Zion Bowens is Press-Telegram Dream Team track athlete of the year

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Zion Bowens, Long Beach Poly, Senior

Long Beach Poly’s Zion Bowens is headed to Air Force as a receiver, a position he excelled at on the Jackrabbits’ football team this year. Had he focused on track at an earlier age, he might be headed to a Pac-12 school to run.

In just his second season of focusing full-time on the oval, Bowens won Moore League titles in the 200 and 400, a CIF-SS Division 1 championship in the 400, and had the area’s best individual finish at the CIF State meet with a fourth-place finish.

Bowens’ best time in the 400 this year was 47.27 and his best time in the 200 was 21.25, good enough for first place at Mt. SAC. After wiing the CIF title in the 400 he finished fifth in the 200 at the CIF-SS finals.

As for being a two-sport standout, he said had he started track earlier that he might have been more drawn to the interest he received from universities like USC.

“I think it was just a matter of timing,” he said. “I’ve been focusing on football for so long and track has been really recent for me — but I love it.”

With his success on the track, Bowens wants to pursue that sport at the collegiate level, too. And while his Air Force football coaches were initially hesitant and wanted him to wait a year, after seeing his performance this year, he got the OK to compete in the spring his freshman year.

Bowens is the third member of his family to compete at Poly and then get a free college education. His older sisters, Zoe and Zana, played volleyball for the Jackrabbits and then signed scholarships to Maryland Easte Shore and Fresno State, respectively.

“I’m happy to represent my family, I never felt any pressure by them being so successful,” he said. “It was only right for me to come here and do this because of the way they set me up for success.”

COACH OF THE YEAR: GREG MARSHALL, Gahr

Greg Marshall believes Gahr has always had track talent at the school. It’s been his mission to find it the last five years as the Gladiators track coach.

Marshall, who is also the school’s football coach and athletic director, scoured the school’s athletic teams, along with assistant coach Rob Godwin (sprints and girls basketball coach) and jumps coach Quincy Dickens, find athletes to compete in track.

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The strategy is working. Gahr placed third in the CIF-SS Division 3 finals, its highest finish since the Gladiators won the 2000 Division 1 title.

The Gladiators 4x100-meter relay team of seniors Anthony Mullins, Eric Renfroe, Alonso Davis and junior Christian Shakir won the Division 3 title, placed second in the State meet for best finish in school history, and ran a school-record 41.31 in the State prelims to break a 17-year old record of 41.38.

Gahr’s triumph was the school’s first CIF gold in the 4x100 relay in 17 years and third in school history. Gahr also won the Division 2-A title in 1976.

In the Southe Section finals, Gahr had athletes in seven events, including both relays. All four relay ruers were members of the Gahr football team. Shakir won the 200 — the school’s first title since 1976 — and led a 2-3 finish in the 100 with Renfroe. Basketball player Tony Crosby, a senior, placed third in the high jump and was a State meet qualifier.

For the first time during Marshall’s tenure, Gahr has had enough athletes to require two buses for transportation to meets.

“We’ve reemerged this year,” Marshall said. “We have enough talent to be successful. It’s just a matter of getting them to come out for track from other sports.”

FIRST TEAM

Colby Corcoran, St. John Bosco, Jr., 3,200

Tony Crosby, Gahr, Sr., High Jump

Jamil Douglas, Poly, Sr., Long Jump

Destin Flucas, Cerritos, Jr., High Jump

Gahr 4x100 Relay (Anthony Mullins, Sr., Eric Renfroe, Sr., Alonso Davis, Sr., Christian Shakir, Jr.)

De’varriea Oles, Poly, Sr., 110 Hurdles

Michael Polk, Valley Christian, Sr. High Jump, Triple Jump

Jose Rubio, Los Alamitos, Sr., 110 Hurdles, 300 Hurdles, Long Jump

Christian Shakir, Gahr, Jr., 100, 200

Wilson 4x400 Relay (Jaylen Bradley, Sr., Steven Camacho, Jr., Andrew Richards, So., Emari Beett, Jr.)

SECOND TEAM

Terrell Bynum, St. John Bosco, Sr., 200

Noah Holm, Millikan, Sr., Shot Put

Larry Hudson, Gahr, Sr., 400

Gavin Fua, Valley Christian, Jr., Shot Put, Discus

Jermel Jones, Poly, So., Long Jump, Triple Jump

Re-Al Mitchell, St. John Bosco, So., 200

Eric Renfroe, Gahr, Sr., 100

Ezra Sotelo, St. John Bosco, Sr., 1,600

Andrew Villegas, Lynwood, Jr., 400

Wilson 4x100 (Ian Issa, Jr., Kavenaugh Maroney, Sr., Jacobi Hardy, Sr., Jaylan Bradley, Sr.)

HONORABLE MENTION

Josh Akrofi, Valley Christian, Jr., 100

Jordan Benoit, Artesia, Sr., Triple Jump

Gahr 4x400 Relay (Alonso Davis, Sr., Jorge Gracian, Jr., Larry Hudson, Sr., Christian Shakir, Jr.)

Jorge Gracian, Gahr, Sr., 800

Austin Joseph, Whitney, Jr., 300 Hurdles

Jake Leue, Valley Christian, Jr. Discus

Maesean Misher, Jordan, Jr., 100

Jose Sepulveda, Millikan, Jr., High Jump

Armando Tabales, Millikan, Sr., High Jump

Nathaniel Tamminga, Valley Christian, Sr., 3,200

Bedeiah Togafau, Warren, Sr., Shot Put, Discus

Bailey Torres, Valley Christian, Jr., 300 Hurdles

Riley Williams, Millikan, Jr., Long Jump

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