Boys’ track: Ross is my favorite to win state title

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With all due respect to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, the Inland Empire’s best shot at winning a state track and field championship next month won’t come from Chaparral hurdler Mike Powers, as was written today.

Just up the 215 freeway is a better choice, Vista Murrieta junior Nick Ross, who cleared seven feet in the high jump Wednesday, becoming just the third high jumper in California to surpass that mark this season.

And Ross didn’t exactly jump out of the woodwork in the dual meet at Great Oak High. He also won the event at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational on April 12.

According to the dyestatcal.com top marks list, Ross also came into this week with the second-best triple jump in the state (47-7 1/2), and his’ teammate, Ryan Swafford, had the third-best mark (47-4 1/4) in the event and the fifth-best long jump (23 feet).

Powers seems like a solid athlete, but his best time in the 110 hurdles, 14.58 seconds, is only ninth-best in California, and that’ll barely get you on the starting line at the state championships.

I guess we’ll have to wait on this one.

-- Dan Arritt

-- Image from www1.ccny.cuny.edu