Local athletes poised for title runs at CIF state meet
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

For Agoura High discus thrower Derek Johnson, this weekend's CIF State Track and Field Championships will serve as the final chapter in an illustrious career representing the Chargers.

The senior thrower has been dominant this season. He ranks second nationally with a personal-best mark of 205-05, which puts him 10th all-time in California history.

Johnson's accomplishments in 2007 include back-to-back Ventura County discus championships as well as a county shot put title.

At state this Friday and Saturday, Johnson is considered the man to beat in the discus.

"I don't expect to win, but if I come out and have a good day and keep it consistent, I should win," said Johnson, who placed sixth at state a year ago.

"In the past four weeks I've thrown marks over what anyone else in the state has thrown all year. As long as I can keep it in that range or above, I'll be fine."

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Oak Park freshman Tayler Johnson is only beginning her high school career. Nevertheless, she appears to be headed for stardom, having already broken Oak Park's 100 hurdles record in addition to qualifying for the state high jump competition.

She'll be one of seven freshmen in the field of 35 female high jumpers at Sacramento City College.

The Johnsons- no relation- won't be alone in their quests for CIF glory.

On the boys' side, Cory Primm of Westlake will be looking to defend his state title in the 800. Primm will also compete in the 4x400 relay, along with Warrior teammates Max McCat, Mauro Ormedilla and Cooper Shockley.

Primm and Derek Johnson both won individual titles at last week's Masters meet in Norwalk.

Oaks Christian's Chris Owusu qualified for the boys' 200. Owusu finished fourth at Masters with a time of 21.86 seconds.

A star wide receiver on the Lions' state title-winning football team, Owusu now has the rare opportunity to claim a pair of CIF state championships in different sports during the same school year.

Royal runners Hudson Andrews (1,600) and Michael Cybulski (3,200) will also compete at stateAndrews was a Masters championAs for the girls, Brittany Harper of Calabasas will run in the 400.

Not only is Harper one of the fastest girls in Southern Section, she's also a standout on the Coyotes' tennis team. Harper was a county champion in the 200 and 400 events. At Masters, she ran the 400 in 55.56 seconds.

OCHS pole vaulter Lauren Radke qualified for the state championships by going 11 feet, 8 inches on her final attempt at Masters.

Simi Valley senior Anna Sperry, a Masters champion in the 3,200, will pull double duty at state, running both the 1,600 and 3,200 races.

Fast Fact: A pair of Thousand Oaks alumni own two national high school records. Marion Jones set the girls' 100 mark in 1992 with a time of 11.14 seconds. In 1996, Kim Mortensen broke the girls' 3,200 record by finishing in 9:48.59.