It didn't take long for Tigard senior Marcus Burton to go from being a fringe contender in the 100 and 200 meters to one of the best sprinters in state history.
Burton has made dramatic improvement since the 6A meet last year, when he took sixth in the 100 and did not make the finals in the 200, settling for 11th place.
He stepped into the spotlight April 24 when the won the Elite 100 in the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays, clocking 10.48 seconds, moving him into a tie for No. 5 on the state's all-time list. Five days later, in a Three Rivers League meet at Oregon City, he sizzled to 21.24 in the 200, which ranks No. 6 in state history.
“I've progressed really well,” Burton told DyeStat at the Jesuit Twilight. “I'm happy with where I'm at right now.'
The stunning breakout has raised expectations for Burton.
“He didn't really look at himself as this elite kind of runner,” Tigard coach Doug Kuffel said. “I think he knows he's good, but now the light bulb kind of goes off in his head that, 'Oh wow, I am really good.'”
Tigard assistant coach Ralph Greene, who began coaching Burton in youth track, said he knew that Burton “has got the tools.” But it wasn't until he broke 11 seconds in the 100 as a junior that he started to deliver on his potential.
“Then it was like, 'How good can he be?'” Greene said. “Physically, you look at him, and he's definitely got it, but you're not sure. I'm not sure I saw 10.4 coming, but I knew he was a sub-10.8, 10.9 guy consistently. If he ever puts it all together, he could be up there.”
Burton got a late start this season after tweaking his hamstring in a winter indoor meet. In his first meet April 4, he won the 100 in the Oregon Relays at Hayward Field. His time of 10.62 beat his previous best of 10.65 from last summer.
“The Oregon Relays was sort of validation for him,” Greene said. “That venue is so cool, so that was great. That would've been great if that was the only thing that happened, but it seems to keep building.”
Burton, who did not run in the Elite 100 at the Jesuit Twilight as a junior, got his chance this year and came through with a big win. He overtook Oregon City junior Colin Smith midway through the race and won by .03 seconds.
Burton told DyeStat that he wasn't expecting to run 10.48, “but it definitely felt good. I feel like the start was so-so, but once I started running, then I felt like I really just took off.”
The outcome was similar Wednesday in the 200 against Smith, who last year won the 200 district title and took third at state. He rallied to beat Smith by .30 seconds, getting payback for losing to Smith by .45 seconds in the Vic Downs Mac Invite at McMinnville on April 10.
Burton's time of 21.24 blew away his previous PR of 21.68 from last summer.
“He has struggled a little bit with the 200 in his starts, but he had a little bit different strategy, and he crushed it,” Kuffel said.
Burton has broken the 100 and 200 school records that were held by Braden Lenzy, who clocked 10.62 in 2017 and 21.49 in 2018. Kuffel said he updates Lenzy on Burton's progress.
“Braden encourages him, which is great to have that alumni support, to let him know how proud he is of him,” Kuffel said.
Lenzy's 400 school record of 47.52 is likely to stand, though, considering the event is not a priority for Burton.
“If Marcus focused on it, he'd probably break that one, as well,” Kuffel said.
Greene believes Burton would crush the 400 if he pursued it seriously.
“I think he'd be the best if he focuses on it,” Greene said. “If you look at him, how he's built, the 200 and 400 is probably the sweet spot.”
Burton has some work to do to challenge the state records of 10.21 and 21.03, set by Benson's Micah Williams in 2019. Given his growth curve, however, it's difficult to judge his ceiling for this season.
“He's gauging himself by, 'Boy, if I ever put together the perfect race, what can I do?'” Greene said.
Burton will be pushed in the Three Rivers League district meet. Burton, Smith and West Linn junior Cooper Roms rank 1-2-3 in the state, respectively, in the 100 and 200.
Dorf breaks 20 feet
Westview senior Saskia Dorf became the second girl in state history to long-jump 20 feet when she soared 20-1 on Wednesday in a Metro League dual meet against Beaverton.
Dorf, the reigning 6A champion in the long jump, joins Oregon City's Sophia Beckmon as the only 20-foot jumpers in state history. Beckmon jumped a state-record 22-4 in 2023.
Dorf won the state meet last year with a mark of 18-5. In the Nike/Jesuit Twilight Relays last week, she not only won the long jump by improving her PR to 19-0, she took first in the triple-jump at 40-10 ½, moving up to No. 3 on the state's all-time list.
Hurdles showdown
Two of the state's best girls hurdlers – David Douglas junior Ariya Abdullah and Nelson senior Simone Sideris -- traded victories in a head-to-head match-up Thursday. Abdullah won the 300 hurdles and Sideris took the 100 hurdles in a three-way 6A Mt. Hood Conference meet against David Douglas.
In the 300 hurdles, Adbullah (43.92) and Sideris (44.16) recorded the two best times in the state this season. In the 100 hurdles, Sideris (14.38) and Abdullah (14.71) finished with times that rank second and third in the state, behind Thurston senior Brooklyn Anderson (14.12).
Last year, Adbullah won district titles in the 100 and 300 hurdles races, placing third in the 6A meet in both events.
jerryu@osaa.org
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