Bulldogs second at CIF track and field meet
The showdown between last year’s two boys track and field CIF champions saw Steele Canyon High School win this year’s Division II title while Ramona High School was second.
The Cougars, who were in Division I last year and won the 2008 Division I championship, totaled 78 points in the 2009 meet.
Ramona, who won the Division II title last year, scored 68 points to take runner-up honors.
“We had a good day,” said Coach Bob Verhoest. “We couldn’t win it this year, but second out of 56 schools, that’s not too bad.”
Although Ramona couldn’t outscore last year’s CIF Division I champion, the Bulldogs scored more points than this year’s Division I champion. Torrey Pines accumulated 59 points to win its 2009 boys title.
In addition to determining team titles and individual medals, the CIF finals May 30 at Mount Carmel High School also determined the qualifiers for the state meet June 5-6 in Fresno.
While only the top three finishers from Division I and Division II combined in each event qualify for the state meet, two of those qualifiers wore Ramona uniforms. Junior Tyler Jordan qualified for the state meet in the high jump with a distance of 6’6” while junior Ryan Morgan posted a season-best time of 48.25 seconds to qualify in the 400-meter run.
“The two guys worked hard all year to get there,” Verhoest said.
Jordan and Morgan also won individual Division II championships with their performances.
Senior Lyndon Scott also competed for Ramona in the high jump at the CIF meet and cleared 6’2” to place fifth among Division II jumpers.
Morgan was bettered in the 400-meter run only by the 47.16-second performance of Carlsbad’s Keegan Ryan. During the preliminary heats May 23 at Mount Carmel, Morgan won his heat race with a time of 49.44 seconds, which was the fourth-fastest time overall.
“He’s a competitor,” Verhoest said of Morgan. “Baldwin had him ready to run.”
“Baldwin” is assistant coach Damon Baldwin, who handles the team’s sprinters. Erin O’Connor is the assistant coach for the jumpers, Steve Emery handles the pole vaulters, Jennifer Lawrence works with the hurdlers, Ed Mumyer coaches the throwers, and Rheynard Morgan helps the distance runners.
Ryan Morgan also competed in the 200-yard dash at the CIF finals and had a time of 22.15 seconds to place second among Division II sprinters. Morgan was also on two Ramona relay teams which medaled.
“He really had a big day,” Verhoest said.
The 4x100 relay team of Dean Faddis, Morgan, Nick Lutu, and Seth Drake placed second among Division II schools with a time of 43.06 seconds. Steele Canyon had the top Division II time at 42.19 seconds, but Ramona earned the eight second-place points in the meet’s first race.
“That started the day off right,” Verhoest said.
Ramona’s 4x400 relay team of Israel Marquez, Tim Wertz, Tanner Jorgenson, and Morgan had a season-best time of 3:24.48, which placed third among Division II schools. The two Division II teams ahead of the Bulldogs, Steele Canyon and Mount Miguel, both qualified for the state meet.
At the preliminary meet Scott had been the first alternate in both the long jump and the triple jump, and he was scratched into both events for the finals. His long jump of 21’5” placed second in Division II at the finals while his triple jump of 41’4” earned a sixth-place medal and one team point.
“He really did a good job,” Verhoest said.
Drake placed second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.20 seconds while Faddis missed a medal by a single position in that race where his time of 11.52 seconds placed seventh.
Tyler Creswell closed out his high school track and field career by placing third among Division II competitors in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.05 seconds. Jarred Engler cleared 11’10” in the pole vault to earn a medal and give Ramona sixth-place points.
Ramona’s only boys distance runner at the meet, Conner Jenson, had a time of 4:32.9 in the 1,600-meter run to place tenth.
“I can’t speak highly enough for those guys,” Verhoest said of the boys team. “We’re doing something right.”
Four Ramona girls also competed in the CIF finals. Brittany Balcom closed out her high school career with a fifth-place time of 11:47 in the 3,200-meter run. Balcom also competed in the 1,600-meter run and finished tenth at 5:29.
Kendal Koohler ran the 400-meter race in 1:02.00 for seventh place in Division II.
“You can’t knock that for a freshman,” Verhoest said.
Erika Stinchcomb’s time of 27.29 seconds placed eighth in the 200-meter dash.
“It was a wonderful season,” Verhoest said. “It’s really neat to be involved with something like that.”