Top 10 football standouts to qualify for the CIF State Track and Field Championships

The headliner is Serra-Gardena sprinter and Oregon-bound cornerback Rodrick Pleasant, but there are some serious gridiron stars heading to Clovis for the 103rd running of the prestigious meet

Most California high school sports fans know the name Rodrick Pleasant. 

He's been starring on the track and football field for three seasons and after blazing to a state-record 10.14 seconds last year in the 100-meter dash, Pleasant was considered the fastest football player in the country in 2022. 

Pleasant is out to make history Friday and Saturday in the CIF's State Track and Field Championships at Veteran's Stadium on the campus of Buchanan High School in Clovis. 

• HOW TO WATCH CIF STATE TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior, ranked the No. 8 cornerback in the country, will try to be the fourth sprinter in state history to double in the 100 and 200 for two consecutive years. 

He won last season under blustery conditions, taking the 100 in 10.30 and the 200 in 20.56. Pleasant is seeded first in both after winning at the Southern Section Masters' meet last week, repeating his record-setting performance in the 100 (10.14) and later taking the 200 (20.71). 

The previous week, Pleasant ran his fastest all-conditions 100, winning the Southern Section Division 4 race in a wind-aided 10.09 seconds. 

Rodrick Pleasant (middle) winning in the Southern Section Masters Meet at Moorpark High School. Photo: Nick Koza. 

Pleasant has already signed a football scholarship to the University of Oregon, where he'll also run track.

He's not the only highly visible football standout, starring on the track or field. Here are nine more dual football-track and field stars who have qualified for California's 103rd meeting of top track and field athletes in Clovis. 

Dijon Stanley (Granada Hills Charter) — The state leader in the 400 (best of 45.92 at Arcadia) also led the Highlanders to a LA City and regional 4-A title by rushing for 2,756 yards and 33 touchdowns. He's signed a football scholarship to Utah. Stanley also ranks third in the state in the 200 (20.86) and will run key legs on the 400 and 1600 relay teams that could key a state team championship. 

Chase Farrell (Oaks Christian) — The 2024 wide receiver has already committed to Stanford after finishing with 33 catches for 408 yards and five touchdowns in 2022. He's also a top returner. His recruitment is based largely on speed — he's only 5-foot-10, 175 pounds — after recording the state's sixth fastest 100 time in 10.38 seconds at the Ventura County Championships. He'll be a part of Oaks Christian's 400 relay team, which boasts the second fastest qualifying mark at 41.43 seconds behind Granada Hills (40.68). 

Deshonne Redeaux (Oaks Christian) — One of the top freshmen in the country, the speedy running back already has 17 college offers, including Alabama, Arizona, Oregon, Stanford, Oklahoma and Miami. He rushed for 500 yards on 64 carries last season and scored three touchdowns. He's also part of the Oaks Christian 400 relay team and is running side-by-side in the second heat of the 100 trials against De La Salle-Concord freshman Jaden Jefferson, another promising football standout. Redeaux qualified for state 100 in 10.54, though his season best is a wind-aided 10.42. 

Devin Bragg (Los Alamitos) —  Another sprinter, Bragg is only a sophomore and qualified for the 100 with a qualifying mark of 10.48 seconds. He'll be in the same heat as Pleasant. On the gridiron, Bragg will be an impact cornerback next season for Los Alamitos, which went 9-3 in 2022, losing in the Southern Section Division 1 semifinals to Mater Dei-Santa Ana. 

Jaelon Barbarin (Chaminade/Simi Valley) — The senior 5-9, 190-pound athlete signed with Michigan State in December after also earning offers from Washington State, Kansas State, UNLV and San Jose State. He rushed for 1,133 yards as a senior and 13 touchdowns for a Chaminade team that went 10-3. Another sprinter, Barbarin will run anchor leg for Simi Valley's 400 relay team that went 41.62 at Masters, and in the open 100 after qualifying in 10.59. He has a season best of 10.45. 

Sean Brown (Simi Valley) — At 6-3, 195 pound, Brown is a phlysical specimen. He also signed with Michigan State as an athlete. Brown played both sides of the ball for Simi Valley and as a junior recorded four interceptions and 13 pass deflections as a hard-hitting free safety and cornerback. On the track, he's part of the Simi Valley's 400 relay team and he qualified as one of the state's top 110 high hurdlers, having qualified in 14.20. He'll run in lane 4 of the second heat on Friday. 

Frankie Cruz (Liberty-Brentwood) — A defensive lineman and top triple jumper? That combination wouldn't seem to mesh, but Cruz was an All-Bay Valley Athletic League defensive lineman after recording 30 tackles, an interception and fumble recovery in 10 games. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior emerged as one of the state's top triple jumpers, qualifying third while winning the North Coast Section Meet of Champions with a mark of 47 feet, 2.75 inches. He improved his triple jump marks almost 10 feet  in just over a month. He has a shot to medal (top six) in the event. South Bakersfield senior Shane Carr has the top qualifying mark at 48-8¾.

Frankie Cruz after winning the North Coast Section Meet of Champions' triple jump. Photo: Eric Taylor

Zachary Jones (Riordan-San Francisco) — One of the top all-around athletes in the Bay Area, Jones earned a football scholarship to UC Davis as a defensive back and wide receiver. He also started on the boys basketball team and he earned two spots into the state track finals in the 100 (10.81) and the long jump (23-2¾). 

Trevor Rogers (Acalanes-Lafayette): One of the top Northern California wide receiver prospects from the Class of 2024, Rogers qualified individually in the long jump with a mark of 23-0.50 and also runs third leg on the Dons' NCS championship 400 relay team that owns the third-best time in the state this season at 41.28. The 6-3, 200-pound Rogers has 13 college football offers including Fresno State and Colorado State.