With just 11 boys on its track team, Apache Junction overcame that depth problem to win the 4A Division I boys state championship Saturday at Mesa Community College. The Prospectors finished with 67 points to edge Tucson Sabino (57.5).

SLIDESHOW: See photos from the 2A/4A State Track and Field Championships

“We really stepped up practices come region time to try to overcome that,” junior runner Shane McCullen said. “Every day was intense.”

McCullen helped Apache Junction forget its eighth-place finish in 2007 by placing in four events.

McCullen was a runner on the winning 400-meter relay team. He also placed second in the 100, 200 and high jump.

The 400 relay team won with a time of 42.74 seconds, edging out Paradise Valley by nearly a half second. The Trojans posted a 43.19.

McCullen finished behind Peoria’s Jamal Miles in both the 100 and 200 races. McCullen clocked 11.11 seconds in the 100, just 0.06 of a second behind Miles.

“My start in the 100 wasn’t great,” McCullen said.

“The second-place finishes disappointed as an individual result, but it got the job done for the team.”

In the 200, McCullen ran a 21.95, which was 0.2 of a second behind Miles.

“I just sort of died there at the end,” McCullen said.

On Wednesday night, McCullen took second in the high jump (6 feet, 2 inches).

“Now we got to try to do this all over again next year,” he said.

4A-II

After finishing third at last year’s state track and field meet and second in 2006, Queen Creek finally made it over the hump.

The Bulldogs ran away from the rest of the field, finishing with 73 points to win its first team championship Saturday at Mesa Community College.

Queen Creek’s nearest competition came from Tucson Catalina, which finished with 54 points.

“We’ve been really close the past couple of years and feels good to finally get it,” Queen Creek coach Fred Clare said.

The closest the Bulldogs came to capturing a title in the past was in 2006 when they came within 13 points of the state title.

Jared Call played a major part in giving Queen Creek the title.

Call, a senior, took first place in the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.01. Call later placed second in the 300 hurdles (39.03).

“It’s crazy, you can’t put it into words,” Call said. “Knowing that you’re a state champion is just unbelievable.”

Gerardo Trevizo’s finishes in the discus and shot put also helped out Queen Creek. Trevizo placed second in the discus with a throw of 155-1. He also took fourth in the shot put (48-11).

“He’s the heart and soul of this team,” Clare said. “He works the hardest and he leads by example with the effort he puts in.”