Derrick Affor, a sophomore from Beaumont High, finished second at the two-day Southern California Decathlon Championships, held Tuesday and Wednesday at Cerritos College.

Affor led the field after Day 1 of the two-day event, accruing 3,380 points in the 100 meters, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400 meters. He looked well on his way to victory, but struggled in the eighth event, the pole vault. He only cleared 8 feet, 6.25 inches in the event, allowing Mt. San Antonio College's Kyle Beck to catch up.

Beck finished the day 24 seconds better than Affor in the 1,500 meters, allowing him to squeak past Affor 5,868 to 5,848. Beck and Affor are ranked first and second in the state this season.

Affor's final total is a school record for the event and qualifies him for the State Track and Field Championships at Bakersfield Community College May 19-20.