10.18.08
Posted in Invitationals, Kern XC Results, Schools, Results, Foothill, North at 7:13 pm by Administrator
Cal Poly SLO Invite
S.L.O. CA
2008 VS Athletics/Cal Poly XC Invitational - HS
Fairbanks Cross Country Course
Chris Schwartz continued his unbeaten streak with a 15:55 clocking and Natalie Fernandez (Foothill) came in 11th in a time of 20:12.
Photos HERE and HERE
Varsity Girls:
11 10 304 Natalie Fernandez So FOOTHILL BAKSFLD D2 1 20:12.6
24 22 529 Cecilia Lopez Sr N. BAKERSFIELD HS D2 1 21:27.7
38 35 547 Kaylee Moyer Fr N. BAKERSFIELD HS D2 2 21:59.4
41 38 527 Meagan Menzel Sr N. BAKERSFIELD HS D2 3 22:08.4
50 47 525 Blanca Perez Jr N. BAKERSFIELD HS D2 4 22:35.3
51 48 305 Erika Alvarez Sr FOOTHILL BAKSFLD D2 2 22:37.7
55 52 302 Kaitlyn Mrasak Jr FOOTHILL BAKSFLD D2 3 22:53.6
65 59 306 Crystal Rodriguez Jr FOOTHILL BAKSFLD D2 4 23:49.1
67 61 303 Perla Veloz So FOOTHILL BAKSFLD D2 5 23:52.7
68 62 309 Brenda Trejo Jr FOOTHILL BAKSFLD D2 6 23:57.8
69 63 530 Madeleine Maier Sr N. BAKERSFIELD HS D2 5 24:06.8
75 66 308 Violeta Quintanar Sr FOOTHILL BAKSFLD D2 7 25:08.1
80 68 532 Priscilla Cruz Jr N. BAKERSFIELD HS D2 6 26:23.5
89 74 535 Sarena Underwood Jr N. BAKERSFIELD HS D2 7 27:50.7
DIVISION: 2
PLACE TEAM POINTS SCORERS DISPLACERS
1 MT. CARMEL HS D2 20 1-2-4-6-7 9-15
2 PENINSULA HS D2 51 5-10-11-12-13 17-20
3 N. BAKERSFIELD HS D2 81 8-14-16-18-25 27-28
4 FOOTHILL BAKSFLD D2 88 3-19-21-22-23 24-26
Varsity Boys:
1 1 312 Chris Schwartz Sr FOOTHILL BAKSFLD D2 1 15:55.6
30 30 301 Erick Bautista Jr FOOTHILL BAKSFLD D2 2 17:36.2
36 36 300 Jose Lopez Jr FOOTHILL BAKSFLD D2 3 17:43.1
59 56 540 Adam Ralls Jr N. BAKERSFIELD HS D2 1 18:10.8
62 59 539 Tobias Lopez So N. BAKERSFIELD HS D2 2 18:15.0
70 66 546 Robert Lopez Sr N. BAKERSFIELD HS D2 3 18:34.2
73 69 311 Javier Garcia Jr FOOTHILL BAKSFLD D2 4 18:39.8
85 80 299 Robert Meyer Sr FOOTHILL BAKSFLD D2 5 18:58.2
87 82 307 Ernest Marquez Jr FOOTHILL BAKSFLD D2 6 19:06.5
93 86 541 Chris Emmett Jr N. BAKERSFIELD HS D2 4 19:24.7
107 96 310 Alvaro Amaya So FOOTHILL BAKSFLD D2 7 20:01.3
109 97 545 Armando Ulloa So N. BAKERSFIELD HS D2 5 20:05.6
112 98 542 Robbie Davalos Fr N. BAKERSFIELD HS D2 6 20:26.0
115 101 543 Jessie Lopez Fr N. BAKERSFIELD HS D2 7 20:37.7
DIVISION: 2
PLACE TEAM POINTS SCORERS DISPLACERS
1 MT. CARMEL HS D2 20 2-3-4-5-6 7-12
2 FOOTHILL BAKSFLD D2 62 1-8-11-19-23 24-27
3 PENINSULA HS D2 64 9-10-13-15-17 20-21
4 N. BAKERSFIELD HS D2 101 14-16-18-25-28 29-30
5 REEDLEY HS D2 144 22-26-31-32-33
Complete results HERE
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10.02.08
Posted in Kern XC Results, Schools, North, Stockdale, Centennial, Cross Country Dual/Tri Meets at 5:40 am by Administrator
North 32, Centennial 24; North 36, Stockdale 22; Cent. 28, Stockdale 27
3 miles, at North
1. N, Vincent, C, 17:04; 2. Slaton, S, 17:14; 3. Kelly, S, 17:25; 4. Smith, C, 17:36; 5. T. Lopez, N, 17:40; 6. Burke, S, 17:41; 7. R. Lopez, N, 17:45; 8. Ralls, N, 17:54; 9. Millen, C, 17:56; 10. T. Heiter, C, 18:02.
JVNorth d. Stock (forfeit); North d. Cent.(forfeit); Stockdale 15, Cent.50
North 23, Centennial 32; North 26, Stockdale 29 Stockdale 24, Cent. 31
At North: 3 mile course
1. C. Lopez, N, 19:54; 2. Nelson, S, 21:05; 3. Perez, N, 21:07; 4. K. Dahl, C, 21:11; 5. S. Pennell, S, 21:17; 6. Folsom, C, 21:33; 7. Moyer, N, 21:42; 8. C. Moore, S, 21:50; 9. Haney, S, 22:00; 10. M. Menzel, N, 22:19. JVNorth 26, Cent. 35; North 40, Stockdale 18; Centennial 41, Stockd. 18.
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09.25.08
Posted in Kern XC Results, Schools, North, South, Frontier, Cross Country Dual/Tri Meets at 10:11 am by Administrator
Boys
North 25, South 30; North 26, Frontier29; Frontier 23, South 32 3-mile course, at North 1. Romero, S, 17:56; 2. Ralls, N, 18:02; 3. Peralta, F, 18:05; 4. R. Lopez, N, 18:07; 5. T. Lopez, N, 18:10; 6. Beechinor, F, 18:18; 7. Golich, F, 18:38; 8. Urmston, F, 18:39; 9. Little, S, 18:51; 10. Emmett, N, 18:58.
JVSouth 15, North 50; Frontier 15, North 50; South 18, Frontier 37
Girls
North 19, Frontier 39; North 15, South 45; Frontier 22, South 39 3-mile course, at North 1. C. Lopez, N, 20:58; 2. Meadows, F, 21:22; 3. Y. Perez, N, 21:56; 4. Moyer, N, 22:02; 5. B, Perez, N, 23:10; 6. Menzel, N, 23:29; 7. Maltos, F, 23:46; 8. Maier, N, 24:07; 9. Ghuman, S, 25:02; 10. Sweeney, F, 25:18. JVNorth 15, South 50; North 15, Frontier 50;
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09.18.08
Posted in Kern XC Results, Schools, North, West, Ridgeview, Cross Country Dual/Tri Meets at 10:37 am by Administrator
Boys
Ridgeview 15, West 50; Ridgeview 15, North 50; North 24, West 31
3-mile course, West H.S.
1. Baker, R, 16:42; 2. Solis, R, 16:44; 3. Garcia, R, 17:00; 4. Lewis, R, 17:28; 5. Madrigal, R, 17:35; 6. Munoz, R, 17:42; 7. Lopez, N, 17:47; 8. Anseno, R, 18:07; 9. Ralls, N, 18:21; 10. Castillo, W, 18:52.
JVRidgeview 15, West 50
Girls
Ridgeview 15, West 50; Ridgview 19, North 38; North 15, West 50
3-mile course, West H.S.
1. Duran, R, 20:15; 2. Lynch, 20:22; 3. Huizar, R, 20:27; 4. L. Gonzalez, R, 21:36; 5. Lazo, R, 21:37; 6. Armendariz, R, 22:11; 7. Barrera, R, 22:57; 8. Habebo, W, 23:49; 9. Castro, W, 24:51; 10. McCown, W, 25:49.
JV Ridgeview 27, West 50
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09.10.08
Posted in Invitationals, Kern XC Results, Schools, Results, Info, BHS, McFarland, Foothill, North, East, Golden Valley, Liberty, Stockdale, Centennial, South, West, Ridgeview, Highland, Garces, Frontier, Bakersfield, Mira Monte, Independence at 10:52 pm by Administrator
Foothill’s Schwartz, North’s Lopez run to East Invitational titles
The Bakersfield Californian | Wednesday, Sep 10 2008 10:07 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, Sep 10 2008 10:06 PM
Believe it or not, Foothill cross country state champion Chris Schwartz said he felt some butterflies Wednesday before the start of the East Bakersfield Invitational.
Our readers recommend:
North High’s Cecilia Lopez won the girls varsity race at the East Bakersfield cross country meet, held Wednesday afternoon at Lake Ming.
“The beginning of the race, I was a little nervous,” Schwartz said.
At the end, he left no doubt who the guy to beat is again this year. Schwartz ran the 3-mile course (slightly shorter than a normal 5-kilometer course) in 15:29, shaving more than a minute off of what he ran in winning this season-opening meet last year.
At this point, he’s competing mostly against the clock. The other runners are just there to push him to better times. “I’m going out there with the mindset of getting (less than 15 minutes) every race,” Schwartz said. “If I can’t, I’ll just try to lower my time every race.”
Schwartz began to pull away at the 2-mile mark, then widened the gap during a downhill stretch just before the finish. He was sprinting by the time he crossed the finish.
“We hammered speed with Chris all during track season, just hammered it,” said Foothill coach Aaron Rietz, who also coached Schwartz to a second-place finish in the state’s 3,200-meter race in track. “He’s gotten so much better.”
That’s a scary thought for the rest of the area, even if it looks like there are more quality runners than usual. Though shaving one-tenth of a mile off the course and better weather helped, times were significantly better this year than last. Schwartz’s 16:40 finish of 2007 would have barely gotten him in the top 10 this year.
At the top of the list was Ridgeview, which had the next three finishers after Schwartz: Brian Solia in 15:33, Robby Baker in 15:53.5 and Alex Garcia in 16:13. The Wolf Pack’s 35 points easily bested second-place Bakersfield High, which had 70.
“We’ve got a young group of guys that have worked really hard over the summer,” Ridgeview coach Adam Setser said. “I wouldn’t say it came out of nowhere, because I knew they were capable of doing really well. On the girls side, same thing.”
The Ridgeview girls also won the team title, scoring 73 points to Stockdale’s 89.
North’s Cecilia Lopez ran a 19:30 to take the individual title, bringing her into the spotlight on a team that had been led by Candace Carlson for the past year. Carlson was The Californian’s Runner of the Year last season but dropped out midway through this race. North coach Brian Huens declined to comment on why Carlson dropped out, but did say she wasn’t injured.
That left Lopez, who pulled away in the last mile to win a surprising crown.
“I came in expecting to work as a teammate, to get some team points,” Lopez said. “I didn’t expect to win. I finished the race and I thought to myself, ‘I could have gone faster.’ I need someone pushing me.”
Foothill’s Natalie Fernandez was second in 19:36, Liberty’s Ashley Barton third in 19:42 and Ridgeview’s Jessica Huizer fourth in 19:49.
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09.08.08
Posted in Schools, Championships, Valley, State, McFarland, Foothill, Wasco, Shafter, Taft, North, East, Golden Valley, Liberty, Stockdale, Centennial, Delano, South, West, Ridgeview, Highland, Arvin, Garces, Frontier, Tehachapi, Bakersfield, Bakersfield Christian, Mira Monte, Independence at 12:52 pm by Administrator
2008-2009 CENTRAL SECTION FALL PLAY-OFF DIVISIONS
GIRLS CC
D-1
BAKERSFIELD
BUCHANAN
BULLARD
CENTENNIAL
CLOVIS
CLOVIS WEST
CLOVIS EAST
GOLDEN WEST
MADERA
STOCKDALE
D-2
CENTRAL
EAST
EL DIAMANTE
EDISON
FRONTIER
FOOTHILL
GARCES
LIBERTY
MT. WHITNEY
MONACHE
NORTH
REEDLEY
SANGER
SJM
SUNNYSIDE
TULARE
TULARE WESTERN
YOSEMITE
D-3
ARVIN
CESAR CHAVEZ
CLOVIS NORTH
DINUBA
DELANO
EXETER
FRESNO
GOLDEN VALLEY
GRANITE HILLS
HANFORD
HANFORD WEST
HOOVER
HIGHLAND
MADERA SOUTH
Mc LANE
LEMOORE PORTERVILLE
RIDGEVIEW
REDWOOD
ROOSEVELT
SELMA
SHAFTER
SOUTH
TEHACHAPI
WASCO
WEST
D-4 501-1250
AVENAL
BAKERSFIELD CH.
CARUTHERS
COALINGA
CORCORAN
CHOWCHILLA
DOS PALOS
FIREBAUGH
FOWLER
KERMAN
KINGSBURG
LIBERTY M/R
LINDSAY
MENDOTA
Mc FARLAND
ORANGE COVE
PARLIER
RIVERDALE
SIERRA
TAFT
TRANQUILLITY
WASHINGTON UN.
WOODLAKE
D-5 6-500
STRATHMORE
CVC
IMMANUEL
COAST UN.
MISSION PREP
FRESNO CH.
LATON
KINGS CH.
BOYS CROSS COUNTRY
D-1
BAKERSFIELD
BUCHANAN
BULLARD
CENTRAL
CENTENNIAL
CLOVIS
CLOVIS EAST
CLOVIS WEST
MADERA
MT. WHITNEY
STOCKDALE
D-2
EAST
GARCES
GOLDEN WEST
HIGHLAND
HOOVER
LIBERTY
MONACHE
NORTH
REDWOOD
REEDLEY
SUNNYSIDE
TULARE UN.
TULARE WEST.
D-3
ARVIN
CESAR CHAVEZ
CLOVIS NORTH
DELANO
DINUBA
EDISON
EL DIAMANTE
FOOTHILL
FRESNO
FRONTIER
GOLDEN VALLEY
GRANITE HILLS
LEMOORE
HANFORD
HANFORD WEST
MADERA SOUTH
Mc LANE
PORTERVILLE
RIDGEVIEW
ROODEVELT
SANGER
SHAFTER
SELMA
SJM
SOUTH
TEHACHAPI
WASCO
YOSEMITE
D-4 501-1250
AVENAL
BAKERSFIELD CH.
CARUTHERS
COALINGA
CORCORAN
CHOWCHILLA
DOS PALOS
FIREBAUGH
FOWLER
KERMAN
KINGSBURG
LIBERTY M/R
LINDSAY
MENDOTA
Mc FARLAND
ORANGE COVE
PARLIER
RIVERDALE
SIERRA
TAFT
TRANQUILLITY
WASHINGTON UN.
WOODLAKE
D-5 6-500
STRATHMORE
CVC
IMMAUNEL
COAST UN.
MISSION PREP
FRESNO CH.
LATON
KINGS CH.
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06.21.08
Posted in Profiles, Athletes, Schools, Kern Track Results, Foothill, Shafter, Taft, North, Golden Valley, Liberty, Stockdale, Centennial, South, Rankings, Track, Garces, Frontier, Burroughs, Bakersfield, Bakersfield Christian at 7:04 am by Administrator
2008 All-Area girls track and field selections
The Bakersfield Californian | Friday, Jun 20 2008 8:35 PM
Last Updated: Friday, Jun 20 2008 8:51 PM
Athlete of the Year
ANNA JELMINI
Shafter, junior
– Dominated California with 169-4 discus and 48-3.5 shot put throws
– Could have won both state championships with any of her shot throws and three of her discus throws
– Despite the state’s best competition, easily won area and section meets
– Fired a 183-11 at Salinas for a provisional Olympic Trials qualifying mark
ALANA ALEXANDER
Centennial, junior
– Qualified for state finals in long jump and triple jump, finishing seventh and ninth
– Central Section champion in triple jump with 38-3.75
– Was top three in four different Southwest Yosemite League events: third in 100 hurdles, second in 300 hurdles, long jump and triple jump champion
ALEX COLLATZ
Stockdale, freshman
– Perhaps area’s most versatile athlete, she qualified for state in discus and triple jump
– Finished fourth in state discus finals with throw of 150-3
– Best discus mark of 159-4 ranked in nation’s top 10 and was No. 8 freshman throw in state history
– Ended state triple-jump run in 17th place
TAYLOR JACKSON
Frontier, sophomore
– Dominated hurdles in Kern County, with best time in 100 and 300 by nearly a second
– Was second in 300 hurdles and third in 100 hurdles at section meet and finished in state’s top 25 in both
– Double champion at league and area meets
AMANDA KLINCHUCH
Liberty, junior
– Area’s premier pole vaulter cleared season-best 11-6 at Central Section meet, finishing second in a vault-off
– Hit 11-3 in state prelims to finish in a tie for 13th, one spot from a vault-off for the finals
– Won South Area meet by nearly three feet
KAYLA KOVAR
Burroughs, junior
– Threw better than 150 in discus five times at state meet, finishing third with 154-10 in finals
– Finished second in Southern Section with 153-1
– Season-high throw of 157-8 in state prelims ranks top 10 in nation
ASHLEE THOMAS
Centennial, senior
– South Area champion in 800 and second in 400
– Fourth in section in 800 (2:19.77) and seventh in 400 (58.90)
– Southwest Yosemite League champion in both events
CAREY TUUAMALEMALO
Taft, senior
– Qualified for state meet in discus with 130-9 throw at section meet
– Finished 13th in state prelims with 128-1 throw
– Led Wildcats to South Sequoia League team title with top-three finishes in both throwing events
BRUSHAY WANDICK
Bakersfield, junior
– Triple champion at area meet, winning 400 relay, 100 and 200
– After narrowly missing state in 400 relay and 100 (fourth in both), finished third in 200 meters in 24.69
– Finished 21st in state, running a 25.60Second team
SECOND TEAM
Shanea Anderson, Stockdale
Sarah Baker, Bakersfield
Candace Carlson, North
Shinead McDonald, Bakersfield
Melissa Merrill, Bakersfield Christian
Monica Morley, Centennial
Cassandra Salazar, Shafter
Erica Wilcox, Liberty
HONORABLE MENTION
Boron: Morgan Frier
Foothill: Natalie Fernandez
Frontier: Kirby Ellis, Halle Meadows
Garces: Monica Guzman, Kelly Hosey, Victoria Riley
Golden Valley: Shanesha Epps
Rosamond: Jasmine Moore
South: Candice Nichols
Stockdale: Jenise Anderson
Taft: Bryanna Bacot
Shafter’s Jelmini named All-Area Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year
BY ZACH EWING, Californian staff writer
zewing@bakersfield.com | Friday, Jun 20 2008 10:33 PM
Last Updated: Friday, Jun 20 2008 10:53 PM
Everything Anna Jelmini did this year — from the undefeated season to the 183-11 discus throw to, of course, the double state championship — can be traced back to a crowded, noisy Body Xchange gym on Calloway Drive and the next set of weights.
“Every time it got hard,” Jelmini said, “I thought of the state meet. Then I kept working harder.”
That singular determination in the fall made the spring’s competitions a formality. Jelmini went unbeaten — and never really was tested — in winning state championships in the shot put and discus.
The Shafter junior, who single-handedly lifted the Generals to fourth place in the state, is an easy choice for The Californian’s Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
Jelmini herself can tell you how dominant she was with a story of how other throwers treated her — if you don’t mind her blushing.
“Everyone was really nice, and they’re like, ‘If you want to see real throwing, look at her,’” Jelmini said. “It sounds weird hearing them say that.”
Competitors so impressed they turned into fans? Yowza.
“I didn’t expect to come out and dominate right away; I had to work after it,” Jelmini said. “But once I was up there, I just continued to work to stay up there.”
“Up there” meant having top-5 marks nationally in both events, and, after a mid-season trip to Salinas, the No. 1 mark in the discus, a spectacular 183-11 that sent her into the Central Section record books and allows her to compete in this month’s U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Ore.
“It was unreal,” Jelmini said of the big throw. “It was amazing. I was like, ‘Was that me? Did that really go that far?’”
Salinas is famous for its windy discus arena, often propelling throwers to big marks, but Jelmini is no fluke. She won the state discus crown with a throw of 169-4 (no one within eight feet) and the shot put title with a 48-3.5 (winner by more than five feet). She had a discus throw well past 180 at state, but it was a foul by inches.
“She is very athletic, she’s very responsive, she picks things up well and she’s very quickly able to adjust,” Shafter throwing coach Matt Godbehere said.
Godbehere or his wife, former Bakersfield High and UCLA great Dawn Dumble, have been coaching Jelmini since she was in grade school. After she finished fourth in the discus and seventh in the shot at last year’s state finals, he primed for a breakout junior season.
“We sat down last summer and discussed goals and how we were going to get there,” Godbehere said. “Based on that conversation, we set a schedule for training. … Numbers I wanted in the weight room that I was shooting for this time of year, she was doing it in the fall.
“From the get-go, she stayed way ahead of the curve. It was exciting.”
Now, Jelmini has bigger meets in mind than even the state. She won the discus Friday at the USA Junior Outdoor Championships in Columbus, Ohio, and will compete in the shot put today. Next is the World Junior Championships July 8-13 in Poland — and the Olympic trials.
When she’s done with that, she’ll come back to Shafter, Bakersfield and Body Xchange and continue working on a career that already has her on the short list of Kern County greats.
“It seems like those other people are on a whole different pedestal,” Jelmini said. “But it’s pretty cool that I’m up there with them.”
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Posted in Profiles, Athletes, Schools, Kern Track Results, Wasco, Shafter, North, East, Golden Valley, Liberty, Stockdale, Centennial, West, Ridgeview, Rankings, Track, Garces, Frontier, Tehachapi, Burroughs, Bakersfield at 6:37 am by Administrator
2008 All-Area boys track and field selections
The Bakersfield Californian | Friday, Jun 20 2008 8:35 PM
Last Updated: Friday, Jun 20 2008 8:53 PM
Athlete of the Year
Foothill, senior
– Area, Central Section and CIF State champion in shot put and discus
– Best marks were high throws of 203-7 in discus and 63-7.75 in shot put
– Two-time All-Area Athlete of the Year headed to Cal State Bakersfield
JOHNNY CARTER
Ridgeview, freshman
– State champion in triple jump as freshman with mark of 49-0.75
– Mark would have been a state freshman record if it hadn’t been wind-aided
– Section-winning mark of 48-3 was one inch from section freshman record
MATT DARR
Frontier, sophomore
– Finished second in the Central Section with 52-8.75 shot put throw
– Fourth in discus at section meet with 157-7
– Threw discus 180-5 in the wind in Salinas and recently had a postseason shot put mark of 55-3; both are second-best in the section
CHRIS KELLY
Ridgeview, senior
– Had season-best triple jump of 47-11 at state finals to finish third
– Also finished third at section meet with 46-10.5 jump
– Long-jump mark of 22-0.5 was sixth-best in section all year
ANTHONY MITCHELL
North, senior
– Fifth in the state in the 800 meters
– Central Section champion in 800; SWYL champion in 400 and 800
– Second-team All-Area selection last year had a top time in the 800 of 1:53.60
ISAIAH PURVIS
Liberty, junior
– Finished second in the Central Section in 200 (21.96) and 400 (49.13)
– Same time in 200 gave him 16th place in the state preliminaries
– Also ran anchor leg of Liberty’s 1,600 relay team, second in section and 13th in state
CHRIS SCHWARTZ
Foothil, junior
– Ran personal-record time of 8:58.50 in 3,200-meter state finals to finish second
– Central Section and South Area champion in 1,600 and 3,200
– Triple SEYL champion (800, 1,600 and 3,200) also was state Division I cross-country champion
TYLER THOMPSON
Shafter, senior
– Finished second in Central Section in long jump and triple jump
– State qualifier in both jumping events
– South Sequoia League champion in four events: 200, high jump, long jump and triple jump
EMANUEL TURNER
Bakersfield, junior
– Kern County’s fastest boy had times of 10.81 in the 100 and 22.05 in the 200
– Finished second in the 100 at the section meet, but focused on relays at state
– Ran legs in BHS’ 400 relay team (section champs, 14th at state) and 1,600 relay team (third in section, 17th in state)
SECOND TEAM
Isiah Griggs, Bakersfield
Daniel Lozano, Stockdale
Phillip McCullum, Garces
Eddie Morrow, East
Kevin Norwood, Golden Valley
Arturo Ramirez, Centennial
George Robbins, West
Matt Sumlin, Garces
HONORABLE MENTION
Bakersfield: Collin Ellis, Walter Hunt
Burroughs: Matt Johnson
Desert: Michael Vaughan
Golden Valley: Emmett Hodges
North: Cody Gragg
Shafter: Alex Thompson
Stockdale: Jay Garber, David Mitchell, Steve Silva
Tehachapi: John Roemer
Wasco: Robert Hernandez
Foothill’s Ragans honored as Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year
BY ZACH EWING, Californian staff writer
zewing@bakersfield.com | Friday, Jun 20 2008 10:33 PM
Last Updated: Friday, Jun 20 2008 10:52 PM
His high school state championships are behind him, but Foothill graduate Dayshan Ragans keeps throwing — and continues to amaze coach Wayne Brewer.
“I was practicing discus with him the other day,” Brewer said last week. “And he wasn’t turning his feet, just trying to throw it far.
“And his arm is just ‘WHOOOM!’ You cannot teach that, you cannot coach that. I’m standing way back, and I can feel his arm, feel the wind it makes.”
Say hello — or just stand back as he creates a nice breeze — to your Californian Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
Ragans finished his career with the Trojans by winning state titles in both the shot put and discus May 31. He was undefeated in both events this season — maxing out with a 63-7.75 shot put throw and 203-7 in the discus — and will throw for Cal State Bakersfield next year.
“It’s like everything we worked for from the beginning of the year to the end of the year,” Ragans said. “It even goes back to freshman all the way through senior year. Everything you worked for is right there. It comes down to that point — Who’s going to be a state champion?”
All of those accomplishments shine brighter when you consider that Ragans had never picked up a shot put until his freshman-year P.E. class came around to its track unit.
“(I said,) ‘All right, I’ll do track.’” Ragans said. “Went to a few track meets, then ‘OK, it’s kind of fun, I think I’ll keep doing it.’ Then a couple more meets, ‘OK, this is something I want to do.’”
Even with his career in its infancy, Ragans garnered attention at meets with his raw talent. Brewer, who was then at North High, remembers Ragans throwing the shot 50-plus feet without spinning, the favored technique by high-level throwers.
“That just tells you how remarkable of an athlete he is,” Brewer said. “You look at (other elite throwers), they’ve been throwing since they were little. Imagine if he’d been throwing that long.”
In fact, Ragans didn’t truly take the sport seriously — often skipping practices and being held out of meets — until late in his sophomore year, when he qualified for the state meet in the shot put and finished 13th.
“If I knew then what I know now,” Ragans said, “I would have never missed a day of practice.”
Imbued with Brewer’s love of the sport, Ragans has made up for it since then.
“Everything he’s done, he’s really worked hard for and he really deserves,” Brewer said. “He deserves being a state champion. He deserves setting all the records he has. He deserved getting that 3.5 GPA. Everything.
“He’s worked hard, he’s put in the extra time. We throw, we lift, we go in the weight room after practice to jump boxes. Everybody else tries to get out of there; not Dayshan. He doesn’t care. He goes and does it. Those medals he has around his neck, he deserves every single little bit of that.”
The gold medals could increase at CSUB — Ragans, the sixth of seven children in his family, is the first to attend a four-year college, and he said he refuses to waste this opportunity.
“It’s somewhere he never thought he’d be, and he wants to take full advantage of it,” Brewer said. “He’s excited to start this chapter in his life.”
One look in Ragans’ eyes will tell you that’s true. He’s become a standout (a Central Section meet record in the discus and several school records), thanks to determination, hard work and a little bit of WHOOOM! to go with it.
“People can have a love for football, basketball, baseball, anything,” Ragans said. “I just have a love for track. I don’t know where I’d be right now if it weren’t for track.”
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