Carter wins 200

Randall Carroll . . . Sheldon Price . . . Tevin Carter?

The list of elite California sprinters now includes a certain unheralded junior from Los Angeles Santee High who is quickly gaining on his more ballyhooed counterparts.

Carter edged race favorite DeAnthony Thomas in the 200 meters and lost to the Crenshaw sophomore only after a photo finish in the 100 on Thursday at the City Section track championships at Lake Balboa Birmingham.

“Coming in, it was DeAnthony and all this,” Carter said. “I thought it was going to be DeAnthony too. . . . I’m very happy I pushed through at the end.” Carter ran the 200 in 21.38 seconds, obliterating his previous best time of 21.78. Thomas finished in 21.61, and Dorsey’s Robert Herron was third in 21.93. All three qualified for next week’s state meet at Clovis.

After a slow start in the 100, Carter figured his closing push was enough to give him a victory over Thomas as both runners appeared to cross the finish line at the same moment.

“I thought I came up at the last second and pulled away with it,” Carter said.

Said Thomas: “I was nervous.”

Alas, Thomas prevailed with a personal-best time of 10.60, edging Carter’s 10.61. D.J. Morgan finished third in 10.63 for Woodland Hills Taft, which won the boys’ team title with 69 points. Dorsey finished second with 65 points and Crenshaw was third with 55.

Birmingham won the girls’ team title with 84 points, Carson was second with 70 points and Taft was third with 62.

Carter was a relative unknown coming into this year after not qualifying for the City finals in the 100 or 200 in 2008. What’s made the difference?

“Work,” said Carter, a wide receiver who earlier this month committed to Washington. “I just felt I wanted to be here.” Santee track Coach Joe Kearney said Carter could challenge L.A. Cathedral’s Carroll, who has clocked the state’s fastest times this year in the 100 and 200, at the state meet.

“I think he can go faster,” Kearney said of Carter. “He can run with anybody in the country.

San Pedro junior Pablo Rosales won his first City championship in the boys’ 3,200 meters and defended his title in the 1,600, holding off an early challenge from his younger brother David in the latter race before the sophomore faded on the final lap to finish third. Pablo Rosales won the 1,600 in 4:18.88 and the 3,200 in 9:37.41.

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ben.bolch@latimes.com