MISSION VIEJO – Los Alamitos junior Devin Bragg was double-trouble for the competition in the sprints Saturday in the Orange County Championships for track and field.
Bragg won the 100 and 200 meter races and was named the boys sprinter of the meet at Mission Viejo High.
His time of 10.50 seconds in the 100 is the fastest wind-legal time in the history of the Orange County Championships that started in 1983. It was also the fastest wind-legal time in the county this season.
Bragg’s winning time of 21.31 in the 200 is the second-best time in the event in the O.C. Championships history and the top time in the event in the county this season.
Mater Dei won the boys team championship for the second year in a row. The Monarchs, led by junior Brandon Gorski’s wins in the high jump and the long jump, scored 59 points. San Clemente was second at 51.25 points with Trabuco Hills third with 51 points.
Santa Margarita senior Zachary Gibson was named outstanding distance runner for the boys half of the meet. Gibson won the 3,200 and was second in the 1,600.
Pacifica senior Zach Lewis was named outstanding field events athlete after winning the shot put and discus.
As good as his times were, Bragg was in the pleased-but-not-satisfied category Saturday, especially regarding his 100 time.
“That’s because I ‘PR’d’ in my freshman year,” Bragg said.
Bragg ran the 100 in 10.46 in his freshman season of 2022. That’s the fifth-best time in county history and the best time of any county freshman ever.
“I felt good getting out,” Bragg said of his start Saturday in the 100. “And I finished nicely. For today, I’m proud of it.”
As for his 200, Bragg said that halfway through the race he was confident that he would win.
“Once I was off the first 100 (meters) I was like ‘Oh, I’ve got a lot more in me,’” he said. “I just had to keep it together.”
Bragg also is a football standout. He said he will be moving to receiver from cornerback for his senior season.
Servite’s 4×100 relay team of Quaid Carr, Robert Gardner, Hudson Haiduc, and Camren Hughes set a meet record with its winning time of 41.66.
The Servite quartet of, from left, Hudson Haiduc, Robert Gardner, Camren Hughes and Quaid Carr won the 4×100 relay in a meet-record time of 41.66 seconds at the Orange County Championships on Saturday, April 13. (Photo by Steve Fryer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The weather for the track and field meet was cold and breezy, with a light rain falling during the final minutes.
For Foothill’s Jack Horrocks, it was a typical day for track and field.
“We have this running joke at Foothill,” Horrocks said. “Which is, ‘every single time Foothill High School hits a track the conditions will start getting bad.’”
So the conditions were familiar to Horrocks. He won the 800 in 1:54.64, just beating San Clemente’s Taj Clark at the finish line; Clark’s time was 1:54.66.
Horrocks said he ran too fast, too soon in the 800 last week at the Arcadia Invitational where he finished fifth. He made his move later in Saturday’s race.
“I wasn’t going to let that happen again,” he said. “I just wanted to come away today with a win and a county championship.”
Foothill senior Jack Horrocks – 800 winner at 1:54.64 at the Orange County Championships pic.twitter.com/m4ilZjlJV2
— Steve Fryer (@SteveFryer) April 13, 2024
Gibson took the lead about halfway through the 3,200 and from there added space between himself and the rest of the runners, winning it in 9:19.80.
“I just went out there and tried to make it a nice, strategic race and that’s what I did,” Gibson said.
Opting to not run Saturday were county 3,200 leaders Ibzan Felix of Beckman and Evan Noonan of Dana Hills. Felix is preparing for league competition. Noonan plans to run in the Mt. SAC Relays next week.
Another top county athlete not participating Saturday was Portola’s Rider Cooper, the county leader in the 400 who also has produced fine times in the 100 and 200. Cooper missed Saturday’s meet because of illness.
Lewis, the county leader in the throwing events most of this season, won the discus with a mark of 176 feet and the shot put with a mark of 58-5¾.
Gorski won the high jump at 6 feet, 4 inches in weather conditions unsuitable for quality heights in the event. His personal best is 6-9. Gorski won the long jump with a mark of 22-8.
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