GILROY — Evan Johnson has spent most of the season chasing his own shadow, blistering tracks and shattering school and county records.
For the past two weeks, the Stevenson four-sport standout can hear people behind him, notably Salinas’ Nyziah Hunter in the 100.
“It’s fun to compete and test the waters,” Johnson said.
The defending Central Coast Section champion in the 100 and 200, Johnson will go into the finals with the top marks in both events after clocking 10.50 seconds in the 100 and 21.57 in the 200 at Saturday’s CCS track and field trials at Gilroy High.
Johnson shared the local limelight Saturday with Santa Catalina’s Juliette Kosmont, who recorded the fastest times in the 100 and 200 in the girl’s division, where her mark in the 100 (11.91) broke her school record.
Johnson and Hunter ran in separate heats at the trials, with Hunter winning his heat in 10.73. The pair will be joined in Saturday’s finals at Gilroy High by Palma’s Logan Saldate, who qualified with a mark of 10.97.
“I have to make some adjustments,” Johnson said. “Everyone’s getting faster. I did a little better job in sticking to my race plan in the 100. Being pushed motivates me. I had to dig deep in the last 20 meters.”
Johnson, who has doubled this year as a left fielder for the Pirates Cypress Division champion baseball team, has a season-best of 10.41, which broke the Monterey County record of 10.51 set by North Salinas’ Ronnie Drummer in 2004.
“I was a little sore coming into the meet,” said Johnson, headed to Brigham Young University on a football scholarship in the fall. “I stretched really well and just powered through it. To tell you the truth, I was surprised with my time in the 200.”
Johnson’s mark of 21.57 was a season-best, as was Hunter’s time of 21.73.
“I just stuck to my race plan a little better in the 200,” Johnson said. “Last week I felt Nyziah and I kicked up at pace. Today I ran my own race. I didn’t feel I was running that fast. When I saw the time, I said ‘dang.'”
Hunter, who rewrote his Salinas school record in the 100 meters for the second straight week, has only lined up in the starting blocks once against Johnson, that coming in last week’s Master’s Meet.
Saldate also extended his season in the long jump, where his mark of 21 feet, 8.5 inches was the second-best jump at the trials. Teammate Paul Rivera advanced with a modest mark of 21-2. The senior has a best of 23-1.
The Chieftains’ Caleb Moran-Murphy uncorked the shot 46-6 to advance to the finals with the fifth-best mark, while Benjamin Ricardo Salas extended his season in the discus with a heave of 129-4.
York School’s Michael Julian easily qualified in the 3,200 with a modest time of 9:29.48. The distance ace has a season-best of 9:03.85, which is the second-fastest time in Monterey County history.
“It wasn’t a day for a personal record,” Julian said. “But I wanted to set an honest pace. We went out slowly. At 200 meters, I said ‘is anyone going to take it out?’ I decided to set the pace.”
Running in 90-degree heat, Julian ran comfortably over eight laps, finishing second overall, as he will be one of 12 qualifiers vying for the three automatic spots to the state meet.
“We pushed it a little bit,” said Julian, who will run next year at UC San Diego. “On a hot day, the objective is just to qualify for the finals.”
Talk after the race among his peers was dipping under nine minutes in the finals.
“We talked among each other about the potential of running a sub-nine 3,200,” Julian said. “I think someone will go out and try and set the pace. And it will be cooler in the evening.”
Javin Niar became the first athlete from Rancho San Juan to qualify for the finals, clearing 12-feet in the pole vault. Nair, who does not have a pit on campus to train on, started the season at 7-6.
Emmerson Menjivar-Cortez and Ethan Lavina both qualified for the finals in the triple jump for Salinas.
Kosmont has dropped nearly a half-second in the 100 over the last month. Her mark of 11.91 is the second-fastest time in Monterey County history behind Monterey’s Sani Roseby.
In just her fourth 200-meter race of the season, Kosmont ran the fastest time in the CCS and the fourth fastest in Monterey County history at 24.67.
Teammate Nadia Aligawesa advanced in the shot put (32-8), as did Notre Dame’s Isolina Barrett in the discus (107-2). Kate De Los Santos of Monterey also extended her season in the triple jump with a mark of 34-7.
Boys lacrosse
Sacred Heart Prep 19, Stevenson 5: For nearly a half, the Pirates matched up evenly with one of the state’s top lacrosse programs. So much so, that one of Sacred Heart Prep’s top players — who did not originally suit up because of an injury — put on his equipment in the second half.
“He suited up because we were putting some pressure on them,” Stevenson coach Cooper Kehoe said.
Whatever adjustments the No. 2 seeded Gators made, it clicked as they outscored Stevenson 13-2 in the second half to advance to the Central Coast Section semifinals.
“Sacred Heart is a solid program, one of the best in the state of California,” Kehoe said. “They are a powerhouse. I was proud of our grit, energy and effort.”
The Gabilan Division champion Pirates, who opened the second ever CCS lacrosse playoffs on Thursday with a 9-7 win over Serra, had rattled off 13 straight wins.
“Sacred Heart went into the half and made adjustments,” Kehoe said.
Will Bufkin produced a pair of goals for Stevenson, while Tristan Evans, Craig Chiu and Win Metcalf all scored one.
“Our offense came from a freshman and two juniors,” Kehoe said. “The core of this team is coming back. We’ll be back.”
Kehoe will have to find a replacement for three-sport standout and goalie Darnell Adler, who has been a leader between the pipes all season.
“He’s the core of our team, our rock,” Kehoe said. “He could play lacrosse in college. But I believe he’s going the football route. Just a big-time athlete.”
Girls lacrosse
Stevenson 15, St. Francis 14 OT: UC Davis-bound Rhea Cosand scored the game-winning goal as the No. 2 seeded Pirates knocked off West Catholic Athletic League power St. Francis in overtime to advance to the CCS semifinals.
Gabby Torres tied the game with under a minute remaining in regulation, with goalie Romi Fernandez making a save with four seconds left to force overtime.
Stevenson will face top seed St. Ignatius on Wednesday in the semifinals.
