Pacifica's Zach Lewis tries a new approach to get to the CIF state track meet

Pacifica senior Zach Lewis, featured in an Empire League dual meet, won the shot put and discus at the CIF-SS Division 2 track and field finals on Saturday, May 11 . (Courtesy of David Mamelli)

Zach Lewis has been there before, but he might try a different route to get back there.

Lewis is a senior from Pacifica who is Orange County’s track and field leader in the shot put and discus. He qualified for the CIF state championships in both events last season.

He’ll attempt to do it again in both events Saturday when he competes in the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet at Moorpark High. The top six finishers in each event Saturday qualify for the CIF State Championships in Clovis on May 24-25.

Lewis finished sixth in the shot put at last year’s state meet with a mark of 58 feet, 11.5 inches and finished 13th in the discus at 178 feet, 1 inch. Lewis surpassed both of those marks this year with season records of 60-5.5 in the shot put and 180-4 in the discus.

Lewis, who won the Division 3 shot put (59-1.5) and discus (178-1) titles at the CIF-SS finals last week, said his weight training was different from what it was at the same time last year.

“I’m reducing my reps right now and doing lighter lifts,” he said this week. “I’m trying to go faster.”

Which also means, he said, losing a few pounds to get his footwork down and loosen up faster. Lewis is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighs 265 pounds.

The challenge for Lewis and all other track and field athletes competing at the Masters Meet is to do well enough to qualify for state, but without overdoing it to avoid a lack of strength and energy for the state meet .

As for what it will take for the shot put and discus throw on Saturday to make it to the state meet…

“I’m not exactly sure, grade-wise,” Lewis said. “I’m not necessarily aiming for the Masters. I had great grades in Masters the last two years, but not so good in state competition.

His father, Kevin Lewis, threw the shot put and discus at Huntington Beach High and coached his son and others in those events. Marina throwing coach Mike Giron has been an important mentor to Zach.

Lewis played football at Pacifica his freshman year when he also became interested in track and field throwing events. He qualified for the CIF state competition in the shot put as a sophomore.

He learns quickly, and not just in athletics. Lewis has a 4.4 grade point average and will continue to throw the shot put and discus at UC San Diego.

“I think building my strength and building my form helped me become more consistent at the end of my sophomore year,” he said.

So now it’s on to the Masters Meet where he hopes his strength and developing form will allow him to return to Clovis.

REMARKS

• Dana Hills junior Evan Noonan said he will only run the 3,200 meters at the Masters Meet. Noonan won the 2 1,600 and 3,200 divisions at the CIF-SS finals. …

• Brendan Holmes is the new men’s basketball coach at Fountain Valley, where his father Roger Holmes coached men’s basketball and currently serves as athletic director. Brendan Holmes set the Orange County career record for 3-pointers made with 409 from 2006 to 2010 at Marina when his father was coach there. He also owns the county single-season record for 3s made (149, 2007–08 season). Last year’s Fountain Valley coach, Josh Beaty, is now Edison’s men’s basketball coach. …

• Joel Hartmann has resigned as executive athletic director at Mater Dei. No reason was offered in the announcement. Hartmann has worked at Mater Dei for the past two years, filling the position created just before accepting it, after spending more than 30 years in the Servite athletic department. …

• New Mater Dei football coach Raul Lara continues to build his coaching staff. Longtime defensive coordinator Eric Johnson, a highly valued assistant coach for decades, has decided to no longer continue coaching with the Monarchs. …

• The Orange Lutheran baseball team qualified for the Southern California regional playoffs by advancing to the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinals, where it lost to Harvard-Westlake 4-2 on Tuesday . Lancers coach Eric Borba said the team will decide by the end of the week whether or not to accept the invitation to the regional. Last year’s Division 1 baseball champion JSerra, Division 3 baseball champion Aliso Niguel and Division 1 softball champion Pacifica declined the regional invitation last year. …

• The Toro Air Passing Tournament, Foothill, Laguna Beach, St. Margaret’s, San Clemente, San Juan Hills, Segerstrom, Simi Valley and Tesoro. …

• The fall sports season is only three months away and real football games begin on August 22. The weather will likely be different that day than today.