On Saturday, the ML King Wolves competed at the CIF Southern Section Division 1 Championships, taking on the best competition in the section.

The day opened with reigning 1600m champion Maximo Zavaleta, who wasted no time asserting himself. Zavaleta pushed the pace early, splitting 2:01 through 800 meters and putting the field on notice. Showing complete confidence and control, he closed with a powerful final lap surge to secure back-to-back CIF titles in the 1600m.

On the field side, Vanessa Hope delivered a strong performance in the triple jump, finishing 4th overall and earning a spot at next week’s Masters Meet.

Shamar Graham capped off a solid junior campaign with his appearance at CIF Finals, gaining valuable experience against elite competition.

In the 800m, Frank Stewart and Brad Quezada battled through a deep field. Stewart unleashed a huge final 100 meters to finish 4th and punch his ticket to Masters, while Quezada narrowly missed the qualifying mark. However, his season continues as a key member of the 4x800m relay squad.

The girls 4x800m relay team—Abbey Starling, Gracie Guzzetta, Jude Abu-Ghazaleh, and Natalie Drewitz—placed 5th in their debut at the CIF Finals. Their performance earned them a Masters berth while also providing valuable experience heading into the next round with hopes of advancing to State.  “We didn’t all have our best day,” said Jude, ” but we advanced and that’s the main thing.”

Back in the field, Justin Coute delivered a standout performance in the discus, hitting a big personal record and placing 4th in Division 1 to advance to Masters.

On the boys side, Stewart and Quezada returned to the track in the 4x800m relay alongside Logan Carlson and freshman Caleb Lua. Despite doubling back from earlier races, the team showed toughness and determination, with Stewart anchoring the squad to a 3rd-place finish in Division 1.

In the pole vault, Gemeni McKee secured a 5th-place finish, earning a spot at the Masters Meet with a strong showing.

Zavaleta returned later in the day for the 3200m and once again proved why he’s among the best in the state. Racing with patience and poise, he stayed composed before unleashing a dominant final 200 meters to capture his second title of the day—going back-to-back as CIF champion in the 3200m as well.

The meet concluded with the girls 4x400m relay team of Llamas, Lochard, Guzzetta, and Drewitz. The group competed with heart, finishing just outside the qualifying standard and bringing their season to a close.

Overall, it was a strong showing for the Wolves, with multiple athletes advancing to Masters and continuing the program’s push toward the State Meet.

TRABUCO HILLS:   The MLK Wolves traveled to Trabuco Hills on Saturday for the CIF Southern Section Division 1 Preliminary Round and left with 10 entries punching their tickets to next weekend’s finals. From the distance track to the runway to the throwing circle, Wolves competed in nearly every corner of the meet.

The day’s standout performance belonged to senior Maximo Zavaleta, who went to work in the distance events and didn’t stop. Maximo won the Boys 1600m outright with a 4:08.35 — the fastest time in the field — then came back to finish 2nd in the Boys 3200m at 9:09.67. He’s heading to finals in two events and the reigning CIF champion in both events looks ready to go.

The middle distance crew kept the momentum going. Frank Stewart and Brad Quezada both advanced out of the Boys 800m, running 1:53.64 and 1:54.22 respectively to finish 6th and 9th in a loaded field. This is the first time in school history that two King athletes have moved to the CIF final in the 800m. Amaya Lochard handled her business in the Girls 400m, running 56.10 for 8th place and a well-earned finals berth, with Aliyah Rudolph (58.07) competing right alongside her and continuing to push the event forward for MLK finishing off her season as the reigning school record holder in the event. Great promise for the sophomore.

In the field, Jemeni Mckee cleared 14-08.00 to tie for 5th in Boys Pole Vault and move on to finals. Justin Coute was dominant in the throwing circle — his 167-07 in discus placed him 4th in the section and makes him a finals contender for hardware. He also put up 51-00 in shot put, showing the kind of versatility that makes him one of MLK’s most valuable field athletes. Vanessa Hope advanced in Girls Triple Jump with a 6th-place mark of 36-02.00 and also competed in the long jump (16-03.25), while Shamar Graham — a Junior — secured his finals spot in Boys Triple Jump with a jump of 44-02.00 for 8th place. Robinson Forbes (43-07.00, 10th) and Imani Barfield (32-11.50) rounded out MLK’s presence in the triple jump, both gaining valuable experience at this level.

On the track, Zaina Vaughn doubled up in the hurdles, competing in both the 100m hurdles (15.76) and 300m hurdles (47.46). Logan Carlson (4:17.00) ran a strong 1600m race in an elite field, Jude Abu-Ghazaleh (5:04.47) showed real promise in the Girls 1600m as a Junior and Natalie Drewitz (2:15.36) and Gracie Guzzetta (2:20.61) both competed with grit in the Girls 800m. Cayden Tillman (11.12) and Princeton Lewis (22.29) represented in the sprints against some of the fastest kids in Southern California. Bailey Mann competed in both the Girls Shot Put (32-06) and Discus (105-05), giving MLK a presence on both implements.

The relays closed out the day in strong fashion. The Boys 4×800 ran a 7:52.87 to finish 2nd in the section — one of the best relay performances MLK put together all day — and advance to finals. The Girls 4×400 (3:57.67, 5th) and Girls 4×800 (9:33.04, 4th) both punched through as well. The Boys 4×100 (42.78) and Boys 4×400 (3:30.34) competed hard in two of the deepest fields of the day.

Ten entries. One more week. The Wolves are headed to the CIF Finals — and ready to show exactly what they have worked all year for.