Nick Scarvelis of Dos Pueblos went over the 60-foot mark in the finals of the CIF State Track and Field Championships but it wasn’t enough to make the podium in a highly competitive shot put battle Saturday at Buchanan High in Clovis.
Scarvelis threw 60 feet, 5 1/4 inches to finish fifth out of eight finalists.
Matt Darr of Bakersfield-Frontier won his second straight state title with a mark of 63-9 3/4. Willy Irwin of Clovis East finished second at 63-2 1/2 followed by Jeremy Hines of Sacramento-Jesuit at 60-8 1/4 and Stephen Boals of Jesuit at 60-5 1/4.
Darr, the No. 1 prep punter recruit in the country who spurned USC and picked Fresno State, put together an impressive series of five throws, with four of them going over 63 feet and another reaching 61-11. The winning mark, a personal best, came on his first attempt.
Irwin, who posted the top throw in prelims, hit his best mark on his final try.
Scarvelis, who had a season best of 60-10 1/2, threw 59-2 on his first attempt and reached 60-5 on his second throw. The junior followed that with a 60-2, fouled on his fourth try then hit 55-8 1/4 and 56-9 3/4 on his final two throws.
Scarvelis was making his state meet debut.
