High School

USC football commit RJ Sermons headlines CIF Masters track meet after reclassifying

Rancho Cucamonga’s RJ Sermons headlined a star-studded Masters Meet. But he wasn’t the only standout that qualified for the CIF State championships.

Roland Padilla

Rancho Cucamonga’s RJ Sermons, who recently reclassified to 2025 and is headed to USC, won the 200-meter at the CIF Masters Meet at Moorpark High on May 24, 2025.
Rancho Cucamonga’s RJ Sermons, who recently reclassified to 2025 and is headed to USC, won the 200-meter at the CIF Masters Meet at Moorpark High on May 24, 2025. / Donn Parris

Some of the state’s biggest names — and a few rising stars — punched their tickets to Clovis on Saturday at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet. Held at Moorpark High School, the meet served as the final qualifying stage for the CIF State Championships and featured standout performances across the board, from dominant veterans to underclassmen making their postseason debuts.

The Masters Meet followed the CIF Southern Section’s expanded “18 to Masters” format, which allows up to 18 athletes per event — including two heats of nine in lane races — to compete for state qualification. The top six finishers in each final automatically advanced to the CIF State Championships. For those outside the top six, the only path to Clovis was by hitting the state’s strict at-large qualifying standard. That rule applied to the second heats and most field events, meaning that for dozens of athletes, placing wasn’t enough — marks and times had to meet elite benchmarks to keep their seasons alive.

RJ Sermons, the newly reclassified 5-star corner back headed to USC from Rancho Cucamonga — the Southern Section Division 1 sprint champ — didn’t win the 100-meter, but bounced back to win the 200 in 20.97 seconds, and stayed Top 4 in both short sprints — still among the best in the state.

In the girls’ sprints Keelan Wright of Chaparral and Journey Cole battled in the short sprints each splitting the events. Cole taking the title in the 100-meter and Wright in the 200. They will be must watch at state as Cole is ranked first in the state in the 100 and 7th in the 200, while Wright is ranked second in the 100 and first in the 200.

Additionally, each runner in the first heat of the girls’ 100-meter ended up qualifying for state.

In a rare sweep, both the boys and girls throwing events were dominated by a single athlete. Yucaipa senior Benjamin Lingenfelter won the shot put (61-02.00) and discus (200-10), while Aliso Niguel junior Jaslene Massey claimed both titles on the girls’ side with marks of 49-07.50 and 165-06, respectively.

Servite won the boys 4x100, had the 400m champion (Jaelen Hunter), and placed multiple sprinters in the top five in the 200. Even Demare Dezeurn’s 100m win (Bishop Alemany) came over a trio of Servite runners.

Wilson’s Kaylin Edwards, a junior, swept both the 100m hurdles (13.87) and 300m hurdles (41.48). She also helped Wilson’s 4x400 team win in 3:43.71. That’s three golds in one meet, a rare feat in any postseason.

Rylee Blade (So.) won the 3200 meters in 10:11.38, and Braelyn Combe (Sr.) won the 1600 in 4:44.36. Combined with a second-place 4x800 finish, Santiago’s girls distance group was one of the most dominant units of the meet.

Brady Furr, a senior from Santa Margarita, won the boys pole vault with a mark of 16-02.00. That vault ties or surpasses most recent CIF-SS Masters champions and keeps him in the conversation for a top-three finish at state. He’s also a legacy name — part of a long-standing group of elite California vaulters.

The southern section proved once again why they were so dominant with many amazing marks. Especially in the relays, as 25 teams qualified for state in the 4x400-meter relay alone. It will definitely be a battle next week out in Clovis. (Below are the winning marks from the 2025 CIF-SS Masters meet: note stats are pulled via athletic.net)

CIF-SS MASTERS MEET – WINNER RECAP

100 Meters

Boys: Demare Dezeurn – Bishop Alemany, So. (10.35)

Girls: Journey Cole – Redondo Union, Jr. (11.36)

200 Meters

Boys: Rodney Sermons – Rancho Cucamonga, Jr. (20.97)

Girls: Keelan Wright – Chaparral, Sr. (23.21)

400 Meters

Boys: Jaelen Hunter – Servite, Fr. (46.91)

Girls: Madison Mosby – St. Mary’s Academy, Sr. (53.53)

800 Meters

Boys: Wyland Obando – Wilson (Long Beach), Sr. (1:51.40)

Girls: Anne Elise Packard – JSerra Catholic, Sr. (2:09.55)

1600 Meters

Boys: Grant Miller – La Serna, Sr. (4:09.86)

Girls: Braelyn Combe – Santiago (Corona), Jr. (4:44.36)

3200 Meters

Boys: Evan Noonan – Dana Hills, Sr. (8:55.76)

Girls: Rylee Blade – Santiago (Corona), So. (10:11.38)

100/110-Meter Hurdles

Boys: Lynnox Newton – Long Beach Poly, Jr. (13.84)

Girls: Kaylin Edwards – Long Beach Wilson, Sr. (13.87)

300-Meter Hurdles

Boys: Kingston Waring – Culver City, Sr. (36.91)

Girls: Kaylin Edwards – Long Beach Wilson, Sr. (41.48)

4x100 Relay

Boys: Servite – 40.40

Girls: Long Beach Poly – 45.94

4x400 Relay

Boys: Long Beach Poly – 3:10.83

Girls: Long Beach Wilson – 3:43.71

4x800 Relay

Boys: Mira Costa – 7:37.84

Girls: Claremont – 8:59.39

Shot Put

Boys: Benjamin Lingenfelter – Yucaipa, Sr. (61-02.00)

Girls: Jaslene Massey – Aliso Niguel, Jr. (49-07.50)

Discus

Boys: Benjamin Lingenfelter – Yucaipa, Sr. (200-10)

Girls: Jaslene Massey – Aliso Niguel, Jr. (165-06)

High Jump

Boys: Matthew Browner – Chaminade, Sr. (6-10.00)

Girls: Julia Teven – Brea Olinda, Jr. (5-06.00)

Pole Vault

Boys: Brady Furr – Santa Margarita, Sr. (16-02.00)

Girls: Olivia Bettinger – Los Alamitos, Sr. (12-09.00)

Long Jump

Boys: Nicolas Alexis – Elsinore, Sr. (24-03.50)

Girls: AB Hernandez – Jurupa Valley, Jr. (19-03.50)

Triple Jump

Boys: Keith Cottage – Cajon, Sr. (48-10.00)

Girls: AB Hernandez – Jurupa Valley, Jr. (40-04.75)

With the CIF-SS Masters Meet concluded, attention now turns to the 105th CIF State Track & Field Championships, scheduled for May 30–31, 2025, at Veterans Memorial Stadium, Buchanan High School in Clovis, California . This prestigious event will feature California's top high school athletes competing for state titles across various disciplines.

Notable qualifiers include Rancho Cucamonga's Rodney Sermons, who, after reclassifying, secured the 200m title at the Masters Meet. Yucaipa's Benjamin Lingenfelter and Aliso Niguel's Jaslene Massey, both double winners in the shot put and discus, will also be strong contenders. Emerging talents like Servite's freshman Jaelen Hunter and Santiago (Corona)'s underclassmen Rylee Blade and Braelyn Combe are poised to make significant impacts.

The state championships promise a showcase of elite performances, with athletes aiming to leave their mark on California's storied track and field history.

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Roland Padilla
ROLAND PADILLA

Roland Padilla is a high school sports journalist, NIL specialist, and analytics strategist covering primarily West Coast track and field, basketball, and football for High School On SI. He began his career in 2015 reporting on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook’s Thunder era for ClutchPoints before moving into full NBA coverage. He later worked directly with the founder/CEO of Ballervisions, shortly leading programming and cross-platform social strategy during its viral 2016 rise covering the Ball brothers—a run that helped propel the brand toward its eventual ESPN acquisition and evolution into SportsCenter NEXT. A three-sport alumnus and current throwing coach at Damien High School, and a former NCAA track athlete at UC San Diego, Roland blends athlete-development knowledge with advanced analytics in his role as a Senior Analyst at DAZN and Team Whistle. He has supported content strategy for major global and U.S. sports properties including World Rugby, FIFA Club World Cup, the New York Mets, MLS, X Games, the Premier League, the NFL, and the Downs2Business podcast. With a strong background in NIL rules, athlete branding, and recruiting, Roland helps families, athletes, and readers navigate the rapidly changing high school sports landscape—bringing national-level storytelling and clarity to the next generation of athletes.

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