Hughson, Turlock see athletes medal at CIF State Track & Field Championships

Quinton Hamilton
·4 min read

A Stanislaus County runner made history at the 103rd CIF State Track & Field Championships at Buchanan High School’s Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis on Saturday.

Hughson High’s Joe Lighthall capped a dominant prep career with a state championship under the brightest lights of the high school track and field season, finishing the boys 800-meter run in 1 minute, 52.06 seconds.

He became the first 800-meter winner from the Sac-Joaquin Section in more than 25 years. James Levine of Golden Valley-Merced was the last 800 state champion in 1997, running a 1:50.62. Other section winners were Jerry Lopez of Placer-Auburn in 1936 and Earl Lockhart of Sacramento in 1923.

Lighthall, who finished seventh last year as a junior, held a narrow lead after one lap and then took over the race, opening as much as a 15-meter gap. It was a dash to the finish in the final 100 meters as Lighthall gave it everything he had, holding off second-place finisher Ambodai Ligons of Cathedral (1:52.36) and third-place finisher Noah Ray of Buchanan (1:52.72).

Lighthall, who will run at BYU next year, fell across the finish line, raising both of his hands above his head as he lay on his back, absolutely spent. He set a goal of running a sub-1:50 at state, but he didn’t need it. In fact, he did not even need his personal best. He ran a 1:51.95 at the Sacramento Meet of Champions in April, a mark that broke an 80-year-old Stanislaus County record.

Hughson High School’s Joseph Lighthall, left, looks up to the scoreboard to see his first place finish time at the 2023 CIF California Track & Field State Championship finals Saturday, May 27, 2023 in Clovis.
Hughson High School’s Joseph Lighthall, left, looks up to the scoreboard to see his first place finish time at the 2023 CIF California Track & Field State Championship finals Saturday, May 27, 2023 in Clovis.

The senior finishes his career as the county record holder at 800 meters, a state champion at 800 meters, a two-time Masters Champion at 800 meters, a divisional champion at 800 meters, a county champion at 400 and 800 meters and a two-time Trans-Valley League champion at 800 meters, among other awards. He did not finish outside the top two in any major event at 800 meters in his senior season. He recorded the ninth-best time at 400 meters and the 10th-best time at 800 meters in the state this season.

Hughson’s Joseph Lighthall , center, collapses past the finish line as he takes first in the Boys 800m Run at the 2023 CIF California Track & Field State Championship finals Saturday, May 27, 2023 in Clovis.
Hughson’s Joseph Lighthall , center, collapses past the finish line as he takes first in the Boys 800m Run at the 2023 CIF California Track & Field State Championship finals Saturday, May 27, 2023 in Clovis.

Turlock’s McFarlane finishes near top

Turlock pole vaulter Max McFarlane won the Masters title May 20 and a week later was in the final against the only two athletes better than him in the state. McFarlane, Hilton Green and Dillon Curtis were among a field of 12 vaulters in Saturday’s final. McFarlane finished tied with Curtis at 16’ 2” for second place. Green of Buchanan, who holds the state’s season high at 17’ 1”, recorded a 16’ 6” in Saturday’s final. On the season, Curtis of Redondo Union holds the second-highest vault with a 16’ 6” and McFarlane finishes the season with the third-best vault in the state, reaching 16’ 5” at the Division II section prelims. Just a junior, McFarlane will get another shot at a state championship next year.

Modesto High jumper participates in state final

Modesto High’s Chidiebere Agunanne was the only Modesto City Schools athlete to compete in the finals at state, placing 10th in the triple jump Saturday afternoon. She qualified for state after finishing as the runner-up at the Sac-Joaquin Section masters, setting a new personal record at 37’ 10.5”. Agunanne also competed in the high jump and long jump this season, finishing second in both at the CCAL Championships. She won the triple jump at the prestigious Stanford Invitational. She will compete alongside her sister, Chinanu, at UC San Diego next year.

Other local state qualifiers

  • Turlock High’s Ava Torres, Olivia Walker, Zoe Lamur and Ella Spaulding finished 11th in the girls 4x400 relay, running in 3:54.11.

  • Walker, who finished third in the girls 400 at the Masters Meet, ran a 57.49 in Friday’s prelims. She also qualified for state in the high jump.

  • Joey Stout of Pitman High narrowly missed out on qualifying for the state final at 400 meters. He finished 10th in the prelims (48.66). He also ran the 200 meters, finishing 13th.

  • Oakdale runners Caleb Cavanaugh and Dax Daley ran in Friday’s prelims. Cavanaugh finished 14th at 1,600 meters (4:14.97) and Daley finished 15th at 3,200 meters (9:09.12)

  • Masters discus second- and third-place finishers Phoenix Nunez-Bradshaw of Turlock and Logan Edwards of Enochs qualified for state, finishing 20th and 24th, respectively. Edwards, a junior, recorded a personal record 155’ 6” at Masters.

  • Shaylan Roy-Williams of Turlock won the Masters long jump title May 20 and recorded a 17’ 0.25” at the state prelims Friday.