Depending on how closely you’re focusing on the action, track is either the ultimate individual, or ultimate team sport.  Local athletes will show that today, as Poly searches for another historic team state title, while Millikan’s Ashley Smith and Paisley Pettway try to end their excellent prep careers seasons on a high note.

The Trackrabbits advance a virtual army into Saturday’s finals, as every single Jackrabbit who competed in the preliminaries qualified—they won both 4X100s, Melia Cox qualified second in the 100-meter hurdles, Akawkaw Ndipagbor had the top time in the 400 and teammate Azia Walker brought up the rear in 9th, Carisma Lyday qualified 9th in the 100-meter, Kaelin Clay was in the middle of the pack in the 100-meter, Arielle Stevenson and Dynasty Gammage both made it into the 800-meter final, Myles Andrews is in the 800-meter on the boys’ side, Ndipagbor qualified third in the 200-meter, Clay will also race the 200-meter, the girls’ had the top time in the 4X400 and the boys’ had the second-best time, Tara Richmond was second in the triple jump, Corey Winston got into the high jump final, and Richmond and Alexus Dalton both qualified for the girls’ high jump.

To boil all that down, Poly entered 19 relay teams and athletes into qualifying heats on Friday—and all 19 of them will be competing again on Saturday in the State Finals.  Of the 16 events on the girls’ side, 9 will feature Poly players as they attempt to take another state title. 

For Smith and Pettway, the goals team-wise are certainly less lofty.  The two won’t be able to will Millikan’ to within points of the podium in the State Finals, as they did in the CIF-SS Finals, but they can still have great showing individually. Smith qualified into the 200-meter as the fifth-seed, and she hit the necessary qualifier of 5’6″ in the high jump to move through there as well.  Pettway won her heat in the 800-meter, and qualified with the second-fastest time.  Three of the nine finalists in the event are from Long Beach.

A few other local athletes fell short on Friday, as Wilson’s Christina Smith was just off in the 800-meter, Millikan’s Kody Robison didn’t go through in the shot put with a throw of just over 53′, and Smith was off the mark in the 100m hurdles

Click here for a few videos of Friday’s qualifying, and come back tonight to see how the local kids did!