.85.

“I think we qualified the right events,” Smith said. “Obviously you have to show up, execute and beat people (in Clovis).”

Moving on

Oaks Christian freshman Redeaux and Simi Valley senior Jaelon Barbarin were fifth (10.54) and sixth (10.59) in the boys 100 meters to qualify for the state meet.

Simi Valley senior Sean Brown also qualified in the boys 110 hurdles in 14.20.

Other qualifiers included Camarillo senior Laynie Tuimaualuga (143-3) and Camarillo sophomore Trinity Tipton (141-9) in the girls discus; Westlake junior Cade Sommers (15-0) and Foothill Tech senior Cole Dinkler (15-0) in the boys pole vault; Ventura senior Wyatt Schrader (56-11.50) in the boys discus; Ventura’s Fakrogha (5-5) and Thousand Oaks sophomore Madison Thai (5-5) in the girls high jump; and Newbury Park senior Ailish Hawkins (10:31.28) in the girls 3,200.

The Simi Valley team of Thenuk Chandrasekera, Brown, Logan Pollard and Barbarin finished second in the boys 4x100 relay in 41.62.

The Westlake team of Brandon Orlow, KC Barber, Ifeoluwaleyi Orekoya and Marcus Nortey was third in the boys 4x400 relay in 3:19.24.

The Calabasas team of Lahela Ray, Arielle McKenzie, Paige Porter and Zoe Ray finished fifth in the girls 4x400 relay.

Non-qualifiers

Calabasas junior Arielle McKenzie was ninth (2:13.88) and Ventura freshman Melanie True was 12th (2:16.98) in the girls 1,600, but did not advance to state.

Camarillo senior Ava Crouse was seventh in the girls shot put at 41-0.50. Oaks Christian senior Danielle Irvin was 10th in the girls long jump at 18-0.75. Westlake sophomore Claudia Turner was 14th in the girls pole vault at 10-9. Foothill Tech senior Lily Shadden was 14th in the girls long jump at 5-1.

Newbury Park (11th, 9:32.00), Oaks Christian (13th, 9:37.03) and Ventura (15th, 9:47.28) placed in the girls 4x800 relay.

Newbury Park senior Aaron Cantu was 11th in the boys 3,200 in 9:35.36.

Rio Mesa sophomore Jackson Knowles was 10th in the boys high jump at 6-3.

Ventura (9th, 8:01.95), Agoura (10th, 8:02.66) and Royal (8:30.55) placed in the boys 4x800 relay.

Joe Curley is a staff writer for The Star. He can be reached at joe.curley@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcspreps on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura's Fast Horse employs herd mentality at CIF-SS Masters track meet