Bill Sandback, who coached Crawford to four San Diego Section championships in nine seasons, was moving on, succeeding retiring Ed Sanclemente at Mesa College.

Sandback, an erstwhile hockey player from Minnesota, coached teams that posted an overall record of 164-60, a .732 winning percentage.  His 1964 squad (22-4) was declared the top team in the state by Cal-Hi Sports.

Major leaguers Bob Boone, Dave Duncan, and Eddie Herrmann played for Sandback and many others signed professional contracts.

Sandback was a year-round coach.  Including summer American Legion and winter ball his teams were 411-115, .793, according to Bill Finley of the Evening Tribune.

4/15/70

Castle Park’s Tommy Jacobs had a no-hitter through 6 1/3 innings when Chula Vista scratched out a couple hits, but Jacobs held on for a 2-1 victory.

—Vince West’s home run was one of 12 hits by Santana, which upped its Grossmont League record to 6-0 with a 7-3 win over El Cajon Valley.

–Dan Schuldies homered and added two singles, and allowed four hits in pitching Granite Hills’ 9-5 win over El Capitan.

–Rick Sanderlin went all the way in Mission Bay’s 10-inning, 5-4 win over Madison and singled in the winning run.

4/20/70

Kearny’s Mike Allen hurled a no-hitter and leftfielder Steve Oswald homered twice and drove in four runs as the Komets beat La Jolla, 8-0.

Peter McNab singled in both runs with Point Loma’s only hit in a 2-1 win over Mission Bay that kept the Pointers (8-3) a game ahead of Kearny in the Western League.

4/21/70

Borrego Springs’ John Oakes pitched a no-hitter and the Rams made the best use of seven hits five errors to shut out Rancho del Campo, 17-0.

—Hilltop scored three runs in the top of the seventh inning and then gave up four in the bottom of the seventh and bowed to Mar Vista, 5-4, compliments of Randy Huerta’s two-out, bases-loaded triple.

—Ed Bochinak’s no-hitter moved Sweetwater past Marian, which scored on walk, fielder’s choice, passed ball, and sacrifice fly.

—Dave Stay struck out 12 and allowed two hits but needed a pair of unearned runs to beat Fallbrook, 2-0.

—Dave Schuldies upped his record to 5-1 and had two hits ibn four times bat, but his average slipped to .542 in Granite Hills’ 6-0swin over El Cajon Valley.

4/22/70

Brad McRoberts’ no-hitter cuffed Grossmont, 1-0, and improved Santana to 7-0 in the Grossmont League and 16-1 overall.

4/25/70

Point Loma (10-3) led the Western League by three games with five to play after Greg Hurder’s two-hitter stymied Madison, 7-0. The Pointers are 0-4 in nonleague games.

—Oceanside won its 10^th game in a row with a nine-inning, 4-3 victory over San Dieguito, whose pitchers walked four Pirates to break a tie.

—Santana’s 13-game winning streak in the Grossmont League was broken by Granite Hills, 3-1.

Despite the loss, Santana’s three pitchers, Terry Forster, Kyle Hypes, and Brad McRoberts had a combined earned-run average of 0.81, thrown three no-hitters, struck out 160 and walked 52 in 103 innings, and teamed for a 14-2 record.

4/28/70

Mar Vista won its fourth game in a row, 5-1, at Castle Park that thrust the Mariners into a crowded top of the Metropolitan League with the host Trojans and Hilltop. Jerry Webb, an outfielder turned pitcher, allowed two hits.

“I said before the season started that we’d win it,” said Mariners coach Bob Lusky to writer Jack Williams.  “I believe it more than ever now.  Who’s the team to beat?  We are.”

—Steve Oswald and Larry Waters homered and Kearny whipped Madison, 14-4, after a seven-run third inning.

—St. Augustine’s John D’Aquisto walked eight and hit a batter but also struck out 14 in a 159-pitch, 4-0 shutout of Crawford.  The 6-foot, 2-inch, 210-pound future major leaguer gave up one hit, to Tim Blackwell, who would also make the majors.

 D’Aquisto (9-2) lowered his earned-run average to 0.66 and raised his strikeouts to 100 in 63 innings.

4/30/70

St. Augustine picked up a game on league-leading Hoover when it won an appeal and Patrick Henry forfeited a 1-0 victory over the Saints the previous week.

St. Augustine appealed because the Patriots used three players who had played in a junior varsity game the same week.  CIF boss Don Clarkson said Henry was in violation.

“The goal of athletics is to move boys up in competition,” peevishly declared Patriots coach Bob Imlay. “I think the rule was drawn to stop coaches from demoting players in midweek to bolster the junior varsity for an important game.”

5/1/70

Curt Brown’s base hit was pivotal in the seventh inning as Helix scored what was described as the upset of the year, 5-4 over No. 1 Santana (17-3).

The Highlanders entered the game with a 2-7 Grossmont League record and were 7-10 overall, sharing last place with Grossmont.

—El Capitan (10-2) kept pace, earning a tie for first with the Sultans, 8-1 over Grossmont.

—Ken Kollmeyer (10-1) pitched a three-hitter and Hoover (12-3) moved into first place in the Evening Tribune Top 10 with a 3-2 victory over San Diego.

—Point Loma (11-3) stayed ahead in the Western League with three runs in the ninth inning that overcame visiting Kearny, 4-3. The win gave the Pointers a three-game lead over Mission Bay (8-6) with four remaining.

—Lincoln scored an infrequent victory over Crawford, winning on the Colts’ diamond, 6-4.

5/5/70

Alan Grant,  5-foot, 3-inch sophomore second baseman making his first varsity start, drove in three runs with a single and double that propelled Hoover (13-3) to a 10-1 win over Morse and a tie for the Eastern League championship.

“We just got a new flag pole,” Hoover coach Jerry Bartow noted of an addition to the Cardinals’ Ted Williams Field, on campus.  “A CIF pennant would fit just about right.”

–Crawford (9-7), facing the possibility of not making the playoffs for the first time since 1963, outlasted Lincoln, 9-7, in 10 innings.

–Oceanside won its 17^th game in the last 18, 4-2 over Escondido, to lock the Avocado League championship.  The Pirates had stolen 78 bases and enjoyed a team batting average of .337.
His club “exudes so much confidence it scares me,” said head coach Herb Meyer.

5/8/70

Kyle Hypes improved his record to 8-0 and pitched Santana to a 7-0 win over El Capitan that clinched the Grossmont League championship.

Younger brother Jim Hypes hit a 400-foot drive to leftfield that, according to Bill Finley of the Evening Tribune “rolled halfway to Lakeside,” for a first-inning home run.

—Stan Cordova, coming back from a month-long shoulder injury, upped his record to 7-0 with a strong relief performance as Hoover (14-3) clinched the Eastern League title, 6-5, over Crawford.  Cardinals first baseman Randy Fleetwood drove in three runs and had three hits.

5/12/70

Point Loma, 12-5 and two games ahead of Madison and Kearny, claimed the Western League championship with a 3-0 win over Mission Bay, but coach Dick Huddleston couldn’t be blamed if he looked uncertainly at the upcoming playoffs. The Pointers were 0-4 in nonleague games.

—Helix needed four hours, 45 minutes, and 17 innings but finally got past Grossmont, 5-4.

5/15/70

There was no rest for Helix.  The Highlanders’ marathon continued for four hours, 10 minutes more, before the Scots beat Monte Vista, 2-1.

–“I think we’re ready to play some baseball,” said St. Augustine coach Bill Whittaker.  “I’m not saying we’re the team to beat…but I like our chances next week.”

Whittaker was optimistic after the Saints’ John D’Aquisto stopped Eastern League champion Hoover on two hits, 3-2, at Beeson Field on the Marines Corps Recruit Depot.

D’Aquisto struck out 10 although he walked across two runs with five walks in the fourth inning. Rod Spence and Ron Redondo made best use of the Saints’ four hits by driving in all three runs.

—Santana clinched the Grossmont League championship, 4-3, over last-place Grossmont and the Sultans’ Kyle Hypes (9-0), who came on in relief in the third inning, when the Sultans trailed, 3-1, got the victory.

—The Evening Tribune final Top 10, in concert with the end of the regular season, selected Santana No. 1, followed by 2, Hoover; 3, Oceanside; 4, St. Augustine; 5, Kearny; 6, Point Loma; 7, Castle Park; 8, Escondido; 9, El Capitan, and 10, Granite Hills.

STANDINGS

EASTERN LEAGUE

TEAM	W	L	Pct.	GB	OVERALL
Hoover	14	4	.778	—	19-5, .792
St. Augustine	12	6	.667	2	14-7, .667
Crawford	10	8	.556	4	11-10, .524
San Diego	10	8	.556	4	10-11, .476
Lincoln	7	11	.389	7	8-13, .381
Patrick Henry	6	12	.333	8	8-14, .364
Morse	4	14	.222	10	7-16, .304

WESTERN LEAGUE

TEAM	W	L	Pct.	GB	OVERALL
Point Loma	12	6	.667	—	12-10, 522
Kearny	11	7	.611	1	16-8, .667
Madison	10	8	.556	2	15-9, .625
Clairemont	10	8	.556	2	13-10, .565
Mission Bay	9	9	.500	3	10-12, .455
University	7	11	.389	5	8-14,.364
La Jolla	4	14	.222	8	5-17, .222

GROSSMONT LEAGUE

TEAM	WON	LOST	Pct.	GB	OVERALL
Santana	12	2	.857	—	21-3, .875
El Capitan	10	4	.714	1/2	14-10, .583
Granite Hills	8	6	.571	4	13-8, .619
El Cajon Valley	7	7	.500	5	10-13, .435
Helix	6	8	.429	6	11-11, .500
Mount Miguel	6	8	.429	6	9-12, .429
Monte Vista	5	9	.357	7	11-13, .458
Grossmont	3	11	.214	9	5-15, .250

METROPOLITAN LEAGUE

TEAM	WON	LOST	Pct.	GB	OVERALL
Castle Park	11	3	.786	—	15-9, .625
Mar Vista	9	5	.645	2	15-8, .652
Hilltop	8	6	.571	3	13-10, .565
Sweetwater	8	6	.571	3	11-10, .524
Chula Vista	8	6	.571	3	9-12, .429
Bonita Vista	6	8	.429	5	8-14, .364
Marian	3	11	.214	8	6-15, .286
Coronado	2	12	.157	9	4-16, .200

AVOCADO LEAGUE

TEAM	WON	LOST	Pct.	GB	OVERALL
Oceanside	16	0	1,000	—	21-3, 875
Escondido	12	4	.750	4	17-6, .739
Carlsbad	10	6	.625	6	13-9, .591
San Marcos	8	8	.500	8	9-13, .409
Orange Glen	7	7	.500	6	10-9, .526
Poway	7	9	.438	9	10-12, .455
San Dieguito	7	9	.438	9	9-11, .450
Orange Glen	6	10	.375	10	8-14, .364
Vista	5	11	.313	11	6-15, .286
Fallbrook	1	15	.062	15	3-19, .136

5/19/70

SAN DIEGO SECTION 2A PLAYOFFS

FIRST ROUND

Granite Hills (13-9) 0, @Hoover 6.

Ken Kollmeyer pitched the first no-hitter in section playoff history as Hoover struck out nine while allowing the Eagles to hit one ball out of the infield.

Kollmeyer walked two in the seventh inning.  “I just wanted them to hit the ball on the ground,” said Kollmeyer (11-1).  “I got in too big a hurry; when I slowed down my control came back.”

First baseman Randy Fleetwood was 2 for 3 for the Cardinals and raised his average to .375, the product of a 25-for-48 streak and .510 average since April.

Crawford (11-11), 5, @Oceanside 6.

Crawford, champion four times since 1962 and a playoff finalist in six of the last seven seasons, took a 40-mile bus ride to defeat and an end to its season.

George McGraw’s three-run homerun gave the Colts the lead in the first inning, but Oceanside rallied for its 15^th consecutive victory.

Escondido and Carlsbad made the Avocado League a surprising 3-0 in first-round games.

Sweetwater (11-11) 1, @Escondido 6.

Carlsbad 7, @Point Loma (12-11) 4.

Clairemont (13-11) 0, @Santana 10.

Santana ousted the Chieftains as Terry Forster pitched five innings, before giving way to Brad McRoberts, and hit a two-run homer.

Kearny  (16-9), 4, @El Capitan 7.

San Diego 5, @ Castle Park (15-10), 0.

Mar Vista 10, @St. Augustine (14-8) 7. 

John D’Aguisto of the Saints walked eight batters in the first inning and two-thirds and the Mariners jumped to a 6-0 lead.

5/20/70

QUARTERFINALS

Hoover 5, Escondido (18-7) 4, @Grossmont College.

Randy Fleetwood’s double, which caromed off the right centerfield fence in the sixth inning, drove in the winning run. “He thinks he can hit anybody,” said Cardinals coach Jerry Bartow.  “He thinks that when they get him out it’s a mistake.”

Stan Cordova (8-0) went the distance for Hoover and allowed four hits.

San Diego 11, @El Capitan (15-11) 0.

Mark Merdes hit his second home run of the week and Charlie Burks added three hits as San Diego whitewashed the Vaqueros.

Mar Vista 4, @Carlsbad (14-10) 0.

Ray Huerta hurled a one-hitter and Mar Vista scored a run in the sixth inning and three in the seventh.

Santana 3, @Oceanside (22-4) 0.

5/21/70

1-A CHAMPIONSHIP

San Diego Military (13-5), defeated Ramona (20-4) 6-5, in eight innings at Palomar College despite home runs by the Bulldogs’ Taylor Reiss and Tom Eberwein.  Pitcher Loren Russell went the distance for the Falcons and scattered six hits.

—Escondido protested its loss to Hoover, citing a “national amateur” rule that limits the number of “official conferences a coach and members of his team (i.e., visits to the mound) must be limited to three a game.

CIF boss Don Clarkson said most San Diego coaches were aware of the rule but have a gentleman’s agreement not to enforce it.  Escondido bosses claimed that North County coaches adhere to the rule.

5/22/70

CIF bosses agreed that Escondido had a valid protest and cited the game’s umpires for negligence but declared the game official with Hoover moving on.

SEMIFINALS

Hoover 6, San Diego (12-12) 1, @Beeson Field.

Hoover earned a fourth consecutive trip and sixth in 10 seasons to the finals on Beeson Field at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot.

The Cardinals, 17-2 in the playoffs since 1961, collected nine hits and played errorless ball behind Ken Kollmeyer, who struggled after sustaining a painful hip pointer in his no-hit performance against Granite Hills three days before.

Kollmeyer “was virtually underhanding” pitches in the last three innings, wrote Bill Finley of the Evening Tribune,” but Kollmeyer kept the Cavers in check and allowed only five singles.

“By the fifth (inning) it was killing me,” said Kollmeyer (12-1), who was aided by Jim Morstad’s two-run double in the third inning and a sixth-inning home run by Ray Garcia.

Santana 1, Mar Vista (17-9) 0, @Mesa College.

Santana’s Brad McRoberts gave up one hit, a first-inning single to shortstop Gene Alim.

Mar Vista starter Jerry Webb was reached for three hits and the Sultans’ Terry Forster scored the game’s only run from second base on a wild pickoff throw in the fourth inning.

“After I got through their lineup for the first time I felt confident.  I got stronger and started to get the feel of the game,” McRoberts told Jack Williams of the Evening Tribune.

5/23/70

CHAMPIONSHIP

Santana (25-3) 8, Hoover (22-6) 4, @Beeson Field, MCRD.

Terry Forster pitched the Sultans to an 8-1 lead through six innings and then gave way to Kyle Hypes (10-0).

Hoover erupted for five hits and three runs and had the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate, but Randy Fleetwood struck out, ending the game.

The Cardinals scored first in the fourth inning when Dale Rowland singled and came all the way around when Forster fielded Roy Fields’ bunt and threw the ball to the centerfield wall.

Two singles and a pair of Hoover errors led to three runs for Santana in the bottom of the fourth.

Six hits and two Hoover errors in the fifth led to five more runs.  John Marlow, who singled in two runs in the fourth, doubled in two more in the fifth to lead the Sultans’ offense.

Santana’s 25-3 record was the best in San Diego Section history and completed a trifecta.  The Sultans won the Lions Tournament Limited division and the Grossmont League championship.

San Diego Section boys and girls accounted for 19 Top 5 performances in California, according to Athletic.net; 34 Top 10, and 87  top 25 in the season which ended last weekend at the 103rd State Championships before a two-day total of 14,134 persons at Clovis Buchanan High.

The season belonged to the females.  They were responsible for 13 performances that ranked as top five, 22 of top 10, and 47 of  top 25.

Del Norte’s 4×800 relay team ran a state-leading 8:55.99, setting a meet record in the new event, and posted the fourth fastest time in the country this season.

Emily Russo (2:17.2), and Ella Echnsner (2:15.3) ran competitive first two legs for the Nighthawks.  Hannah Riggins blew the race open with a 2:07.3 carry that put the 4S school ahead by 30 yards. Paige Echnsner, not long after competing in the pole vault, closed with a 2:16.5 anchor.

The boys turned in 6 top 5 efforts, 12 top 10, and 40 top 25.

GIRLS BEST MARKS

EVENT	NAME, SCHOOL	MARK/STATE RANK	STATE
100	Amirah Shaheed, Madison	:11.58, 6th	Redmond, L.A. Carson, :11.45
200	Payton Smith, La Jolla	:23.78, 6th	:23.36w, Neal, Gardena Serra
	Shaheed	24:06w, 17th
400	Smith	:53.86, 4th	:52.71, Luckey, L.B. Wilson
	Nicoletta Burkhardt, Steele Canyon	:55.13, 12th
	Makenna Herbst, Carlsbad	:55.37, 14th
800	Hannah Riggins, Del Norte	2:06.69, 2nd	2:03.7, Browne, Riverside North
	Tessa Buswell, Poway	2:08.30, 4th
	Dominika Janik, Torrey Pines	2:10.74, 15th
	Kaitlyn Arciaga, Westview	2:10.89, 16th
	Makenna Herbst	2:11.37 18th
	Sophia Biesinger, La Costa Canyon	2:12.27, 22nd
	Paige Echsner, Del Norte	2:12.36, 23rd
1600	Riggins	4:41.42, 3rd	4:33.45, Engelhardt, Ventura
	Chiara Dailey, La Jolla	4:42.69, 5th
	Gioana Lopizzo, La Costa Canyon	4:45.94, 10th
	Jaelyn Williams, Eastlake	4:46.26, 11th
	Tessa Buswell, Poway	4:48.76, 17th
3200	Lopizzo	9:59.08, 4th	9:51.49, Engelhardt
	Williams	10:11.01,  6th
	Dailey	10:24.48, 10th
100 Hurdles	Anisa Bowen-Fontenot, San Diego	:13.89w, 5th	:13.53w, Harris, Stockton Lincoln
	Kapiolani Coleman, Cathedral	:14.27w, 12th
300 Hurdles	Bowen-Fontenot	:41.88, 2nd	:41.57, Edwards, L.B. Wilson
	Karina Janik, Torrey Pines	:42.19, 5th
	Coleman	:42.58, 7th
	Morgan Herbst, Carlsbad	:43.48, 17th
4 x 100 Relay	Steele Canyon	:47.48, 17th	:45.28, L.A. Carson
4 x 400 Relay	Carlsbad	3:53.00, 16th	3:41.08, Culver City
	Del Norte	3:55.37, 24th
4 x 800 Relay	Del Norte	8:55.99, 1st	8:59.12, Clovis Buchanan
	Sage Creek	9:19.56, 14th
	Cathedral	9:27.30, 22nd
High Jump	Lizzie Tarczy, Scripps Ranch	5-9, 4th	5-10 ½, Humphries, Castaic
	Breeze Czapinsky, Poway	5-7 ½, 8th
Long Jump	Taylore Hoagland, Rancho Bernardo	18-6 3/4, 22nd	20-8, McKenzie, Perris Orange Vista
Triple Jump	Jenna Fields, Santana	37-8 1/4 25th	40-8 ¾, Humphries
Shot Put	Gabriella Colon Gipson, Otay Ranch	39-11, unranked	46-10, Johnson Sherman Oaks Notre Dame
Discus	Elisabeth Driscoll, Canyon Crest	144-8, 9th	167-8, Fields, Caruthers
	Mairead Frankel, Sage Creek	142-4, 13th
	Brenna Williams, Cathedral	136-8, 19th
Pole Vault	Ilyana Downing, La Costa Canyon	14-0, 2nd	14-1 ¼,Muhammad, San Jose Track club
	Avery Hilliard, Poway	13-3, 5th
	Evangeline Thomson, Poway	13-1, 6th, tie
	Paige Echsner, Del Norte	12-9, 8th, tie
	Kelly Vander Pol, Maranatha	12-7, 13th, tie
	Lilia Montiel, Rancho Bernardo	12-6, 15th, tie
	Jessica Condliff, Canyon Crest	12-3, 17th, tie
	Cassandra Cinzori, San Dieguito	12-2, 25th

BOYS BEST MARKS

EVENT	NAME, SCHOOL	MARK/STATE RANK	STATE
100	Jason Wells, La Costa Canyon	:10.49, 19th	:10.09w, Pleasant, Gardena Serra
	Brandon Arrington, Helix	:10.58w, 24th
200	Adren Parker, Helix	:21.26, 13th	:20.53, Pleasant
	Arrington	:21.29w, 15th
400	Parker	:46.48, 3rd	:45.77, Stanley, Granada Hills
	David Slaughter, Mt. Carmel	:48.14, 15th
800	Manuel Correia, Point Loma	1:51.44, 7th	1:49.07, Sahlman, Newbury Park
	Ryan Thomas, Torrey Pines	1:52.04, 12th
1600	Thomas	4:07.90, 4th	Sahlman, 3:58.96
	Correia	4:09.83, 11th
	Micah Sanchez, Liberty Charter	4:11.64, 25th
3200	Sanchez	8:58.26, 16th	Parra, Long Beach Millikan, 8:46.50
110 Hurdles	Shon Martin, Helix	:14.24w, 12th, tie	:13.83, Davis-Lyric, Upland
300 Hurdles	Vincent Atilano, Cathedral	:37.73, 5th	37.39, Mendoza, Rancho Santa Margarita
	Martin	:38.18, 14th
	Danny Tragarz, Del Norte	:38.28, 16th
4×100 Relay	University City	:42.03, unranked	:40.28, Granada Hills
4×1600 Relay	Mt. Carmel	3:18.64, 11th	3:13.86, L.B. Poly
	Cathedral	3:20.83, 18th
	Helix	3:21.17, 22nd
4×800 Relay	Del Norte	8:03.0, unranked	7:38.59, San Clemente
High Jump	Brandon Cheeks II, Mission Bay	6-6, 10th, tie	6-9, Gorski, Santa Ana Mater Dei
	John Chang, Rancho Bernardo	6-6
Long Jump	Cheeks II	23-8 ½, 7th	24-9, Dedmon, Lake Isabella Kern Valley
	Nicola Redon, San Diego	23-7, 8th
	AJ Cornthwaite, Valhalla	23-4 ¾, 11th
	Elton Hurd, El Camino	23-0, 23rd,  tie
	Marcus Harris, Vista	23-0
Triple Jump	Cheeks II	46-11¼, 10th	48-8 ¾, Carr, South Bakersfield
	Justin Reichenberg, Mission Bay	46-6, 13th
	Harris	46-4 ½, 14th
Shot Put	Tyler Knowles, Rancho Buena Vista	59-9, 6th	65-10, See, San Juan Capistrano JSerra
	Trey Vergenz, Mission Hills	56-3, 18th
Discus	Knowles	185-5, 5th	199-9, See
	Vergenz	166-7/25th
Pole Vault	Jacob Emerson, Sage Creek	16-1/4 4th	17-1, Green, Clovis Buchanan
	Joey Weisman, Torrey Pines	16-0, 5th, tie
	Kai Anderson, University City	15-6, 10th, tie
	Tristan Sotelo, Grossmont	15-0, 15th tie
	Christian Saia, Mt. Carmel	14-9, 21st, tie
	Kamren Boyles, San Marcos	14-9
	Jordan Kondo, Vista	14-9

Marks current as of May 27, 2023.

@CLOVIS BUCHANAN HIGH

San Diego Section athletes scored two first places in the waning hours of the two-day, 103rd state track meet at Clovis Buchanan High over the weekend. The Section had no gold medals in 2022 and the meet was canceled in 2020 and ’21.

The results, although not as impressive as the record seven gold medals in 2019, still was a strong conclusion to another good run by the boys and girls, especially the latter.

The Del Norte girls raced to the fourth fastest time in the country this season, 8:55.94 in the 4×800 relay, and Iliana Downing of La Costa Canyon won the pole vault at 13 feet, 5 inches.

The 4×800 is a new event and represented the first new competition since 1995, when the girls’ pole vault, which Section athletes have won six times, was introduced.

PARKER OUT

Helix’ Adren Parker, a strong contender for a 400-meter championship, scratched in the trials Friday after “feeling something”,  uncomfortable in  his leg as he ran a leg on the Highlanders’ 400-meter relay, according to the report given Steve Brand of The San Diego Union.

Parker’s withdrawal marked a sad end to his prep career for the brilliant runner, whose :46.48 in the 400 was third best in the state this season.

Winners and San Diego Section finishes:

BOYS

4×100 RELAY—L.A. Granada Hills, :40.39.

1600—Dybdahl (Santa Barbara), 4:08.64. 2—Thomas (Torrey Pines), 4:08.82.

110HH—(wind, 1.0) Davis-Lyric, Upland, :13.83.

400—Stanley (L.A. Granada Hills), :45.77.

100—(wind 2.0), Pleasant (Gardena Serra), :10.20.  Betters state meet record of :10.30, by Riley Washington (Montgomery), 1992; Kenon Christon (Madison), 2019.

800—Lighthall (Hughson), 1:52.05.

300IH—Stevens (L.B. Jordan), :37.44.  4—Atilano (Cathedral), :37.73. 5—Tragarz (Del Norte), :38.41. Martin (Helix), DQ, impeded another runner.

200—(Wind, 1.6) Pleasant (Gardena Serra), :20.67.

4×800 RELAY— San Clemente, 7:38.59.  15–Helix, 8:11.76. 17—Del Norte, 8:12.67.

3200—Donis (Highland), 8:51.37.  5—Sanchez (Liberty Charter), 8:58.26.  Section No. 8 all-time. 13—Bell (Mt. Carmel), 9:06.91.

4×400 RELAY— L.B. Poly, 3:12.98. 8—Mt. Carmel, 3:19.80.

HJ—Stafford  (San Juan Capistrano JSerra) 6-7.  10—Cheeks (Mission Bay), 6-4.

LJ—Udeh (Concord De La Salle), 23-9 ¾. (Wind, 2.4).  3—Cornthwaite (Valhalla), 23-4 ¾. (Wind, 0.1)

TJ—(Wind, 1.0) Bolanos (Redlands East Valley), 47-8 ½. 8—Goodson (Oceanside), 45-6.

SP—See (San Juan Capistrano JSerra), 62-9 ½. 5—Knowles (Rancho Buena Vista), 59-7 ¼.  12—Vergenz  (Mission Hills), 48-1/2.

DISCUS—See (San Juan Capistrano JSerra), 196-04.

PV—Green (Clovis Buchanan), 16-6.  4—Emerson (Sage Creek), 15-6. 5—Anderson (University City), 15-6.  6—Weisman (Torrey Pines), 15-6.

GIRLS

4×100 RELAY—L.A. Carson, :45.61.  9—Steele Canyon, :47.77

1600– Engelhardt (Ventura), 4:33.45. 3—Riggins (Del Norte), 4:41.42. Section No. 1 all-time.  Billmeyer (Torrey Pines), 4:41.71, 2011. 11–Dailey (La Jolla), 4:52.81.

100H—(wind 2.01), Fields (Stockton St. Mary’s), :13.79.  4—Bowen-Fontenot (San Diego), :13.89.  Section No. 4 all-time.

400— Luckey (L.B. Wilson), 53.26.  3—Smith (La Jolla), :53.86.  Section No. 3 all-time. 7—Burkhardt (Steele Canyon), 55.91.  9—Makenna Herbst (Carlsbad), :56.35

100—(Wind, 1.6) Clayton (Westlake Village Oaks Christian), :11.46. 5—Shaheed (Madison), :11.73.

800—Engelhardt (Ventura), 2:07.22. 3—Buswell (Poway), 2:08.30.  10—D. Janik (Torrey Pines), 2:12.18.

300H—Edwards (L.B. Wilson), :41.57. 2—Bowen-Fontenot (San Diego), :41.88.  Section No. 3 all-time.

200—(wind, 1.3) Trepagnier (Culver City), :23.62. 3—Smith (La Jolla), :23.78.  Section No. 6 all-time.

4×800 RELAY— Del Norte, 8:55.99, No. 4 in U.S., 2023. San Diego Section and state meet record in new event. 13—Sage Creek, 9:29.55.

3200—Blade (Corona Santiago), 10:02.19.  3—Lopizzo (La Costa Canyon), 10:08.31.  4—Williams (Eastlake), 10:11,01. Section No. 2 all-time.  19—Martin (Cathedral), 11:04.82.

4×400 RELAY—Culver City, 3:41.8. 8—Carlsbad, 3:53.45.

HJ—Ashanti (Rocklin Whitney), 5-10. 3—Tarczy (Scripps Ranch), 5-9.

LJ—Vanek (Clovis), 20-7 ¾. (Wind, 1.2).  11—Fields (Santana), 17-3/4.

TJ—Williams (Wildomar Elsinore), 20-7 1/4,  11—Fields (Santana), 17-3/4.

SP—Johnson (Sherman Oaks Notre Dame), 44-3/4.

DISCUS—Fields (Caruthers), 167-06.  6—Driscoll (Canyon Crest), 144-8.

PV—Downing (La Costa Canyon), 13-5.  3—Thomson (Poway), 13-1. 4—Hilliard (Poway), 12-9.  6–Echsner (Del Norte), 12-5.

More than 60 athletes from the San Diego Section will leave a cloudy, drizzly May gray  for very warm Clovis and the 103^rd state track meet Friday and Saturday.

First three finishers plus others who finished from fourth and beyond in their events and who met the state meet standard in last week’s Section finals earned the 350-mile trip to the Fresno suburb’s Buchanan High, host for the championships since 2009.

The list below shows where San Diego athletes rank in the state’s top 25, according to Athletic.net.  Most (bold type), and a few not on the list, qualified for Clovis,  although there will be usual scratches, especially in races from the 800 to the 3200.

The two-day meet is a grind and will be longer and more demanding for those with leather lungs and in multiple races. An added distance challenge will be the inaugural and point-scoring 4×800-meter relay.

Some athletes will come up short and some will stunningly “come out of the weeds” in this competitive, pressure-packed carnival of speed,  jumps, throws, and vaults that is often fraught with unexpected peril.

My first state meet was a morning-afternoon event at Edwards Field in Berkeley in 1957 when I was a student correspondent for the Lincoln High Buzz and the Scholastic Sports Association of the Los Angeles Examiner.

The state meet went to two days in 1963 and is, in my opinion, one of the greatest sports events in America.

The San Diego Section has no defending champion in boys or girls this year. Charlize James of San Diego won the 100 hurdles and Kapiolani Coleman of Cathedral won the 300 hurdles in 2022.  James has graduated and Coleman had to withdraw with an injury before the 2023 section prelims.

GIRLS

EVENT	NAME, SCHOOL	MARK/STATE RANK	STATE
100	Shaheed, Madison	:11.58, 4th	Redmond, L.A. Carson, :11.45
	Shaheed	24:06w, 9th	:23.36w, Neal, Gardena Serra
200	Smith, La Jolla	:24.08w, 10th
400	Smith	:54.12, 4th	:52.71, Luckey, L.B. Wilson
	Burkhardt, Steele Canyon	:55.13, 12th
800	Riggins, Del Norte	2:06.69, 2nd	2:03.7, Browne, Riverside North
	Buswell, Poway	2:08.30, 4th
	D. Janik, Torrey Pines	2:10.74, 14th
	Arciaga, Westview	2:10.89, 16th
	Makenna Herbst	2:11.37 17th
	Biesinger, La Costa Canyon	2:12.27, 21st
	Echsner, Del Norte	2:12.36, 22nd
1600	Dailey, La Jolla	4:42.69, 3rd	4:34.50, Engelhardt, Ventura
	Lopizzo, La Costa Canyon	4:45.94, 5th
	Williams, Eastlake	4:46.26, 7th
	Riggins	4:46.35, 9th
	Buswell, Poway	4:48.76, 13th
3200	Lopizzo	9:59.08, 4th	9:51.49, Engelhardt
	Williams	10:12.76, 5th
	Dailey	10:24.48, 8th
100 Hurdles	Bowen-Fontenot, San Diego	:13.92, 5th	:13.53w, Harris, Stockton Lincoln
	Coleman, Cathedral	:14.27w, 12th
300 Hurdles	Bowen-Fontenot	:42.12, 2nd	:42.02, Harris; Hall, Sacramento Christian Brothers
	K. Janik	:42.19, 4th
	Coleman	:42.58, 6th
	Morgan Herbst, Carlsbad	:43.48, 13th
4 x 100 Relay	Steele Canyon	:47.58, 21st	:45.28, L.A. Carson
4 x 400 Relay	Carlsbad	3:53.86, 17th	3:41.40, Culver City
	Del Norte	3:55.65, 22nd
4 x 800 Relay	Del Norte	9:00.77, 2nd	8:59.12, Clovis Buchanan
	Sage Creek	9:19.56, 13th
	Cathedral	9:27.30, 21st
High Jump	Tarczy, Scripps Ranch	5-9, 2nd, tie	5-10 ½, Humphries, Castaic
	Czapinsky, Poway	5-7 ½, 8th
Long Jump	Hoagland, Rancho Bernardo	18-6 3/4, unranked	20-8, McKenzie, Perris Orange Vista
Triple Jump	Vaughn, Steele Canyon	37-7 ¾, unranked	40-8 ¾, Humphries
Shot Put	Gipson, Otay Ranch	39-11, unranked	46-10, Johnson Sherman Oaks Notre Dame
Discus	Driscoll, Canyon Crest	139-2, 14th	162-8, Fontenette, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame
	Frankel, Sage Creek	135-2, 18th
	Williams, Cathedral	134-6, 19th
Pole Vault	Downing, La Costa Canyon	14-0, 2nd	14-1 ¼,Muhammad, San Jose Track club
	Hilliard, Poway	13-3, 5th
	Echsner, Del Norte	12-9, 7th, tie
	Vander Pol, Maranatha	12-7, 12th
	Montiel, Rancho Bernardo	12-6, 14th, tie
	Thomson, Poway	12-3, 16th, tie
	Condiff, Canyon Crest	12-3
	Cinzori, San Dieguito	12-2, 22nd, tie

BOYS

EVENT	NAME, SCHOOL	MARK/STATE RANK	STATE
100	Wells, La Costa Canyon	:10.49, 16th	:10.09w, Pleasant, Gardena Serra
	Arrington, Helix	:10.58w, 21st, tie
200	Adren Parker, Helix	:21.26, 13th	:20.53, Pleasant
	Arrington	:21.29w, 14th
400	Parker	:46.48, 2nd	:45.92, Stanley, Granada Hills
	Slaughter, Mt. Carmel	:48.14, 14th
	McCoy, Hilltop	:48.52, 24th
800	Correia, Point Loma	1:51.44, 7th	1:49.07, Sahlman, Newbury Park
	Thomas, Torrey Pines	1:52.04, 12th
	Cordero, Olympian	1:53.43, 19th, tie
1600	Thomas	4:07.90, 4th	Sahlman, 3:58.96
	Correia	4:09.83, 11th
	Sanchez, Liberty Charter	4:11.64,25th
3200	Sanchez	9:06.53, unranked	Parra, Long Beach Millikan, 8:46.50
110 Hurdles	Martin, Helix	:14.24w, 12th, tie	:13.85, Davis-Lyric, Upland
300 Hurdles	Atilano, Cathedral	:37.94, 8th	37.39, Mendoza, Rancho Santa Margarita
	Martin, Helix	:38.55, 20th
	Tragarz, Del Norte	:38.79, 23rd,  tie
	Dorsey, Olympian	:39.02, 24rh
4×100 Relay	University City	:42.03, unranked	:40.28, Granada Hills
4×1600 Relay	Mt. Carmel	3:19.82, 12th	3:13.86, L.B. Poly
	Cathedral	3:20.89, 17th
	Helix	3:21.17, 21st
4×800 Relay	Del Norte	8:03.0, unranked	7:43.84, Clovis Buchanan
High Jump	Cheeks II, Mission Bay	6-6, 10th, tie	6-9, Gorski, Santa Ana Mater Dei
	Chang, Rancho Bernardo	6-6
Long Jump	Cheeks II	23-8 ½, 7th	24-9, Dedmon, Lake Isabella Kern Valley
tie	Redon, San Diego	23-7/8th
	Cornthwaite, Valhalla	23-2 ¼, 14th, tie
	Hurd, El Camino	23-0, 22nd,  tie
	Harris, Vista	23-0
Triple Jump	Cheeks, II	46-11¼, 10th	48-0, Fong, Stockton Lincoln
	Reichenberg, Mission Bay	46-6, 13th
	Harris	46-4 ½, 14th
	Goodson, Oceanside	45-8 ½, 24th, tie
Shot Put	Knowles, Rancho Buena Vista	59-8, 9th	65-10, See, San Juan Capistrano JSerra
	Vergenz, Mission Hills	56-3, 21st
Discus	Knowles	185-5, 3rd	197-8, See
	Vergenz, Mission Hills	166-7/22nd
Pole Vault	Emerson, Sage Creek	16-0 ¼-4th	17-1, Green, Clovis Buchanan
	Weisman, Torrey Pines	16-0, 5th, tie
	Anderson, University City	15-6, 10th, tie
	Sotelo, Grossmont	15-0, 15th tie
	Saia, Mt. Carmel	14-9, 21st, tie
	Boyles, San Marcos	14-9
	Kondo, Vista	14-9

Current as of May 20, 2023

EVENT	NAME, SCHOOL	MARK/STATE RANK	STATE
100	Shaheed, Madison	:11.58, 4th	Redmond, L.A. Carson, :11.45
	Shaheed	24:06w, 9th	:23.36w, Neal, Gardena Serra
200	Smith, La Jolla	:24.08w, 10th
400	Smith	:54.12, 4th	:52.71, Luckey, L.B. Wilson
	Burkhardt, Steele Canyon	:55.13, 12th
800	Riggins, Del Norte	2:06.69, 2nd	2:03.7, Browne, Riverside North
	Buswell, Poway	2:08.30, 4th
	D. Janik, Torrey Pines	2:10.74, 14th
	Arciaga, Westview	2:10.89, 16th
	Makenna Herbst	2:11.37 17th
	Biesinger, La Costa Canyon	2:12.27, 21st
	Echsner, Del Norte	2:12.36, 22nd
1600	Dailey, La Jolla	4:42.62, 3rd	4:34.50, Engelhardt, Ventura
	Lopizzo, La Costa Canyon	4:45.94, 5th
	Williams, Eastlake	4:46.26, 7th
	Riggins,	4:46.35, 9th
	Buswell, Poway	4:48.76, 13th
3200	Lopizzo	9:59.08, 4th	9:51.49, Engelhardt
	Williams	10:12.76, 5th
	Dailey	10:24.48, 8th
110 Hurdles	Bowen-Fontenot, San Diego	:13.92, 5th	:13.53w, Harris, Stockton Lincoln
	Coleman, Cathedral	:14.27w, 12th
300 Hurdles	Bowen-Fontenot	:42.12, 2nd	:42.02, Harris; Hall, Sacramento Christian Brothers
	K. Janik, Torrey Pines	:42.19, 4th
	Coleman	:42.58, 6th
	Morgan Herbst, Carlsbad	:43.48, 13th
4 x 100 Relay	Steele Canyon	:47.58, 21st	:45.28, L.A. Carson
4 x 400 Relay	Carlsbad	3:53.86, 17th	3:41.40, Culver City
	Del Norte	3:55.65, 22nd
4 x 800 Relay	Del Norte	9:00.77, 2nd	8:59.12, Clovis Buchanan
	Sage Creek	9:19.56, 13th
	Cathedral	9:27.30, 21st
High Jump	Tarczy, Scripps Ranch	5-9, 2nd, tie	5-10 ½, Humphries, Castaic
	Czapinsky, Poway	5-7 ½, 8th
Long Jump	Hoagland, Rancho Bernardo	18-6 3/4, unranked	20-8, McKenzie, Perris Orange Vista
Triple Jump	Vaughn, Steele Canyon	37-7 ¾, unranked	40-8 ¾, Humphries
Shot Put	Gipson, Otay Ranch	39-11, unranked	46-10, Johnson Sherman Oaks Notre Dame
Discus	Driscoll, Canyon Crest	139-2, 14th	162-8, Fontenette, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame
	Frankel, Sage Creek	135-2, 18th
	Williams, Cathedral	134-6, 19th
Pole Vault	Downing, La Costa Canyon	14-0, 2nd	14-1 ¼,Muhammad, San Jose Track club
	Hilliard, Poway	13-3, 5th
	Echsner, Del Norte	12-9, 7th, tie
	Vander Pol, Maranatha	12-7, 12th
	Montiel, Rancho Bernardo	12-6, 14th, tie
	Thomson, Poway	12-3, 16th, tie
	Condiff, Canyon Crest	12-3
	Cinzori, San Dieguito	12-2, 22nd, tie

 

Current as of May 20, 2023

Current as of May 20, 2023

EVENT	NAME, SCHOOL	MARK/STATE RANK	STATE
100	Wells, La Costa Canyon	:10.49, 16th	:10.09w, Pleasant, Gardena Serra
	Arrington, Helix	:10.58w, 21st, tie
220	Parker, Helix	:21.26, 13th	:20.53, Pleasant
	Arrington	:21.29w, 14th
400	Parker	:46.48, 2nd	:45.92, Stanley, Granada Hills
	Slaughter, Mt. Carmel	:48.14, 14th
	McCoy, Hilltop	:48.52, 24th
800	Correia, Point Loma	1:51.44, 7th	1:49.07, Sahlman, Newbury Park
	Thomas, Torrey Pines	1:52.04, 12th
	Cordero, Olympian	1:53.43, 19th, tie
1600	Thomas	4:07.90, 4th	Sahlman, 3:58.96
	Correia	4:09.83, 11th
	Sanchez, Liberty Charter	4:11.64,25th
3200	Sanchez, Liberty Charter	9:06.53, unranked	Parra, Long Beach Millikan, 8:46.50
110 Hurdles	Martin, Helix	:14.24w, 12th, tie	:13.85, Davis-Lyric, Upland
300 Hurdles	Atilano, Cathedral	:37.94, 8th	37.39, Mendoza, Rancho Santa Margarita
	Martin, Helix	:38.55, 20th
	Tragarz, Del Norte	:38.79, 23rd,  tie
	Dorsey, Olympian	:39.02, 24rh
4×100 Relay	University City	:42.03, unranked	:40.28, Granada Hills
4×1600 Relay	Mt. Carmel	3:19.82, 12th	3:13.86, L.B. Poly
	Cathedral	3:20.89, 17th
	Helix	3:21.17, 21st
4×800 Relay	Del Norte	8:03.0, unranked	7:43.84, Clovis Buchanan
High Jump	Cheeks II, Mission Bay	6-6, 10th, tie	6-9, Gorski, Santa Ana Mater Dei
	Chang, Rancho Bernardo	6-6
Long Jump	Cheeks II	23-8 ½, 7th	24-9, Dedmon, Lake Isabella Kern Valley
tie	Redon, San Diego	23-7/8th
	Cornthwaite, Valhalla	23-2 ¼, 14th, tie
	Hurd, El Camino	23-0, 22nd,  tie
	Harris, Vista	23-0
Triple Jump	Cheeks, II	46-11¼, 10th	48-0, Fong, Stockton Lincoln
	Reichenberg, Mission Bay	46-6, 13th
	Harris	46-4 ½, 14th
	Goodson, Oceanside	45-8 ½, 24th, tie
Shot Put	Knowles, Rancho Buena Vista	59-8, 9th	65-10, See, San Juan Capistrano JSerra
	Vergenz, Mission Hills	56-3, 21st
Discus	Knowles	185-5, 3rd	197-8, See
	Vergenz, Mission Hills	166-7/22nd
Pole Vault	Emerson, Sage Creek	16-0 ¼-4th	17-1, Green, Clovis Buchanan
	Weisman, Torrey Pines	16-0, 5th, tie
	Anderson, University City	15-6, 10th, tie
	Sotelo, Grossmont	15-0, 15th tie
	Saia, Mt. Carmel	14-9, 21st, tie
	Boyles, San Marcos	14-9
	Kondo, Vista	14-9