THIS ONE’S FOR COACH SMITH—The Oak Park High girls’ track and field squad, from left, MacKenzie Claus, Tayler Johnson, Melissa Skiba, Madison Stark, Kayla Batom and Sydney Lewis, captured the CIF-SS Division 3 title Saturday at Cerritos College. The school prom was later that night. Photo courtesy of Luke Claus The Eagles gave Kevin Smith the perfect going-away present.

Oak Park High’s girls’ track and field team won the CIFSouthern Section Division 3 championship under the guidance of longtime head coach Smith, who is stepping down at the end of the season.

Smith, who has directed the Eagles’ cross country and track programs for 25 years, led the boys’ track and field team to a section crown in 1989.

Since then, his boys’ and girls’ track and cross country teams have won league, section and state championships. This was his first section crown for girls’ track and field.

“This was special,” Smith said. “It kind of brings the whole thing full circle.”

With prom being held later that night, the Eagles (63 points) edged Harvard-Westlake (60) for the title last Saturday at Cerritos College in Norwalk.

Meanwhile, the Rio Mesa Spartans continued to shine this postseason.

With only four Spartan sprinter boys in the mix, Rio Mesa finished second in the Division 2 meet to Loyola, which had 15 competitors.

The Oaks Christian boys also nabbed second in Division 4.

Local athletes from Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks, Agoura, Simi Valley, Royal, Moorpark and La Reina also excelled.

Tayler Johnson led the way for Oak Park, picking up victories in the 100-meter hurdles and the high jump. Johnson completed her 100 hurdles win in 14.06 seconds. She cleared 5 feet, 6 inches in the high jump.

The senior Eagle also nabbed third in the long jump (18-06.75).

Teammate Melissa Skiba set a school record in the 1,600 by finishing the race in 4 minutes, 58.81 seconds, good for third overall.

Later in the day, Skiba won the 3,200 in 10:33.63.

Oak Park sophomore Sydney Lewis was fourth in the 100. Junior Kayla Batom placed eighth in the 100 hurdles and 300 hurdles, respectively. Madison Stark finished third in the pole vault.

Batom, Johnson, Lewis and MacKenzie Claus set the OPHS school record in the 4x100 relay in 48.68 seconds. The quartet nabbed second place among Division 3 schools.

“Every girl played a role,” Smith said. “Only six girls did it, but by God, did they do it.”

They didn’t let prom later that night affect their performances.

“For the girls, it was rush, rush, rush and do a good job,” Smith said, “and head to the next event.”

Jamison Jordan, Steven Richards, Blake Selig and LaDarrin Roach led the way for Rio Mesa’s boys, winning the 4x100 relay and notching second in the 4x400 relay.

“The boys were just a few quarters of an inch here and a couple hundredths of a second there from winning,” said veteran Rio Mesa head coach Brian FitzGerald, who joined Smith in the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame this year.

“All the boys met or exceeded my expectations. Every kid there had a seasonal best.”

The Rio Mesa boys tallied 56 points, while first-place Loyola notched 61.

Jordan picked up victories in the 100 (10.45) and 200 (21.11).

Selig was third in the long jump and eighth in the 100. Richards nabbed third in the 400 and fourth in the 200.

Rio Mesa’s Valexsia Droughn, who was injured for three weeks this season, has enjoyed a lateseason surge.

The junior won the girls’ 100 dash in 11.63 seconds and the 200 in 24 seconds flat. Droughn won the 100 at state in 2009.

Fellow Spartans Raegan Nizdil and Kayla Lindquist fared well in the high jump, nabbing third and eighth, respectively.

“I couldn’t be happier with them,” FitzGerald said. “They all stepped up.”

Johnathan Cabral of Agoura won section championships in the 110 hurdles (13.58 seconds) and the 300 hurdles (37.59) among Division 3 competitors.

Niko DiMartino of Oaks Christian won the D-4 boys’ long jump and was third in the 100. Teammate Paul Vozzo won the pole vault.

Simi Valley long-distance star Liberty Miller finished second in the Division 1 1,600 in 4:52.61. She also placed second in the 3,200 (10:37.77).

Other top girls’ athletes included Newbury Park’s Shannon Byrne (fourth place in 1,600), Megan Thompson (sixth in 400) and Morgan Thompson (fifth in 200 and eighth in 100).

Newbury Park competed in Division 2.

Starring for Oaks Christian were Cristina Garcia (sixth place in 1,600), Ayzha Aupiu (sixth in 100 hurdles), Danni Alakija (fourth in 400), Alexandra Courtnall (fourth in 100 and seventh in 200), Annalise Bachman (third in triple jump) Lauren Anderson (fifth in long jump and sixth in triple jump) and Kim Sanchez (third in pole vault).

In other Division 4 action, La Reina was represented by Jordan Jeworski (fourth in 800), Rachel Brajkovich (fifth in 800) and Hanna Winter (seventh in 100).

Thousand Oaks, a Division 2 school, had strong performances from Lydia French (second in high jump), Bailey Schentrup (third in long jump) and Caitlyn Turner (fourth in 800).

Nikoletta Georgalis of Moorpark was fourth in the Division 2 girls’ long jump event.

Top boys’ individuals included Oaks Christian’s Harrison Hanley (fifth in long jump and eighth in triple jump), Allen Stevens (eighth in high jump) and Terry Johnson (seventh in 200).

Camarillo’s Erik Pinuelas (second in 1,600) and Erik Fruth (seventh in 110 hurdles) were strong in Division 2 events.

Royal’s Travis Edwards (third in 1,600), Thomas Garner (fifth in 110 hurdles and eighth in 300 hurdles) and Sean Davidson (fourth in 3,200) had solid performances in Division 1.

Thousand Oaks’ Kevin Joerger (second in 3,200) and Zack Friedman (eighth in 110 hurdles) represented the Lancers.

Oak Park’s Cameron Stevens (sixth in 800) and Connor Stark (second in pole vault); Pat Smith of Newbury Park (third in shot put); Simi Valley’s Tyler Fields (eighth in long jump and ninth in triple jump); and Westlake’s Sam DeMello (second in 800) all put forth big-time performances.

The top-12 athletes in field and distance running events moved on to Friday’s Masters Meet at Norwalk. The top-nine performers in the other events, regardless of division, also advanced.

Masters field events begin at 5:30 p.m. Running events start at 6 p.m. The state meet is June 4-5 at Buchanan High in Clovis.