Benjamin Harris has already accomplished enough in his high school track career to make most of his peers envious, but he insists he is far from done.
A junior sprinter from Servite, Harris was eager to check a few more items off his to-do list Saturday at the state meet in Clovis, where he sought to win the 100- and 200-meter dashes while also anchoring the 4×100 relay.
Since making national headlines in 2024 by winning the 100 at the Arcadia Invitational in a wind-aided 10.38 as a freshman at Long Beach Poly, Harris has been in the spotlight, though he does not seek it.
“I don’t care about the hype,” he said following Friday’s prelims at Buchanan High, where he earned spots in the finals in all three of his events.
Long Beach Poly boasts one of the proudest programs in California yet Harris opted to transfer to Servite in February 2025 and has not looked back. A year ago he was second to De La Salle’s Jaden Jefferson in the 100 at the state finals, clocking 10.31.
The Friars won the state 4×100 title in 40.27 last spring without their superstar from Compton and with him were two-hundredths off that in posting the fastest time in Friday’s preliminaries. Their goal Saturday was simple: break their own state record, which they set at Arcadia in April with a nation-leading 39.70.
Servite’s Benjamin Harris wins the 100 meters in 10.17 seconds at the Masters Meet on May 23.
(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
“It was a hard change leaving the coaches there at Poly but it was for the better and will benefit me for the future,” Harris said. “Working out with my teammates is a blessing. They push me. We’ve all gotten better and I’m looking forward to us being training partners until we go off to college.”
Harris was first in the 100 in 10.32 at Arcadia, clocked a personal-best 10.18 in the Southern Section finals and bettered it with a wind-aided 10.17 seven days later at the Masters Meet, equaling the fourth-fastest time in state history under any conditions. He also ran a wind-aided 20.51 in the 200 at the section finals, another lifetime best.
He won his 100 heat Friday in a wind-legal 10.36 but three others posted faster wind-aided times. In the 200, Harris was the fifth-fastest qualifier in 21.10 but he remained confident he would run his best Saturday.
“I’m gonna bet on myself a thousand percent of the time,” Harris said. “The 100 and 200 will be a battle. Whoever executes better will win but I trust my training. At the end of the day it’s me versus me. My biggest competition is myself.”
Servite head coach Brandon Thomas believes Harris is just hitting his stride.
“He’s determined not to lose — he’s the ultimate competitor,” Thomas said. “He’s been very dominant in the 100 and now he’s coming into his own in the 200.”
Harris prefers the longer of the two sprint races.
“The 200 was always my favorite event,” he said. “That’s my bread and butter. However, I’ve improved a lot in the 100.”
Harris not only excels on the oval, but also on the gridiron. He led the Friars’ varsity football team with 39 catches for 457 yards and eight touchdowns in 10 games in the fall and plans to be back in pads his senior year.
“A lot of people want me to be a football player who runs track but for me it’s the other way around,” said Harris, a slot and outside receiver and kick returner. “I’m a track runner who plays football.”
Harris is excited about his future and wants to be a two-sport athlete at the next level, having received multiple offers while citing UCLA, USC, Texas Tech, Miami and Oregon State among his favorite destinations.
“I’m proud of what I’ve done since my freshman year,” he said. “I really have no regrets. As you get older the biggest thing is staying healthy and if I can do that I’m going to be the best in California.”
