TOKAY BOYS WIN TCAL OPENER

A revamped Hubbard Field on the Tokay High campus could be the site of track and field trials and finals this spring.

The Sac-Joaquin Section, which is the governing body for high school athletics that stretches from Yuba City to Merced, is considering Tokay High’s revamped on-campus stadium as one of six sites to host the Division I and/or Masters’ track and field championships. Tokay High Athletic Director Michael Holst and Lodi High Athletic Director Robert Winterhalter, along with Will DeBoard, the section’s assistant commissioner, confirmed that Tokay is in the running.

During the section’s boys and girls water polo championships, which were held at Tokay’s swimming pool last November, DeBoard said that he and com-

missioner Michael Garrison and other section officials viewed the stadium that was more than 90 percent completed at the time.

“We walked the field and stadium,” DeBoard said. “We liked what we saw.”

Tokay, Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills and Davis Sr. High of Davis are the only three high schools being considered to host one or both of the D-I and Masters’ trials and finals. Oak Ridge, according to DeBoard, replaced its old all-weather track over the summer, as well as the turf.

The trio of schools are in competition with American River College in Sacramento, Hughes Stadium on the Sacramento City College campus and Modesto Junior College, DeBoard noted.

“Nobody is a finalist,” DeBoard said. “We’re looking at a whole bunch of different places. There are a lot of nice places out there.”

DeBoard said it’s possible two of the six sites could host the D-I meet, and another would host the Masters.

Both Holst and Winterhalter are hoping that the section would consider the location of Tokay’s stadium, which is in the middle of the section. The two athletic directors confirmed said if Tokay is selected to host one or both, both schools would work together to run the running and field events, plus the concession stands and parking on the campus.

Elk Grove High, which has hosted the DI and Masters’ championships for almost a decade, is installing a new, all-weather track that would not be ready this spring. According to the section’s website — cifsjs.org — the D-I trials and finals will be held May 8 and 10, and the Masters on May 16-17. The event is not guaranteed to return to Elk Grove once its renovation is complete.

Hubbard Field now has green field turf that has cork instead of rubber, the school’s mascot of the Tigers planted in the middle of the field. The word Tokay is etched in the school’s colors of purple and gold in the end zone on the north end of the stadium, and Tigers also embedded in the south end zone.

On the north end of the stadium, past the end zone, is a digital scoreboard capable of displaying scores for football and soccer games. The home bleachers are on the west side of the stadium, with the press box in the middle of the stands. The visitor’s bleachers are on the west side. On both sides of the bleachers are tunnels that allow fans to enter and leave each side.

Four stadium lights — two each on the west and east sides of the stadium — are also fixed into the ground at the yet-to-be named stadium.

The shot put and discus areas are located on the south end of the end zone. The long/triple jump pit is on the north end of the stadium.

Measure U, a bond that Lodi area residents passed in November 2016, helped restructure Hubbard Field. Before the major facelift, Hubbard Field had its home stands on the east side. That was bad news for home fans, who would be hit directly by sunlight in the early afternoon hours during track and field meets and freshman football home games played in the late 1970s through the late 2000s, and the visitor’s side on the west side. The field was grass and had a dirt track field. The shot put and discus’ areas were on the north end of the field.

Tokay is no stranger to hosting playoffs. The Jungle, the school’s gym, has hosted the section’s boys and girls basketball playoffs for nearly two decades.

Along with water polo championships last November, Tokay has been the home of the section’s swimming trials and finals for more than a decade.

DeBoard said that the section plans to make its decision this month. The section would let the Board of Managers, consisting of current and former high school athletic directors and administrators, at the next meeting that will take place Wednesday, Jan. 30 at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton. The meeting — one of three during each school year — is open to the public.