Sorry about the delay on this post. I'll have the girls track and field post up Sunday to make up for the missed Friday and will continue with swimming on Monday and Tuesday.

2008-09 Kern County BOYS TRACK AND FIELD

Overview: It was another grand year for the runners, jumpers and (duh) throwers of Kern County, who took home three gold medals at the CIF State Championships in front of a Central Section audience at Clovis-Buchanan. Frontier's Matt Darr stepped in where Dayshan Ragans left off last year, winning both the discus and the shot put title. Darr's marks weren't as good as Ragans' last year, but he peaked at the right time, PRing in both events during the state finals. And then there's this: Darr's two victories gave Frontier a share of the TEAM state title in a year where parity ruled in California boys track and field.
Foothill's Chris Schwartz capped a magical career with a thrilling victory in the 3,200 meters at state, running an 8:51.60 that beat his season best by some 25 seconds. It was the third-fastest high school time this year, anywhere in the country.
Elsewhere, Ridgeview had a deep team that won three individual section titles (Jerrid Lewis in the 800, Isiah Purvis in the 200 and Johnny Carter in the triple jump) and placed second in the Valley as a team. Carter was second in state  a year after winning the triple jump. West's George Robbins won a section title and narrowly missed medaling at state.

Best team: That'd be Ridgeview, which had Purvis transfer in the offseason to live with his mother. When that happened, coach Adam Setser had a team that was deep in sprints and relays (the 1,600 relay team was ranked in the state's top five for much of the season) and was better than any team the Central Section had to offer except for loaded Buchanan. The Wolf Pack had a bad weekend at the state tournament, other than Carter, who had been injured for much of the year, but Ridgeview clearly was the best team around.
Honorable mention: Frontier, Stockdale, Liberty, Bakersfield, Tehachapi

Best athlete: Call it a tie between Darr and Schwartz. Darr because he won a team state title all by his lonesome, and Schwartz because his time was historically very good. Both have interesting side stories: Darr is a junior who has verbally committed to USC to be a punter in football. He's basically throwing on the side, and winning state championships. Schwartz, whose difficult journey has been mentioned many times here before, won a second state title to add to his 2007 cross country crown and fulfilled a dream by getting a scholarship to run at Cal Poly.
Honorable mention: Ridgeview triple jumper Johnny Carter, West's George Robbins, Ridgeview's Jerrid Lewis, Ridgeview's Isiah Purvis, Stockdale's Nathan Alade

Best event: I missed the section tournament this year, so maybe I'm biased, but I'll go with state. The meet was already a thriller — and a successful one for Kern County — before Schwartz's heart-stopping 3,200 comeback win in the second-to-last boys race of the weekend. Add to that Darr's double and Carter's silver medal despite a year almost completely lost to injury, and you've got a dandy of a couple days.
Honorable mention: Central Section tournament, South Area tournament

A look ahead: Darr might or might not be back, but I wouldn't be surprised if he gave up throwing to concentrate on punting just a few months ahead of becoming a USC Trojan next year. Carter definitely will be back, and if he stays healthy, it'll be fun watching him try for a 50-foot triple jump. This kid might challenge records by the time he's done. Elsewhere, Lewis will return for Ridgeview, which should have a strong team again, and two sprinters — Alade and Garces' Matt Sumlin — and high jumpers — Robbins and Garces' Phillip McCullum — will stage some meaningful, exciting battles all year long.

Year in Review Index
July 1: Football
July 2: Volleyball
July 3: Boys cross country
July 6: Girls cross country
July 7: Girls tennis
July 8: Girls golf
July 9: Boys basketball
July 10: Girls basketball
July 11: Wrestling
July 13: Boys soccer
July 14: Girls soccer
July 15: Baseball
July 16: Softball

Tomorrow: Girls track and field