Servite Rewrites History Again: Friars Blast State Meet Record to Claim CIF State 4x100 Title

After flirting with history all spring, Servite finally delivered on the biggest stage. The Friars shattered a 37-year-old CIF State Championships meet record and capped one of the greatest relay seasons in California history with a state title in the boys 4x100-meter relay.

Servite's historic 4x100-meter relay team — Benjamin Harris, Jace Wells, Kamil Pelovello and Jorden Wells — celebrates after another record-breaking performance. The Friars became the first California school to break 40 seconds and capped one of the greatest relay seasons in state history with a CIF State championship. | Zeke Castellanos

CLOVIS, Calif. — The fastest relay team in California history added one more chapter to its remarkable story Saturday night.

Servite stormed to the CIF State Track and Field Championships boys 4x100-meter relay title, breaking the meet record with a blistering performance at Buchanan High School and cementing its place among the greatest sprint relay teams the state has ever produced. 39.73 seconds is what they ran it in.

The quartet of Jorden Wells, Benjamin Harris, Kamil Pelovello, and RJ Gardner entered the meet as overwhelming favorites after dominating California competition throughout the season. They had already lowered the state record multiple times and arrived in Clovis owning the six fastest performances ever recorded by a California school.

Still, there was one mark left to chase.

The CIF State Championships meet record of 40.24, set by Hawthorne in 1989, had stood untouched for 37 years. Servite came within striking distance during Friday's prelims, posting a 40.29 despite using a substitute runner (Jaelen Hunter) and advancing comfortably to the final.

That performance only fueled anticipation for Saturday.

When the gun fired in the championship race, Servite left little doubt.

The Friars exploded out of the blocks and executed their exchanges with the precision that had made them the nation's premier relay squad throughout the spring. By the final exchange, Gardner had a clear advantage over the field before powering down the home straightaway to secure both the state title and a new meet record.

The victory capped a historic season that saw Servite completely rewrite the California record book.

Over the last two years, the Friars transformed from a promising young relay group into a national powerhouse. Remarkably, the team accomplished the feat without a single senior in its primary lineup. Harris and Gardner, both juniors, joined sophomores Jace Wells, Jorden Wells and Pelovello to create one of the youngest elite sprint relays in state history. They have featured many strong talents from their deep stable of sprinters.

Their youth only makes the accomplishment more impressive.

The group spent the season dismantling long-standing California marks and establishing itself as the standard for sprint relay excellence. By the time the state meet arrived, Servite owned every major conversation surrounding high school sprinting in California.

The state championship was the final prize.

For head coach and program supporters, Saturday's result validated months of dominance. The Friars entered the postseason as the clear team to beat and delivered when the pressure was highest, turning a near-record effort in prelims into a historic championship performance one day later.

The achievement also places Servite in rare company nationally. Few California relay teams have ever combined elite speed, consistency and championship success at the level this group displayed throughout the season. Even fewer have done it with a roster expected to return largely intact.

That reality may be the most intimidating part for the rest of California.

Servite's state title wasn't simply the conclusion of a dominant season. It may have been a preview of what is still to come.

With Harris and Gardner returning and the Wells twins, Hunter and Pelovello still underclassmen, the Friars appear poised to continue their assault on the California record books in 2027.

For now, though, their legacy is secure. 5 of their 100-meter times are top 75 times in the whole state of California, quite impressive.

A state championship. A meet record. And a season that will be remembered as one of the greatest relay campaigns California has ever seen.