GILROY >> Scotts Valley High junior Ava Decleve cut wide down the stretch, stole the victory, and stole the show for local athletes competing at the Central Coast Section Track and Field Championships at Gilroy High on Saturday.

Decleve took first in the girls 800-meter race in a personal-best 2 minutes, 9.56 seconds. It’s the second best time in Falcons’ history behind current Stanford runner Ashlyn Boothby (2:09.03).

Four of the top five runners earned personal records. Decleve’s late kick down the stretch helped her pull ahead of St. Francis senior Sabrina Zanetto (2:09.79), Los Altos junior Lily Symon (2:10.29), and Prospect senior Kylie Hoornaert (2:10.64), all of whom qualified for the 105th CIF State Championships next week. Hoornaert was the defending section champion.

“There were some incredibly fast runners out there,” Decleve said. “I just wanted to keep up with the top pack. We went out fast. At the end, we were all kicking. I told myself to keep going. I wanted it really bad.”

Santa Cruz senior Heidi Green, a Santa Clara University commit, took fifth in a personal best 2:13.62. She was injured at the outset of the season.

“I’m really happy with 2:13,” Green said. “The last 100 meters was rough. I didn’t quite get back all my kick yet.”

The top three finishers in every event but the 4×800 relay, which has two qualifiers, earned automatic berths to the state championships at Buchanan High in Clovis. Qualifying takes place Friday beginning at 3 p.m. and finals will be held Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

“Going to state is incredible,” Decleve said. “I want to just go and have fun.”

In addition to Decleve, Santa Cruz County qualified three senior boys — Santa Cruz’s Eli Fitchen-Young, Watsonville’s Nathaniel Aceves-Aguilar, and Aptos’ Logan Brantley — for state.

Fitchen-Young, a Duke University commit, took third in the a blazing quick 3,200 in 8:57.83. Fitchen-Young was one of three runners to break the previous meet record.

Menlo senior Landon Pretre turned in a season-best 8:48.57 for the win, and Piedmont Hills senior Yosef Berhan took second in a personal-best 8:49.65.

“I am glad I ran 8:57, just one second off my PR,” Fitchen-Young said. “I felt good until the last two laps. I just didn’t have that one last gear.”

Fitchen-Young said he has unfinished business in Clovis.

“It’s back to the drawing board for state,” Fitchen-Young said. “The pace was good today and I was happy with my time but I want to work on race strategy with my coach. I want to get the win at state.”

Aceves-Aguilar took third in the uber competitive triple jump with a personal-best distance of 46-4.75, a new school record. Five athletes ended up securing a spot for the state meet, but Soquel junior Ben ComiIang took sixth with a mark of 44-8.5. The at-large cutoff was 45-10.5.

Brantley took fourth in the shot put (58-0) and fifth in the discus (158-11). He met the at-large standard to advance to state in the shot put.

Pajaro Vallley senior Izaak Ocampo took fourth in the long jump (22-1.25), but his distance was 10 inches shy of the state’s at-large standard.

Soquel senior Logan Walters earned a personal best in the pole vault by clearing 14-2 for fourth place. His mark is third-best in school history, but one foot off the state’s at-large standard.

“I couldn’t quite get 14-8,” Walters said. “After 14-2, I changed to a longer, heavier pole for that height and it was only the second time I have used that pole. I’m happy. At the start of the year, I was stuck around 13-0. I feel I improved so much during the year.”

Scotts Valley junior Aaron Weiss took fifth in the 800 (1:56.92).

Soquel senior Tomas Church took sixth in the high jump (6-0) and classmate Nolen Westfall tied for seventh (6-0).

Aptos senior Casey MacConnell, who will attend San Jose State University next season, took seventh in the long jump (21-5.75).

Aptos sophomore Sam Hansen took eighth in the 1,600 in 4:15.70. Junior teammate Brady Bliesner took 10th in 4:21.21. Hansen and Bliesner also teamed with Anthony Sandford-Carroll and Andrew Pursley to help the Mariners take ninth in the 4×800 relay in 8:10.48.

Monte Vista Christian junior Conor Gilliam took ninth in the 800 (1:58.71), and Watsonville junior Lisandro Pantoja took ninth in the discus (151-2).

Bellarmine (72 points) won the team title. Saint Ignatius (54) finished second, and Junipero Serra (36) was third. Watsonville (16) and Aptos (16) tied for 14th.

Santa Cruz County had four other athletes make girls finals.

SLV senior Orea Pollock took fourth in the high jump (5-2), one inch shy of matching her PR and four inches shy of the state’s at-large standard.

“At the start of the year, I was determined to make it to trials,” Pollock said. “I made that and I made it to finals. I was hoping to make it to state but it is a good outcome.”

Santa Cruz sophomore Joy Roberts took fifth in the 100 in 12.70. She was hoping to beat her PR (12.4) but didn’t get the start she’d hoped for. Still, she was pleased with her result.

“I had never made it to the finals in an individual event, so, yes, the year was better than I expected,” she said. “I think I’ve worked hard to get here. At the start of the year, I didn’t think I’d make it this far.”

Archbishop Mitty senior Evangeline Marheineke, a Santa Cruz resident who will compete for UCLA next year, took 10th in the 3,200 in 11:08.88. MVC senior Kylie Brunelli, who will compete for Harvey Mudd College next year, qualified for the 3,200 but didn’t compete.

In ambulatory events, Watsonville freshman Ricardo Lopez-Ramirez took first in the shot put (15-4), second in the 100 (17.33), and third in the 200 (35.84). He earned PRs in all three events.

Aptos senior Izzy Graff (13.18) and freshman teammate Mary-Anne MaCarthy (13.95) took first in the girls’ 100 unified relay race.

Ryder Yamaguchi, Jonathan Espinoza, Colin Dagnall and Dylan Guisado teamed to earn Aptos the win in the boys’ 4×100 unified relay.

Archbishop Mitty (58) won the girls’ team title. Los Altos (52) took second, and Saint Ignatius (44.5) was third. 21. Aptos (10) and Scotts Valley (10) tied for 21st.