Track and field: Cathedral’s Carroll doubles pleasure with 200 victory

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Task completed. Randall Carroll of L.A. Cathedral motored to victory in the 200 meters Saturday evening, clocked at 20.91 seconds, the top time in the state and fourth-fastest in the country. Carroll pulled away down the stretch, as if the rest of the field was standing still. Carroll also won the 100 in a state-leading 10.42 at the CIF state championships at Cerritos College

Joey Hughes of Long Beach Poly finished fourth in 21.53, leaving Poly two points behind Dominguez heading into the final event, the 1,600 relay. Poly needs to win and hope the Dons finished third or lower. That’s the only way the Jackrabbits can win the team title outright. Unfortunately for Poly, Dominguez owns the top time in the nation in the event.

Vashti Thomas of San Jose Mt. Pleasant did Carroll one better, joining an elite group of three-time girls’ individual champions at the state meet.

Thomas won the long jump, triple jump and 100 hurdles, joining Marion Jones of Thousand Oaks (100, 200 and long jump in 1993), Wendy Brown of Woodside (long jump, triple jump and high jump in 1984) and Angela Williams of Chino (100, 200 and long jump in 1998) as the only other athletes to accomplish that feat.

Jessica Davis, a sophomore at Highland, won the girls’ 200 in 23.46, holding off 100 winner and fellow sophomore Ashton Purvis of Oakland St. Elizabeth (23.51).

Another champion from the Southern Section was crowned in the boys’ 300 hurdles, as West Torrance’s Brian Baucham won in 37.26. Like Carroll, Baucham has signed to play football at USC.

-- Dan Arritt

Note: For up-to-the-minute results of the CIF state championship meet, check here.