Red Mountain’s Tyler Mathews wins 800
After taking a substantial lead after one lap on a hot Saturday afternoon at Mesa Community College, Phoenix South Mountain senior Brian Fair Jr., couldn’t hold off Red Mountain’s Tyler Mathews in the end.
Mathews, a sophomore, crossed first to win the Division I boys 800-meter state championship in 1 minute, 51.39 seconds. Fair, nursing a quadriceps injury, finished at 1:51.41.
This was the first race of the day with temperatures hitting 100 degrees at the start of the Arizona Interscholastic Association high school state track and field championships.
South Mountain coach Dwayne Evans said that Fair was at about 80% to start the race, dealing with a slight quad injury. Two weeks earlier, Fair, running the 800 for only the third time in his life, set a state record in 1:50.12.
“He wasn’t able to sprint it at the end,” Evans said.
Fair said he felt the quad tighten up down the stretch.
“I felt like I was going to be able to push,” Fair said. “But I felt my quad tighten up on me. I gave the best that I could.”
For Mathews, his strategy of pacing himself in the pack before taking off in the last 400 meters paid off. This was his first state championship.
“I didn’t want to try to stay too far ahead with Brian, because I knew he was going to start out pretty fast,” Mathews said. “I just tried to stay ahead of everybody else.”
In the 100 meters, Surprise Valley Vista junior Blaise Nelson won the championship in 10.82 seconds. Considering how hot it was, he was pleased to win, even though it wasn’t a personal record.
“I was really focusing on my arms,” Nelson said.
Nelson finished third in the 200 with Mountain Pointe’s Jayden Davis winning in 21.90.
Chandler’s 4x100 relay of Sammie Hunter, Geramiah Flunder, Otis Knapper and Michael King won the state title in 41.78, followed by Chandler Basha (41.84) and Chandler Hamilton (41.88).
Division II
Tagang Bawa of Queen Creek Casteel won the 110 hurdles in 14.48 seconds. He beat out runnerup Rowan Barney of Oro Valley Canyon del Oro. Barney ran it in 14.88
Tempe McClintock’s 4x100 of Donte Blackmon, Prince Conteh, Darrion Robinson and Avaunt Ortiz won state in 41.87 Prince Conteh of McClintock won the 100 in 10.78 seconds. He raised his arms in triumph and fell to his knees afterwards.
Division III
Scottsdale Notre Dame senior John Ruvo had the fastest 100 time of all divisions in 10.75 seconds.
American Leadership Queen Creek teammates Logan Hubler (14.21) and Kawai King (14.40) were 1 and 2 in the 110 hurdles. Hubler, quarterback of the school’s Open Division state playoff team, is attending BYU to run track.
Division IV
Jacob Holguin, a big part of Phoenix Arizona Lutheran’s 2A state championship football team in the fall, won the 100 dash in 10.78 seconds. Closing fast on him was runnerup Geoffrey Gribble of Bisbee, running 10.86.
Thomas Koska of North Phoenix Prep won the 1600 in 4:18.37. Koska has a remarkable journey to the top medal stand. He was undergoing chemotherapy treatments in the fall during the cross country season for leukemia.