When his first long jump competition resulted in a regional meet record last year, Cherry Creek's Roman Holmes realized his hops were better than he thought.

And when he set the Colorado state record in the long jump last week at the Centennial League championships - his leap of 24 feet, 11 1/2 inches beat the longstanding 1990 mark of Montbello's Chris Sanders by 4 inches - Holmes, a senior, became excited by the thought he is a state record-holder.

He will try to add "state champion" to his list as he competes in the Class 5A state track and field meet Friday and Saturday at Jefferson County Stadium.

"Believe it or not, that was my goal for that meet, getting that state record," said

Holmes, who started long jumping three weeks before the 2007 5A state meet, where he finished fifth.

"I knew I was just a couple inches away a few weeks ago, so I was going for it. I stepped on the runway, and my first jump was a fault. My second jump was 23-8. Then my final jump was 24-11 1/2. I was surprised, because those are definitely not little inches that we're talking about.

"Sometimes it doesn't even settle in that I have the record. But I work hard for my accomplishments and I am always setting new goals for myself."

Holmes hopes to break his record in the long jump Saturday and also make his mark in the triple jump.

He is hoping to break 50 feet or possibly eclipse the 35-year-old record of 51-1/4 set by Harrison's Vic White - the oldest standing record in Colorado boys track.

"I'm really excited for state - I'm excited for the competition," Holmes said. "I like feeling the eyes of the fans, feeling the opponents looking at me. But I'm just going to try to think of it as just another Saturday."

CLASS 5A

* Overview: George Washington is looking for its second consecutive team title, and the Patriots are led by seniors Joe Harris and Quinton Dodson. Harris is the defending champion in the triple jump, Dodson finished fourth a year ago in the long jump and is the highest-placing returner. Each makes up half the Patriots' stellar sprint relays.

Coach Richard Nye said several teams can compete for the team title, including Cherry Creek, with distance ace Charles White and long jump state record-holder Roman Holmes, and Smoky Hill. The Buffaloes are loaded in the field events, which includes pole vaulter Chase Cooper (second last year) and thrower Mark Sparks (third in the discus, fourth in shot put).

Nye said his squad will be tough to beat.

"We've qualified for state in 12 events and, basically, we are capable of scoring in probably 10 of those events," he said. "We have some strong relays, so we look fairly well. We feel pretty good."

* Top performers: Overland junior Jeremy Rankin, one of the top sprinters in the country, will miss the state meet because of an injury. He won the 100 meters last year in state- record fashion (10.32 seconds) but was surprised in the 200 by Denver East's Dominick Roberts. Roberts also is a nationally ranked sprinter and won the 400 last year. . . . Cherry Creek's White should be a force in the 800 and 1,600. . . . The distance field is packed with Dakota Ridge's Evan Appel, Thornton's Dey Tuach, Wheat Ridge's Henry Cowhick, Regis Jesuit's Bobby Nicolls and 800 defending champion Steve Kasica of Fruita Monument. . . . Smoky Hill's Cooper has cleared 16 feet in the pole vault this season.

* Events to watch: With Rankin out, there will be a new champion in the always entertaining 100 meters. . . . The 1,600 is loaded with premium talent. The top six spots should be close, exciting, fast and too tough to predict. . . . Defending triple jump champion Harris will be matched up against Holmes in the event, meaning one could eclipse the oldest record in boys track.

CLASS 4A

* Overview: The team race is up for grabs, as Longmont, Mullen and Sierra have different strengths.

While Longmont has turned into a powerhouse for sprinting, with Matt Butcher having the potential to win the 100, 200 and 400, Mullen is paced by its deep middle-distance and distance program, led by multithreat junior Andrew Berberick.

But Sierra, which finished fourth last year, has the potential to take the title with strong relay squads and Kelby Dias, the returning champion in the 110 and 300 hurdles.

"Kelby is a great team player, but he is very competitive as well," Sierra coach Teenan Anderson said. "We have done a lot of talking, and it is very difficult to repeat as state champion in anything. Any given day, anything can happen."

* Top performers: D'Evelyn senior Kevin Williams will try for his third consecutive 3,200 title and try to repeat his 1,600 and 3,200 double victory from last year. He will have to battle one of the best distance fields Colorado has seen. . . . The sprinting scene is no different. Butcher will try to win the 200 and 400 again but will have Golden's Joe Morris, Widefield's Patrick Richards and defending 100 champion Keenan Ballage from Falcon trying to stop him from earning a triple victory. . . . Mesa Ridge's top leapers are back, with Zach Little trying to defend his crown in the long jump and Mykal Torres trying to do the same in the triple jump. . . . Ken Harriman of Pueblo South is the returning champion in the shot put, and Rock Canyon's Erik Sutterfield is the favorite to defend his title in the pole vault.

* Events to watch: With distance ace and defending 1,600 champion Williams squaring off against Falcon's Wes Rickman, Cherokee Trail's Scott Ingram and Berberick, the race should be close and the state record could fall. . . . The top four finishers in the 200 last year are back. . . . Dias will try to keep his lock on the hurdles, but a strong field won't make it easy.

CLASS 3A

* Overview: Roosevelt traditionally has a talented squad, and this year is no exception. With senior hurdler Corey Spahn (first, 300 hurdles) returning and junior distance runner Aaron Alarcon trying to defend his crown in the 1,600, the Roughriders could be tough to beat.

They will have to battle The Classical Academy, including senior Trevor Waliszewski, the defending champion in the 3,200. And Platte Canyon's sprinting squad, including A.J.

Melillo, could put together some good relays to earn some points for the Huskies.

* Top performers: Buena Vista junior Mason Finley is the defending champion in the shot put and discus. He won the discus last year by more than 19 feet. To accommodate Finley's prowess, the event was moved from Dutch Clark Stadium to Pueblo South High School on Saturday because of concerns Finley could exceed the distance the stadium facility can handle. . . . Basalt's Cody Russel won the 100 and 200 last year. . . . As the only freshman in the state finals last year, Faith Christian's Hayden Loudenslager finished second in the triple jump, with a leap of 43-3.

* Events to watch: With Russel and Melillo in the blocks, the race in the 100 should be close. . . . With Waliszewski and Alarcon setting the pace, the 3,200 race could produce a speedy divisional time. . . . Platte Canyon's and Roosevelt's top relay squads could make for a great race in the 800 relay.

CLASS 2A

* Overview: Limon finished 12th as a team last year, but the Badgers continually are improving and have had a strong spring. A team title, though, is no sure thing.

Dayspring Christian finished second last year and returns a squad of hurdlers that could score a lot of points, including senior Dan Baer (first, 110 hurdles), junior Jared Sanderford and senior Graham Histed.

With its distance program, Lyons also could challenge for the title. Junior Andrew Roberts is looking to win the 1,600 and 3,200 and senior Colin Anderson could go for the 800 title after finishing runner-up last season.

* Top performers: Roberts won the 3,200 by more than 10 seconds last season. He finished second to Roaring Fork's Victor Montoya in the 1,600. Montoya ran all three distance events last year, finishing third in the 800 and sixth in the 3,200. . . . Center's Chris Villa- gomez will try to defend his crown in the 800. . . . Simla senior Jake Toney is the top returning sprinter after finishing third in the 200 and fourth in the 100 last season. . . . Swink senior Miguel Narez is the defending champion in the shot put.

* Events to watch: With the top three returnees back - Montoya, Roberts and Del Norte's Edwin Cruz - the 1,600 could be a special race. . . . The 100 hurdles could come down to Dayspring Christian teammates Baer and Sanderford. . . . The 200 figures to be a battle of the Jakes, with Simla's Toney and Wray's Jake Beckman going for the win.