Jordan, boys 4x100 sprinters break school records
Two Ramona High School track and field school records were broken during the CIF preliminary meet May 23 at Mount Carmel High School.
Tyler Jordan cleared 6’7” in the boys high jump and Ramona’s boys 4x100 relay team had a time of 42.95 seconds.
“We had a good day,” said Coach Bob Verhoest. “We really did quite well.”
The preliminary race heats and field events determine which athletes advance to the CIF finals, which will take place Saturday at Mount Carmel. The top nine times and distances from Division I and Division II combined in each event other than the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter runs qualify for the “A” event of the CIF finals. For the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter races the top 12 times qualify for the CIF “A” finals. The next nine times or distances (next 12 for the distance races) qualify for the “B” event.
While only the top three finishers from the “A” event from Division I and Division II combined qualify for the state meet, the top six finishers in each division from the “A” and “B” events combined receive medals, and points for the Division I and Division II championships are derived from the top times and distances regardless of whether the athletes were “A” or “B” competitors.
Ramona’s boys will have six “A” entries and five “B” entries at the CIF finals. The Bulldog girls will have an “A” competitor and four “B” competitions and earned first alternate status for the finals in two events.
“That’s probably the best we ever did at CIF prelims,” Verhoest said. “That’s encouraging.”
Jordan’s 6’7” high jump ranked second overall and first among Division II competitors in the preliminaries. The previous school record of 6 feet 6 1/2 inches was set May 7 by Lyndon Scott, who in turn had broken Danny Scherer’s 2008 record of 6’6”.
“That was pretty nice,” Verhoest said of Jordan’s record.
Scott cleared 6’4” at the preliminaries, which earned him a position in the “A” finals.
“That was real encouraging,” Verhoest said. “We have a good start there.”
In 2008 Ramona’s 4x100 relay team posted a time of 43.18 seconds to set a school record which lasted until this year’s CIF preliminaries, when the Bulldog team of Dean Faddis, Ryan Morgan, Nick Lutu, and Seth Drake qualified for the “A” finals with a time of 42.95 seconds.
“They’re all pretty excited,” Verhoest said.
Verhoest credits assistant coach Damon Baldwin, who works with the Bulldog sprinters.
“He had them ready to go,” Verhoest said. “They ran to their potential.”
Verhoest also acknowledged the role of his other assistant coaches in the team’s success. Erin O’Connor coaches the
jumpers, Steve Emery handles the pole vaulters, Jennifer Lawrence works with the hurdlers, Ed Mumyer guides the throwers, and Raynard Morgan helps the distance runners.
Ramona’s other boys relay team also qualified for the “A” event. Israel Marquez, Tim Wertz, Tanner Jorgenson, and Ryan Morgan had a time of 3:26.61 in the 4x400 relay. While that placed Ramona sixth overall and second among Division II schools, only one 4x400 relay team had a time under 3:25.
“I like our chances there,” Verhoest said of the possibility of a state berth.
Morgan won his heat race in the open 400-meter run with a time of 49.44 seconds, which qualified for the “A” finals and was the fourth-fastest time overall. The third-fastest time was the 49.02-second performance of Carlsbad’s Keegan Ryan.
Morgan also qualified for the “B” race in the 200-meter dash, posting a time of 22.28 seconds which ranked third among Division II sprinters.
Tyler Creswell qualified for the “A” 110-meter hurdles race with a time of 14.75 seconds, which placed him second among Division II hurdlers and sixth overall.
Two Bulldogs qualified for the “B” race in the 100-meter dash. Drake’s time of 11.09 seconds placed second among Division II boys while Faddis was third among Division II sprinters at 11:22.
“Those guys really stepped up real big,” Verhoest said.
Conner Jenson’s time of 4:31 in the 1,600-meter run earned him a berth in the “B” race. Jarred Engler was also a “B” qualifier after clearing 11’10” in the pole vault.
Last year Ramona’s boys won the CIF Division II title while Steele Canyon earned the Division I championship. This year Steele Canyon and Ramona are both in Division II.
“It’s going to be between us and Steele Canyon,” Verhoest said of the CIF championship.
Brittany Balcom earned a trip to the girls “A” 1,600-meter race after running the preliminaries in 5:07.28. Lindsay Spieker is the first alternate in that race after completing the metric mile in 5:29.62. Spieker was an alternate for the CIF preliminaries and learned the day before that a sufficient number of qualifiers had scratched out.
Balcom’s time of 11:38.37 in the 3,200-meter run earned her a berth in the “B” finals. Her time was the second-fastest among Division II girls.
Erika Stinchcomb’s time of 27.19 seconds earned her a spot in the “B” finals for the 200-meter dash. Kendal Koohler ran the 400-meter race in 1:02.00 to earn entry into the “B” race.
Chelsea Maurer will be a “B” pole vault entrant following a distance of 8’3” in the preliminaries.
Ramona’s girls 4x400 relay team of Evan Escamilla, Sabrina Hernandez, Ruth Spitsbergen, and Kendal Koohler had a season-best time of 4:16.44, giving them first alternate status for the CIF finals.
“It was a good day,” Verhoest said. “Hopefully we can get somebody in state.”