Sterling Brassfield exploded out of the blocks.
The Eaglecrest senior was like a rocket, trying to break free from earth's gravity. He took powerful strides and pumped his muscular arms forward.
There was no room for hesitation. No time to think. The opening strides of the 100 were all about getting out.
Add that he had the fourth-ranked 100 sprinter in the country - Gavin Schurr - in the lane to his right.
Every stride would count.
And for the first 70 meters or so, Brassfield raced on in perfection, as his rocket held an edge over his friendly rival. But Schurr is no rookie when it comes to closing.
The Fairview senior seemingly dismissed any disadvantages he may have found himself in this late in the race, and he flipped his own boosters on.
Now we've got a race.
As the two reached the final third of the 100 final Saturday morning, the crowd roared to life - everybody loves a good race, and Schurr and Brassfield were giving the crowd just that.
Schurr's come-from-behind tactic worked, and he stormed by Brassfield in the final meters to claim the event in 10.64 - four-hundredths of a second ahead of Brassfield's 10.68.
Brassfield didn't go home without the mouth-watering experience of crossing the finish line first, however. Several hours later he won the 200 in a big personal best, running 21.56.
The race between Shurr and Brassfield embodied what we'd see for much of the day - hotly contested battles on and off the track.
What was it that Brassfield wrote in a recent Instagram story?
Indeed they do.
With 48 teams represented, and 856 athletes competing, the Pomona Invitational was one of the biggest meets of the season so far. And true to form, it lived up to the hype.
RESULTS | PHOTOS
Next Page: Close battles and runaway victories...