05.15.08
kern results at valley
Locals claim 10 titles in Masters track meet
Foothill’s Ragans, Shafter’s Jelmini sweep weight events
BY ZACH EWING, Californian staff writer
zewing@bakersfield.com | Wednesday, May 14 2008 11:31 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, May 14 2008 11:41 PM
North High’s Anthony Mitchell shed the 400-meter race from his duties at last week’s Central Section South Area meet, preferring to concentrate on the 800.
The decision paid off Wednesday at the section Grand Masters meet, with Mitchell winning a championship in 1:54.19. But afterward, Mitchell was thinking back to his choice.
“I should have ran the 400, too,” he said, his mouth spreading into a grin. “Just from watching that race, I knew I could have done well.”
Mitchell’s 800 conquest was one of 10 section championships for Kern County, a run highlighted by double victories by Foothill thrower Dayshan Ragans, Foothill distance runner Chris Schwartz and Shafter thrower Anna Jelmini.
Team standings were unavailable at press time because of a scoring error, but it appeared Fresno-Central won the boys title and Clovis West easily took the girls. Foothill was in the boys’ top three, and Centennial’s girls were fourth.
Ragans, after launching a couple of discus throws around 210 feet in warm-ups, settled for a 199-2 and a second straight section title. He threw 60-7 in the shot put for an easy repeat victory there also.
“I felt good in both events,” Ragans said. “I feel I could be better, but I’m happy with my performance.”
As for Jelmini, she actually seemed slightly disappointed in her discus-shot put double victory. She threw 162-5 in the discus and 44-0.75 in the shot but felt she could have done better.
“There’s a couple things I need to work on, and I think I’ll have it,” Jelmini said.
As for Schwartz, he won two close races, the 1,600 in 4:15.80 and the 3,200 in 9:24.19. Schwartz, the state’s Division I cross country champion, said he had to slow himself down early in the two-mile race to keep a good pace. He was thrilled with the results.
“There’s state, the 9:01 (a PR in the 3,200), I tripled at league, and then here,” Schwartz said. “That’s four good things I’ve done this year.”
Schwartz, along with the two local throwers who own the best marks in California, have been turning in these kinds of performances all season long. Contrast that with Ridgeview triple jumper Johnny Carter, a freshman who came from near anonymity — his best mark of the season came in a frosh/soph meet — to be a section champion. He led the Wolf Pack’s 1-3 finish in the event with a personal-record 48-3.
“I’m just blessed to have the talent,” Carter said. “It’s only my second year jumping.”
Ridgeview’s Chris Kelly was third in 46-11.5. Shafter’s Tyler Thompson finished second in 47-3.
Bakersfield High’s 400 relay team opened the meet by edging Clovis East for the section championship in 42.28. The Drillers then closed running festivities with a surprise third-place finish in the 1,600, behind only section leaders Fresno-Edison and Liberty. Their time was a personal record by about three seconds (3:20.06).
“I knew it was going to be close coming in” Bakersfield High coach Steven Anderson said. “And just looking at our times, I had a guy I thought could be quicker.”
The other local section champ is Centennial’s Alana Alexander, who used an early 38-3.75 triple jump to edge Clovis’s Jenna Prandini by three-quarters of an inch. Alexander had to wait until the end to know she was a champion for sure; Prandini ended the competition with a 38-0.
The top three finishers in each event move on to the state finals May 30-31 at Cerritos College in Norwalk. There are also two statewide wild cards who will qualify — the best marks from any athlete not in a qualifying position.
Among notable local qualifiers:
* Versatile Isiah Purvis of Liberty, who lost the 400 in the final 20 meters, finishing five-hundreths of a second (with a 49.13) behind Edison’s Maurice Lewis, but then ran an astounding anchor leg of the 1,600 relay. He was hand-timed at a 47.6 and nearly erased Edison’s big lead in the race. In between, Purvis placed second in the 200 (21.96).
* BHS sprinter Brushay Wandick, after seeing her 400 relay team finish fourth and finishing in fourth in the 100 by one-hundreth of a second (12.01 to a 12.00 from Fresno-Bullard’s Lynn Williams), rebounded to earn a state qualification in the 200. She finished third in 24.69.
* Frontier’s Taylor Jackson, a sophomore who qualified in both the 100 and 300 hurdles. She finished third in the 100 (15.04) and second in the 300 (44.86).
* Stockdale freshman Alex Collatz, who also finished fourth in the triple jump, was part of a 1-2-3 Kern County finish in the discus. Jelmini was first, Collatz second (148-6) and Taft’s Carey Tuuamalemalo third (130-9).
* Centennial’s high finish in the girls team race was buoyed by plenty of high finishes, but the Golden Hawks had just one state qualifier: Alana Alexander, who was third in the long jump (17-6.75) before holding off Prandini in the triple.
* Shafter’s Tyler Thompson also qualified in the long jump and triple jump, finishing second in both.
Ridgeview’s Chris Kelly soars during one of his triple jumps at the section meet at Liberty Wednesday. Ridgeview’s Johnny Carter gets air during one of his triple jumps during the section meet at Liberty High Wednesday afternoon. Just a freshman, Carter and teammate Chris Kelly had the two best jumps heading into the competition.
Centennial’s Alana Alexander lands after one of her long jumps at Wednesday’s section track and field championships at Liberty High.
Chris Schwartz of Foothill had the eighth best qualifying time in the 1,600, but pulled away from top qualifier Jonathan Sanchez to win the event at the Central Section track and field championships Wednesday.
BHS anchor Johnny Norwood takes off after receiving the baton from teammate Jerek Johnson during the 4×100 relay at Wednesday’s Central Section Grand Masters. At left is Stockdale anchor Brandon Henderson (with baton) and teammate Adam Lewis.
Isiah Purvis of Liberty was so close to victory in the boys 400 meters, but Edison’s Maurice Lewis closed in the final yards to win the race. Stockdale’s Daniel Lozano (not pictured) was third.
