Track & Field: Local duo solid at state

CLOVIS — Finishing in a tie for third in the pole vault at Saturday’s CIF state track and field championships in Clovis was more than OK for Orange Lutheran High junior Carl Johansson.

The Newport Beach resident’s goal was just to be in the top six and he exceeded his own expectations by matching his personal-best height of 15 feet, 10 inches, which he had reached one week before at the Southern Section Masters Meet.

“I was pretty tired after qualifying [Friday] and I didn’t do as well as I planned,” Johansson said. “[Saturday] I felt a lot better and my goal was to first-jump everything, which I did. I made three in a row up to 16-4 and two of my tries were really close, I just couldn’t quite do it.”

In the finals, Johansson tied with Parker Curry of Santa Margarita, whom he competed against all season in the Trinity League.

“We know each other well and I’m glad I finished even with him,” Johansson said of Curry.

Luigi Colella of Thousand Oaks won the event on most successful attempts after both he and Austin Kiles cleared 16-4.

After notching the top qualifying mark in the discus, Marty Taylor of Newport Harbor finished runner-up to Brenden Song of West Hills at Saturday’s finals. He also took third in the shotput later in the meet.

Taylor’s best discus throw was 188 feet, five inches, three inches short of Song’s best mark.

The Sailors senior, who is headed for UCLA, led after prelims with a throw of 189-11, just shy of his personal best of 190-4 1/2. That meant he went last for the finals, but he was in third place after the first three rounds.

Taylor, who played fullback and linebacker on the football team in the fall, had qualified third in the shotput and his best result of the finals was 61-1 1/4 on his second attempt. He fouled on his third try and threw 61-1 on his fourth attempt.

Nick Ponzio of Great Oak won with a throw of 66-2 1/2 and Amir Ali Patterson of Encino Crespi was second at 62-9 3/4.