Central Valley athletes win two state titles at CIF track championships

Julius Sanders and Karsyn Van Grouw gave the Central Valley two state champions at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis, and the podium list stretched far beyond those gold medals. On a night that put Fresno County and the rest of the Valley under a statewide spotlight, local athletes collected top-eight finishes in the long jump, throws, hurdles, sprints and relays.

Sanders, a Clovis West junior, won the boys long jump with a personal-best leap of 24 feet, 5 inches. The victory carried added local weight because he became the first area athlete to win the event since Clovis North’s Caleb Foster in 2019. Clovis junior Kayden Lewis-Burnley also reached the long jump podium, placing fourth, giving the Central Section two local finalists in one of the meet’s most technical events.

Van Grouw, a Buchanan senior, claimed the boys discus title with a throw of 202 feet, 1 inch. That win kept the Central Section’s hold on the event alive for a third straight year after back-to-back titles by Clovis North’s McKay Madsen. In a championship where the discus often separates a handful of elite programs from the rest of the field, Buchanan’s finish showed that the Valley’s throwing tradition is still producing state-level results.

The medals did not stop with the two champions. Central East senior Sofia Lopes finished fourth in both the girls 100-meter hurdles and the girls 300-meter hurdles, a rare double that underscored her range and consistency. Redwood’s Wyatt Ruby took fifth in the boys 110-meter hurdles and set a new school record at 13.59. Other local athletes in the mix included Clovis’ Ella Merrihew in girls discus, Buchanan’s Donovan Dunmore in the boys 100, Emanuel Morgan of Central East in the boys 400, San Joaquin Memorial’s Jaxson Silverstrom in the boys high jump and Redwood’s Austin Alcantara in the boys triple jump.

The spread of finalists pointed to something bigger than a single standout performance. Clovis, Buchanan, Central East, Redwood, Clovis West and San Joaquin Memorial all sent athletes to the state meet, and several of them brought home top-eight finishes. For Fresno County and neighboring Valley schools, that kind of depth suggests a pipeline built on strong coaching, event-specific development and programs that keep producing state-caliber athletes even as the competition gets tougher at the top.