Runners-up: Weekend’s state track meet requires attitude adjustment

Second place is OK up to a certain point in track season. At least that was the general consensus at last week’s CIF-SS Masters meet.

Friday is the last time that attitude will be applicable.

Entering tomorrow’s qualifying round of this weekend’s CIF State track meet at Clovis Buchanan High School, Inland Valley athletes are ranked second in the state in six events. For months now the goal has been to rank first at state finals on June 1.

Jordie Munford isn’t among those currently ranked second in the state, but the Rancho Cucamonga hurdler knows better than anybody in Clovis this weekend what second feels like.

Munford has been state runner-up three times, once in the 100 hurdles and twice in the 300 hurdles, the event in which she qualified in this year. This weekend is the senior’s final shot before she takes her track career to Oregon, but Munford has been fighting against time since a hamstring injury kept her out the first half of the season.

“I’ve been trying to win state since my freshman year,” Munford said. “I always get second and I’m tired of it. Everybody better bring their ‘A’ game to state.”

Carter high jumper Eric Moore, who has cleared 6-fee-11, finally will face Antelope Center jumper Xavier Howell, the only one in the state to clear 7 feet.

A pair of local sprinters are ranked second in the 100 and the 200 meters but already have faced their chief competition in the CIF-Southern Section. Upland sophomore Myles Valentine is hoping to catch defending state champion Khalfani Muhammad in the 100 and 200 after finishing second to him at Masters in both. Claremont’s Brittany Brown will try to chase down Long Beach Poly’s Arianna Washington, who is ranked first in both events.

Miller’s Rachel McCoy won the state high jump championship as a sophomore before taking last season off. The senior’s 5-11 mark ranks second to the 6-foot jump posted by South Pasadena’s Claire Kieffer-Wright, who was content to simply cleared the automatic qualifying height of 5-5 at Masters. Upland sophomore Skyler Daniel, who cleared 5-5 at Masters, will also compete in the high jump.

Etiwanda’s Miles Parish won CIF-SS finals and Masters in the 400, but will face stiffer competition this weekend.

Los Osos senior Victor Bolden is making a return trip to state in the 300 hurdles, an event in which he is ranked third. Los Osos teammate Kira Moreland will compete in the long jump and Bonita’s Nikki Wheatley is in the triple jump. Kyle Beck completes the Los Osos’ trio and will compete with Chino Hills’ Dillon Groener in the pole vault.

The Colony girls 400-meter relay team reached state as did Rancho Cucamonga’s Michael Ramirez in the 800 and Summit’s Destiny Parker in the shot put.

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