2026 CIF Southern Section Finals Does Not Disappoint

From Servite’s historic sub-40 relay to Benjamin Harris’ jaw-dropping sprint double and heartbreaking hurdle drama, the 2026 CIF Southern Section Finals delivered one of the most memorable meets of the California season.

Servite’s historic 4x100 relay squad — Benjamin Harris, Jace Wells, Kamil Pelovello and Jorden Wells | Zeke Castellanos

“Oh my!” The sentiment echoed throughout the crowd at Moorpark High School last Saturday as Benjamin Harris lit up the track with a blazing 10.18 (wind-aided) performance in the Division III 100m final. It was arguably the biggest highlight of a day filled with soaring highs and a couple of broken hearts.

Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Finals did not disappoint, as the crowd was treated to a number of stellar performances, beginning with the always-exciting 4x100 relay. Once again, all eyes were on Servite in the Division III race. The team of Benjamin Harris, Jace Wells, Kamil Pelovello, and Jorden Wells once again proved they are matched by few, winning in a new meet record time of 39.89.

Aside from Benjamin Harris’s lightning-fast race in the open 100m, the crowd was treated to an explosion of fast times throughout the event. In the Division I race, Upland’s Anthony Walker narrowly edged Loyola’s Zion Phelps in 10.38, while in the Division III race, just 1/100th of a second separated Torrance’s Nicolas Obimga and Newbury Park’s Jaden Griffin, who ran 10.38 and 10.39 respectively.

On the girls’ side, the two lower divisions took center stage in the 100m. As expected, in the Division IV race, Maliyah Collins took first in 11.47 (she would also go on to win the 200m as well). Meanwhile, in the Division III race, Calabasas completed the sweep with Malia Rainey, Marley Scoggins, and Olivia Kirk running 11.41, 11.43, and 11.44 respectively. Calabasas’s sweep in the 100m served as a form of redemption after dropping the baton in the 4x100 relay, a race in which they held a substantial lead at the time.

Theirs was not the only surprising falter during the meet. San Jacinto Valley Academy’s Kaahiiyah Lacy, who owns the fourth-fastest time in high school history, hit the final two hurdles in her race, falling on the last one and ultimately taking third in her division. She did not qualify for the Masters Meet contested the following Saturday.

In the high jump, there was considerable excitement surrounding Division III winner Joshua Harel of Notre Dame and his winning clearance of 7'1". His jump stood as the only seven-foot clearance of the day.

The meet concluded with the 4x400 relay, where Long Beach Wilson’s girls ran a dominant 3:42.42 to take the Division I title and secure the number one seed headed into the Masters Meet. It is shaping up to be an exciting Masters Meet, the final stop on the road to state.