Wolfpack looks to follow boys cross country crown in the fall with school’s first state track and field title, a feat last achieved by the Jackrabbits 20 years ago

By Landon Negri for DyeStat

There really couldn’t be a better time for the Great Oak boys track and field team to make history.

As the CIF-State Championships begin Friday for the 100th time, the Wolfpack boys are not only chasing their first state team title, but also trying to become just the second program ever to win state titles in cross country and track and field in the same school year.

Long Beach Poly achieved the feat 20 years ago, winning its first Division 1 cross country title in 1997, followed by repeating as state track and field champion in 1998. The Jackrabbits have captured 10 state track and field titles, along with three Division 1 cross country championships, but that was the only time they accomplished the sweep in the same academic year.

And what makes this unique is that if the Wolfpack are to win, it wouldn’t be on the blueprint most would expect.

Since opening in 2004, Great Oak – located in south Temecula – has established itself as an elite distance-running power under coach Doug Soles, who came to the new school after four years at Desert Hot Springs.

That legacy has shifted into gear this decade with the girls winning the last six Division 1 state cross country titles, and the boys four, including a Nike Cross Nationals championship in 2015.

But Great Oak has never won in track. And if it is to happen this year, it will not be due to numbers piling up in the distance events.

“When we started in 2004, nobody knew who we were," Soles said, "and to go from that to now, when everybody looks at us and sees kind of what we see ourselves – as a program that has the best distance program around, and we’re always trying to get better at that. I think it gives us a lot of pride, but I think as the head track coach, I have a lot of pride in the assistant coaches that I have and the job that they’ve done.

“Ryan Garcia is one of the better pole vaulter coaches in the state – consistently, year in and year out, he’s got one of the better pole vault crews out there,” Soles added. “Chris Maricic has done an amazing job with our jumps and Teo Beam with what we’ve got going on in the throws. The assistant coaches have really carried us this season in terms of being in contention and keeping the kids healthy and keeping them focused and moving forward.”

And it shows in how Great Oak has gotten this far this year.

“This would be a field event win for us, if we win,” Soles said.

That starts with senior CJ Stevenson, the state’s reigning triple jump champion. Stevenson is the only jumper in California to go farther than 50 feet this year and is the favorite in the event. But he’s also in the mix in the long jump, and his move to the 4x100 relay earlier this year has helped the Wolfpack – along with fellow seniors Joel Collins, Mikel Barkley and anchor Grant Gaskins – become one of the top teams in the state, ranking No. 2 at 41.14 seconds.

Stevenson, who has hit 50-6.75 in the triple and 24-3 in the long jump, said marks aren’t as much as a concern this weekend as simply winning. He said he’s set a goal of scoring 26 points by himself.

“I just want to win,” he said. “I’m focused on the team. I just want to be part of that Great Oak legacy and the first team to win a state track title.”

Great Oak could gain some points, too, in the shot put and discus with seniors Jaime Navarro and Harrison Gould. Both are in the top 10 in the state in the shot; Navarro (185-8) is No. 4 in the discus.

Senior Ernesto Collazo is tied for sixth in the pole vault, but the competition is fairly open behind Davis Senior’s Sondre Guttormsen, who set the state standard April 7 with a vault of 18-2.75 at the Arcadia Invitational. Collazo’s best is 15-9.

And amazingly, there is just one distance runner for the Wolfpack – senior Carlos Carvajal in the 3,200. Carvajal has run 9:05.16 this year.

“For me, the exciting thing is just to see so many different event areas come together on our team to give us the opportunity,” Soles said. “Track is such a different animal than cross country; to be successful in both, you really have to plan in different ways.”

The Wolfpack’s best competition for the state title might come from a team in their own Southwestern League.

While Great Oak was winning the Division 1 title two weeks ago at the Southern Section finals, Murrieta Mesa was winning in Division 2 based on standout performances by its sprinters, most notably Christian Shakir-Ricks and Matthew Okonkwo.

A win would certainly be sweet for the Wolfpack, after watching league rival Vista Murrieta capture the boys championship in 2015-16, followed by another Inland Empire program, Rancho Verde, securing the title last year.

“It’s a huge team effort,” Stevenson said. “I know what I have to do to put toward that. I know that all the other guys have to put their part, too. It would be huge.”

And to be able to join the most decorated track and field program in state history in Long Beach Poly as the only schools to accomplish the championship sweep just makes Great Oak’s pursuit even more significant.

“To be able to do both in cross country and track in the same year – especially with no divisions in track, I think (would be) just awesome,” Soles said. “Then throw the girls (cross country) in there, as well … if we could win and end up with three state titles in one season from one school, it’s just really hard to do and an honor for our kids.”