Sports360AZ
There were a lot of great events and a lot of great matchups at the AIA State Track & Field Championships on Saturday, but none more exciting than the Division I Boys 100 Meter Dash, which featured Brophy senior and Oregon commit Devon Allen going up against Mountain Pointe sophomore Paul Lucas.
In the preliminary round, Allen qualified with a time of 10.56 seconds, while Lucas was nipping at his heels with a time of 10.59.
In the final, the race was just as close, it was the results that were reversed. Lucas edged out Allen with a time of 10.44 seconds, which is the fifth fastest time in state history in that event.
Allen finished at 10.58 seconds.
“I just had to finish, basically,” Lucas said. “In the prelims I was looking over because I was worried about place instead of time. This time, I was running for time out here. Just 10.40, that was my goal.”
Lucas said he was more than capable of running that 10.44 based off what he did in the prelims.
“Yea, because in the prelims, I ran a 10.50 and [was] slowing down 10 meters out,” Lucas said. “I wasn’t all focused that day either.”
The crowd at Mesa Community College came to see a show in this race, and they got one for sure from Lucas and Allen, as they were neck and neck from start to finish.
However, Lucas’ mind wasn’t on the young man in the lane next to him. It was on his teammate who was also in the race, Kejavon Moore.
“He has the best start in Arizona, hands down,” Lucas said. “We work together at practice all the time and he always gets me, so keeping up with him, I figured I’d be ahead at the end.”
It’s scary to think Lucas has two more years to run and be dominant in track.
What’s even scarier for his competition is that Lucas has pretty specific and lofty goals he’s set for himself.
“I’m trying to be, at the end of it, the fastest athlete to ever come out of Arizona,” Lucas said.
