Bonita Vista High School’s Josh Godfrey appears to be hitting his own home runs on the track and field oval, and it’s time to take notice.
Godfrey, the younger brother of Park View Little League Blue Bombers star Seth Godfrey, has carved out his own identity as a Baron.
Josh was too young to compete in the 2009 Little League World Series but older brother Seth did just that. After winning a San Diego Section Division II championship at Bonita Vista in 2014, Seth Godfrey appeared in 13 games last season for Aurora University’s baseball squad.
Now, it’s time for little brother to step up to the plate.
Josh Godfrey has emerged as someone to contend with on the track after winning last year’s San Diego Multi-Event Championship as a sophomore at Steele Canyon High School.
Godfrey topped the boys decathlon field with 5,495 points – 837 points ahead of BVHS teammate Alex Ulloa.
Godfrey’s win as a sophomore was surprising enough but that a pair of Barons finished one-two in the field was even more of a surprise – make that, a pleasant surprise for multi-event coach Joe Sheffield.
“Who would have thought that two guys from Bonita Vista would finish one-two?” Sheffield asked aloud in amazement following the awards ceremony.
Godfrey’s performances are no longer amazing
Godfrey won the 300 hurdles event at last year’s Mesa League finals in 42.06; he bettered that mark with a 41.02 at the ensuing section prelim meet but placed 11th to miss qualifying for the finals.
The state meet is something that remains on his check list.
Godfrey, a junior, still has two more years to excel at BVHS, and he is doing just that.
He has recorded career bests in seven events so far this spring. He’s run 11.39 in the 100-meter dash, 51.67 in the 400-meter dash, 16.34 in the 110-meter high hurdles, recorded a mark of 36-2 in the shot put, 90-1 in the discus throw, 5-8 in the high jump and 20-4.5 in the long jump.
He’s also competed in the pole vault (10-0), 300-meter intermediate hurdles (41.00) and 4×100 relay (44.88).
He ranks first in the Mesa League in the pole vault, second in the in the 300 hurdles and long jump, and third in the 100 and 400 dashes.
His career best in the 300 hurdles is 40.53 and 10-6 in the pole vault, both set last year in regular season track meets.
In fact, Godfrey’s performance at last year’s multi-event championship left him thinking the decathlon could be something he could excel at in college.
“I really think I’ll be good at it,” he said. “Everyone says I’m a good athlete. I’m not a great athlete in any one event but I’m very well-rounded in every event. They all come together.”
Godfrey’s marks included 11.40 in the 100 dash, 19-2 in the long jump, 33-10.25 in the shot put, 5-6 in the high jump, 53.50 in the 400 dash, 17.20 in the 110 high hurdles, 101-0 in the discus throw, 11-0 in the pole vault, 121-8 in the javelin throw and 5:02.0 in the 1500-meter run.
Godfrey ranked first in the field in the 100 dash, long jump, 400 dash, high hurdles and javelin throw. He tabulated second-best marks in the shot put, high jump, discus throw and 1500 run. His mark in the pole vault, which was a personal best, ranked third among competitors.
“I’m happy I PR’d,” Godfrey said. “I didn’t expect to go 11-0. I used a new pole and it got me over 11-0.”
His time in the high hurdles was also personal best by nine-tenths of a second.
His performance in the javelin throw was jaw-dropping for a first-time participant, especially considering he finished 13 feet farther than the nearest competitor. “I did better than I expected, it was fun,” he said
Bonita Vista is entered in Saturday’s 13th annual Mustang/Phair Co. Relays at Otay Ranch High School. A number of Metro Conference leaders are expected to strut their stuff on the oval and in the field events. Competition starts at 8:30 a.m.
Conference leaders on the boys side include Bonita Vista’s Keenan Ellis in the 100 dash (11.12) and 200 dash (22.45), Otay Ranch’s John Price in the 400 dash (51.29), Eastlake’s Jeffrey Page in the 800 run (1:57.41), Olympian’s Diego Arriola in the 1600 run (4:27.23), Bonita Vista’s Isaiah Labra in the 3200 run (9:26.67), Sweetwater’s Jakari Lowe in the 110 high hurdles (16.14), Olympian’s Paul Thompson in the 300 intermediate hurdles (40.95), Eastlake’s Nate Sweat in the shot put (46-4.25), Bonita Vista’s Damillin Hecht in the discus throw (126-11), Sweetwater’s Mario Licudine in the pole vault (12-6), Mater Dei Catholic’s C.J. Verdell in the long jump (22-6.75) and triple jump (45-10.79), and Olympian’s Chayin Osgood, Thompson and Bonita Vista’s Nicholas Zaballa in the high jump, all with 5-10 marks.
Verdell ranks third in the section in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump. Page ranks fourth in the section in the 800 while Labra is sixth in the 3200
Multi-event championship
Godfrey and Ulloa’s performances were indeed amazing over the course of the two-day event that took place under a scorching sun last June.
Ulloa, the 2015 Mesa League track and field champion in the boys pole vault, is now competing at Cuyamaca College in the triple jump, long jump and pole vault.
Ulloa’s marks included 12.10 in the 100 dash, 18-3 in the long jump, 38-0.75 in the shot put, 5-10 in the high jump, 1:00.20 in the 400 dash, 20.30 in the high hurdles,101-9 in the discus throw, 12-0 in the pole vault, 108-6 in the javelin throw and 6:01.90 in the 1500 run.
Ulloa ranked first in the shot put, high jump and discus throw and second in the high hurdles, pole vault and javelin throw. He recorded third-best marks in the 100 dash and long jump, placed fourth overall in the 400 dash and was seventh in the 1500 run.
Ulloa’s career best in high school competition in the pole vault was 13-0.
Ulloa finished 898 points ahead of Serra’s Jacob Flores, the third-place finisher in the field.
The Bonita Vista dynamic duo dominated the event by placing first and second in five events: shot put, high jump, high hurdles, discus throw and javelin throw.
“One single event is one event — it’s not the whole thing,” Godfrey said. “If you do poor in one event, there are other events to make up for it.”
“I like how you can do multiple events and show how well you can do in other events,” Ulloa said.
“Josh has got an excellent work ethic, he’s very coachable,” Sheffield explained. “You ask him to do it and he’ll do it. He’s one of the most coachable athletes I’ve ever coached.
“As for Alex, his hard work over the years has allowed him to develop.”
Overall, four South County athletes competed in last year’s decathlon field.
Chula Vista High Tech’s Matri Hamilton Jr. finished in seventh place with 3,172 points while Sweetwater’s David Baltazar dropped out after seven events due to a facial injury incurred while pole vaulting.
Hamilton scored 11.70 in the 100 dash, 19-0 in the long jump, 28-3.75 in the shot put, 4-9.75 in the high jump, 1:04.80 in the 400 dash, 20.60 in the 110 high hurdles, 63-10 in the discus throw, 88-9 in the javelin throw and 7:05.60 in the 1500 run. He failed to make the opening height in the pole vault.
Hamilton, who is now competing at Southwestern College, said he had never attempted “seven or eight” of the events in the decathlon.
“It seemed fun and it was,” he said.
Hamilton, who placed second among competitors in both the 100 dash and long jump at the Steele Canyon event, finished first in the 100 dash (11.66), second in the 4×100 relay (46.67), third in the long jump (18-3) and fourth in the 200 dash (24.20) at last year’s Frontier Conference finals.
His career bests included 11.53 in the 100 dash (posted at last year’s CIF prelims) and 19-10.25 in the long jump.
Baltazar, who ranked sixth with 2,161 points after the opening day of competition, captured the 2015 South Bay League boys pole vault title by clearing 11-0.
Baltazar timed 12.50 in the 100 dash, 16-10 in the long jump, 26-0.25 in the shot put, 4-9.75 in the high jump, 58.40 in the 400 dash, 22.80 in the high hurdles and 58-0 in the discus throw.
His goal had been to top 4,300 points. He had tabulated 2,552 points with three events remaining to score when he had to withdraw due to injury. His best had been 11-6 in the pole vault.
“I thought there would be more competitors but then not everyone can do all these events,” Baltazar explained. “There’s a lot of friendship and camaraderie among the competitors.”
Meet director Lyle Barton called the competition “very entertaining and relaxed.”
“I think everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, which often seems to be the point of this,” he said.
2015 Multi-Event Championship
San Diego High School Decathlon
Final Results/Boys 10 Events
1. Josh Godfrey (Bonita Vista) 5,495 points
2. Alex Ulloa (Bonita Vista) 4,658 points
3. Jacob Flores (Serra) 3,760 points
4. Alexander Kelley (El Camino) 3,732 points
5. Nathan Morgan (Grossmont) 3,221 points
6. Augustine Curiel IV (El Camino) 3,193 points
7. Matri Hamilton Jr. (Chula Vista High Tech) 3,172 points
8. Vincent Hauser (Grossmont) 2,311 points
9. David Baltazar (Sweetwater) DNF
San Diego High School Heptathlon
Final Results/Girls 7 Events
1. Delaney Toth (Poway) 2,557 points
2. Cassandra Emlund (West Hills) 2,191 points
Women’s Heptathlon
Final Results/7 Events
Sylvia Longworth (Patrick Henry) 1,907 points
METRO CONFERENCE TOP MARKS
Mt. Carmel Sundevil Invitational
March 26 at Mt. Carmel High School
Division I
Boys Running Events
800: 13. Toshin Agbede (Bonita Vista) 2:07.88
1600: 9. Andres Correa (Bonita Vista) 4:36.60; 10. Salvador Rodriguez (Mater Dei Catholic) 4:37.27; 14. Harold Thomas (Otay Ranch) 4:39.97
3200: 1. Isaiah Labra (Bonita Vista) 9:35.93; 9. Cale Parise (Otay Ranch) 9:54.15
110 hurdles: 32. Jakari Lowe (Sweetwater) 27.94
300 hurdles: 22. Jacob Mestre (Otay Ranch) 42.53; 27. Paul Thompson (Olympian) 44.06
4×100 relay: 12. Otay Ranch 44.33; 15. Olympian 44.62; 21. Eastlake 45.22; 27. Sweetwater 45.89
4×400 relay: 8. Olympian (Ryan Sanchez, Michael Kipling, Antwaine Sermons, Andres Gonzalez) 3:28.42
Boys Field Events
Discus throw: 18. Nate Sweat (Eastlake) 116-9
Pole vault: 12. Mario Licudine (Sweetwater) 11-8
Long jump: 13. Collin Andrews (Olympian) 18-8.5
Triple jump: 1. Jalyn Jackson (Eastlake) 44-6; 10. Tyshawn Cook (Otay Ranch) 39=9
Girls Running Events
800: 7. Emily Bonilla (Eastlake) 2:27.95
1600: 6. Milla Padilla (Bonita Vista) 5:29.40; 17. Alexandra Martinez (Olympian) 5:47.09
3200: 21. Eyra Alfaro (Otay Ranch) 12:57.29
4×100 relay: 20. Olympian 51.06
4×400 relay: 18. Eastlake 4:12.86
Girls Field Events
Discus throw: 17. Marlenne Velazquez (Olympian) 78-6
High jump: 1. Shaniyah Rankin (Olympian) 5-0; 6. Shannon Casey (Otay Ranch) 4-6
Division II
Boys Running Events
400: 28. John Price (Otay Ranch) 52.59
800: 1. Jeffrey Page (Eastlake) 1:57.41; 3. Andres Correa (Eastlake) 2:01.51
1600: 16. Diego Arriola (Olympian) 4:31.86
3200: 14. Rigoberto Baza (Otay Ranch) 9:54.79
Boys Field Events
Shot put: 2. Nate Sweat (Eastlake) 46-4.25; 7. Estevan Marron (Eastlake) 44-6
Long jump: 4. Christopher Verdell (Mater Dei Catholic) 22-6.75
Triple jump: 4. Christopher Verdell (Mater Dei Catholic) 45-6.75; 6. Antonio Riggins (Olympian) 44-4.5; 15. Jakari Lowe (Sweetwater) 41-3.5; 20. Nate Sweat (Eastlake) 38-4.75
Girls Running Events
200: 22. Jazleen Wharry (Olympian) 26.57
800: 6. Makena Cash (Eastlake) 2:28.39; 11. Joanna Ortiz (Otay Ranch) 2:38.57
1600: 2. Leyla McFarland (Eastlake) 5:04.33; 19. Eyra Alfaro (Otay Ranch) 5:57.92
Girls Field Events
Shot put: 4. Racquel Holloway (Otay Ranch) 33-5
Long jump: 9. Sydney Barnes (Olympian) 17-2.25
Triple jump: 2. Sydney Barnes (Olympian) 37-9.25
Division III
Boys Running Events
800: 7. Carlos Aviles-Sullivan (Sweetwater) 1:57.96
METRO CONFERENCE
TRACK AND FIELD LEADERS
BOYS LEADERS
100: Keenan Ellis (Bonita Vista) 11.12
200: Keenan Ellis (Bonita Vista) 22.45
400: Andres Gonzalez (Olympian) 51.28
800: Carlos Aviles-Sullivan (Sweetwater) 1:57.19
1600: Diego Arriola (Olympian) 4:27.23
3200: Isaiah Labra (Bonita Vista) 9:26.67
110HH: Jakari Lowe (Sweetwater) 15.93
300IH: Paul Thompson (Olympian) 40.95
Shot put: Nate Sweat (Eastlake) 46-4.25
Discus throw: Phillip Nones (Castle Park) 134-4
Pole vault: Mario Licudine (Sweetwater) 12-6
Long jump: C.J. Verdell (Mater Dei Catholic) 22-6.75
Triple jump: C.J. Verdell (Mater Dei Catholic) 45-10.79
High jump: Four tied at 5-10
Note: Verdell ranks third in the section in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump. Page ranks fourth in the section in the 800 while Labra is sixth in the 3200.
GIRLS LEADERS
100: Jazzleen Wharry (Olympian) 12.75
200: Betsabe Ornelas (Olympian) 26.10
400: Betsabe Ornelas (Olympian) 57.17
800: Betsabe Ornelas (Olympian) 2:23.26
1600: Leyla McFarland (Eastlake) 5:04.33
3200: Mariana Beltran (Olym) 12:00.45
100LH: Alani Johnson (Otay Ranch) 15.87
300LH: Hunter Mickelsen (Eastlake) 49.66
Long jump: Sydney Barnes (Olym) 17-9
Triple jump: Sydney Barnes (Olym) 37-9.25
