VISTA -- As Collin Jarvis looks back on the road he took to Clovis for the CIF state track and field championships, which begin on Friday, there are a few landmarks along the way that he will inevitably recall.

Boston. Arcadia. And San Clemente Avenue.

The first two locations were the sites where the Rancho Buena Vista High senior solidified his credentials as one of the top distance runners in California. The third spot is where he learned how quickly fate can turn on an athlete.

It was on San Clemente Avenue in Vista last fall -- near the house of teammate Chris Brewer, who will be lining up with Jarvis and the rest of the 3,200-meter field at the state meet -- that Jarvis tumbled from his skateboard, breaking his wrist and ending his cross country season.

"That was just blatant disregard for the talent that I have," Jarvis said. "I regret it a lot now."

Brewer, a sophomore, was right behind Jarvis when the accident occurred. They both say they have since sworn off skateboarding.

"It really woke him up and just made him realize, 'I'm letting this all slip away,' " RBV coach Tom Lux said. "So that's what you're seeing now."

Jarvis easily won the 3,200 at the CIF San Diego Section finals last week with a time of 9:06.24. But he essentially has had his sights set on the state meet since running an 8:58.15 to win the night race at the prestigious Arcadia Invitational in April.

That mark still stands as the No. 3 time in the state this year.;

"It was a really fun race," said Jarvis, who came from behind with a big kick on the final lap. "There are a few things I would have done differently during the race if I could go back, having watched it from a different perspective and stuff. But looking back on it, it was definitely one of the best races I've ever run."

Another one of those races came in Boston in February, as Jarvis ran a 4:13.57 mile in his first career indoor meet. Mac Fleet, the University City distance runner, got a big assist in that one.

Fleet, a well-known, national-caliber runner who owns the second-best 800 time in the country this season, basically lobbied to get Jarvis invited to the meet. He talked up Jarvis to meet organizers.

"We're good friends," Fleet said. "We train together when we can. It's kind of hard because we live so far apart. So we're good friends and good rivals. This sport's hard because if you don't really make a name for yourself early, a lot of times you won't get noticed or invited to some things.

"I knew coming off his (skateboarding) injury, he had some pretty good winter training. I ran the Carlsbad Half (Marathon) with him, just a training run. We kind of killed it. We ran really well. So I knew he was in good shape."

That performance gave the star-crossed Jarvis, who also missed a couple months of training as a junior because of a stress fracture, a big boost as he entered this track season.

"Going into it, I wasn't really expecting a whole lot, because I hadn't trained for speed at all," Jarvis said. "But it actually turned out to be the fastest mile I've run so far this year.

"The trip was just phenomenal, everything that you got to do. And it was a four-day trip, so it wasn't just running. We were at the meet and there were a bunch of the athletes that you hear about on the national team and on Dyestat (a comprehensive track Web site), and all that stuff. It was pretty cool."

While Jarvis seized the lead halfway through the race and appeared to shift into cruise control in winning the section title on Saturday at Mt. Carmel, Brewer made one of the most dramatic charges of the day. He came back from fifth place with 250 yards to go, positively blazing around the final turn to run 9:14.19 and finish third, grabbing the final state-meet berth.

Brewer couldn't quite catch Patrick Henry senior Adrian Rafiee, who finished second to Jarvis in 9:10.42.

"My entire thing is I knew I could out-kick those guys if I kept them in (range)," Brewer said. "When (Jarvis) made his move, they went with him. I just didn't feel like I could respond. I was letting them go. At one point I thought, 'OK, if I can just hold them to 30 to 40 meters. I can give myself a chance.'

"Around the seventh lap, I started to pick it up a little bit. I closed it down to like 30 meters with a lap left, and I was like, 'OK, just go after them.' Right about 250, I made contact. At that point I was like, 'OK, I got this.' I just started sprinting as hard as I could, and it ended up working."

This will be the third state meet for Jarvis. Brewer will be competing in his first.

So what pointers does the veteran have for the novice?

"Run fast," Jarvis said. "Turn left."

Brewer chuckled as Jarvis recounted his pithy race strategy. They have a solid relationship that is based on mutual respect, and accommodates a healthy dose of needling.

But Jarvis admitted to imparting more substantial advice.

"I've already told him all of this stuff," Jarvis said. "Don't get carried away with the excitement of all the people around. Just run to compete. Don't even look at the clock. Keep in mind who is around you, but if you see the Patrick Henry guy is way back there, or way up there, don't worry about that. Just run how you know you can."

And back away from the skateboard.