Graf good enough for third-place finish at state

Multiple area athletes shone on the biggest stage in high school track and field last weekend.

No one was better than Rio Mesa High's Valexsia Droughn, who won the girls' 100-meter dash in 11.54 seconds at the CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High at Clovis.

"It feels real good," Droughn said. "It's like I'm in a fantasy world. It's still overwhelming to think about."

The Rio Mesa sophomore shared her feats with other locals.

Agoura senior Kevin Graf placed third in the boys' shot put with a throw of 59 feet, 7.75 inches.

Camarillo sophomore Heyden Wooff finished third in the boys' 3,200 with a career-best time of 8:55.16.

Jules Sharpe of Oaks Christian notched fifth place in the boys' high jump with a leap of 6-9.

Oak Park's Melissa Skiba was sixth in the girls' 3,200, finishing the race in 10:31.26.

Royal's Travis Edwards rolled into seventh place in the boys' 1,600 race, crossing the finish line in 4:11.89.

Ventura's Jordan Paea was sixth in the boys' shot put.

Graf said he was pleased with his performance at the state finals.

"I did the best I could," the senior said, "and that's all I can really ask of myself."

Graf holds the school record in the shot put, throwing it 61-7 ½ at the CIFSouthern Section Division II preliminaries on May 16 at Moorpark.

Graf broke the school record in the event three times this year.

The multisport athlete, who will play offensive line for the University of Southern California football team, doesn't know if he will also compete in track and field for the Trojans.

"I'm definitely thinking about it," Graf said. "I'm not 100 percent sure yet. I still need to talk to Coach (Pete) Carroll about it and see if I have time for it."

The Charger said his favorite memory of the state championships, which were held at a high school for the first time, was the medal ceremony.