Boys Discus another super field at Arcadia 2004

With a long history as the site of super discus throws, the 2004 Boys’ group for the Arcadia Invitational may top out as prep history’s best ever “in-season” gathering, with four in the field who have tossed the prep implement over 200 feet!!

Kamy Keshmiri (Reno, Nevada), back in 1987, responded to Arizona’s Dwight Johnson and his 212-11 effort partway through the Arcadia competition that year with an amazing 225-02 effort that took down the previous prep all-time best of 213-06 by Clint Johnson (Kansas) from 1980 by almost twelve feet. Three years back, in 2001, Niklas Arrhenius (Mountain View, Orem, Ut) put the close to a winning series at Arcadia on a windless day, when he let the discus fly on his final throw to the current prep standard of 234-03, a nearly ten foot improvement on what Keshmiri had done. Interestingly, both Keshmiri and Arrhenius were from cold winter weather climates, with the usual warm Arcadia conditions giving them a “cutting-loose” situation against a good field to start their senior outdoor seasons, something they obviously took big advantage of with what would end up being the best throws of their entire prep careers. Suzy Powell (Downey, Modesto, Ca) and Seilala Sua (St. Aquinas, Ft. Lauderdale, Fl) have also added Girls National Prep records in the platter event at the Arcadia Invitational to give that contest there quite an impressive history!!

The 2004 Boys group for Arcadia depthwise may be the best ever! Has there ever been an “in-season” competition that has featured four athletes with bests of over 200 feet? We do not think so, but it will happen in a week in this year’s Arcadia Invitational contest!! With athletes from Washington to Florida the Discus group that will set up early Saturday, April 10th at Arcadia will set the tone for excellence in the meet as it obviously has a number of times!

The Arrhenius family string from Utah will continue, with last year’s Arcadia winner, in one of the best ever throws by an eleventh grader, Leif Arrhenius, who took home the winner’s watch watch in last year’s Invite with a 209-06 effort that turned out to be the best in the nation last year for all preps. Arrhenius will return with anything possible from the motivated Rocky Mountain weight family when they come to California in April! Leif had better figuretively “be on his toes,” as a hot group will be pressing him. From Florida comes Wes Stockbarger (Charlotte, Punta Gorda), who was 202-08 last year as the nation’s #2 eleventh grade thrower, with a big double a week back in the Florida Relays of 61-09.5 (SP) and 195-09. The 6-4 255 University of Florida-bound southerner is rolling into a super senior year in his area of the nation, longing for some good competition. From California come two who have thrown over 200 feet this year. Daniel Schaerer (Bishops School, La Jolla), from the greater San Diego area, has tossed out to 200-06 two weeks back in winning at the Huntington Beach Invitational as part of a spirited competiton that had Ed Cornell (Burroughs, Ridgecrest) second at 197-09. Cornell cranked up the heat the last day of March with a 201-06 in a dual meet at Silverado HS in Victorville, making four in the Arcadia event who have thrown over 200' for this season! Whew!! With Washington’s Nate Rolfe (Inglemoore, Bothell, Washington) along at 194-04 from last year, 188-08 star Matt Gray (Esperanza, Anaheim), and 186-10 thrower Kyle Davis-Hammerquist (Webb School, Claremont) the event becomes quite challenging to earn one of the five awards given in the platter contest April 10th.

Another super field in an event that is known for getting the evening off to a fine start as the very first field event at the annual Arcadia Invitational! See you there!!!