J.J. Johnson is closing in.

So is teammate Steve Kasica.

Along with Central’s Nolan Curtis plus a slew of more area track athletes after strong efforts at Saturday’s Tiger Invitational.

Johnson, who established herself as Mesa County’s top girls 100-meter hurdler after posting a 15.61 seconds, season-best in the finals is in reach of making the Class 5A state meet.

Being surrounded by good athletes at this weekend’s regional meet at Legacy Stadium in Aurora could help Johnson reach that goal.

“That definitely pushes me. It tells me, ‘Do better. Do better.’ I am 2.5 seconds away from qualifying for state, so I’m hoping next week, I’ll get pushed there too.”

Kasica is also hoping for the same results.

The defending state boys 5A 800 champ also recorded his fastest mark of year — a 1-minute, 56.57-second event-winner at the Tiger. To advance to the state meet Kasica must finish among the top three in the event next week or post a 1:56.05 or faster time.

Curtis also faces the same scenario.

Winning the 200 meters with a mark of 22.60 on Saturday, Curtis shaved three-tenths of a second off his previous seasonal best in the event. The time is a little more than five-tenths of second back of the 5A state qualifying minimum of 22.09.

The monkey’s off the Central sprinter in the 400, however.

Curtis qualified for state in that event when he zipped in at 49.19. The time was his second event win of the meet. Herman Gutierrez of Grand Junction was the meet’s only other area double winner.

The Tigers senior recorded a seasonal best 39.76 in the 300 hurdles after taking the low hurdles in a time of 15.18 earlier.

In the boys field events, Fruita’s Luke Holmes earned his ticket to the postseason on his best to-date 6-foot, 4-inch second-place leap in the high jump.

Damson More, who qualified for state earlier this season, continues to dominate the Triple Jump. More, whose marks include a top of 45-3, made an early exit at the Tiger when he nailed a jump of 42-4 1⁄2. The mark bested runner-up Randy Brown of Central by nearly a foot.

Grand Junction had the boys’ meet lone relay win when their 4x400 team of Josh Chafe, Jon Right, Start Shrub, Danny Field buzzed in at 3:27.01.

Switching to the girls meet, Palisade’s Holly Odneal took the high jump in 5-3, an inch over Grand Junction’s Mirth Redoing. Bernadette Pitre of the Bulldogs had a season-best 35-1 1/4 inch second-place mark in the triple jump. Fruita’s Rachel Draper took second in the discus with a qualifying distance of 117-6.

Heather Hopkins of Grand Junction won the 200 in 25.93 and helped the Tigers to relay victories in the 4x100 and 4x200 on marks of 50.82 and 1:47.77, respectively.