‘Merrigan breaks own school record in pole vault to spur San
Benito past Vikings
The San Benito track and field team has a number of athletes that have taken star turns this season. Wednesday, senior Todd Merrigan leaped back into the limelight by breaking his own school record in the pole vault. Merrigan, whose previous record was 15-2, cleared 15-3 against North Salinas to set the new record.
Merrigan’s effort was one of many outstanding performances on the day for the Haybalers. The San Benito boys remained undefeated in Tri-County Athletic League dual meets by defeating the visiting Vikings 92-39. The Lady ‘Balers, losers to only Salinas in the TCAL season, prevailed 76.5-59.5.
Distance runners Amanda Boyd and Rigo Vasquez continued their strong seasons with multiple victories. Boyd took first in the 800 and 1600-meter races, while Vasquez won the 1600 and 3200.
San Benito distance coach Jess Morales said the pair is “geared up for Friday night.” That would be for the CCS Top Eight, an elite meet held in Los Gatos that features the best athletes throughout the section.
“We’ll see some of the top runners in CCS,” Morales said. “See where you’re at, what you need to do for CCS.”
In defeating the Vikings, the duel between Haybaler pole vaulters Merrigan and junior Josh Schroder took top billing. The teammates both cleared 14-0 and then decided to attempt to break the previous school record by setting the bar at 15-3. That Merrigan cleared it wasn’t surprising to San Benito coach Julio Trinidad.
“He’s back,” Trinidad said. “He’s right where we need him to be. We’re waiting for 16-0 and hoping that’s right around the corner.”
With stellar St. Francis (Mountain View) pole vaulters Kyle Mills-Bunje and Casey Roche set to compete at the Top Eight, Merrigan and Schroder will have top-notch competition.
Carly Brigantino won the 200-meter dash for San Benito as she continued her solid first track season and senior Ashley Patton set a PR by clearing 4-10 in the high jump. Randall Lopez won the 400-meter dash for the ‘Baler boys.
BASEBALL
After seeing its 10-game winning streak end at Valley Christian’s Crown Classic on Saturday afternoon, the San Benito baseball team got right back on track with a 5-4 victory over Harbor Tuesday.
The Haybalers, sitting in first place in the Tri-County Athletic League at 11-1, have found plenty of postseason-caliber competition in the Crown Classic. San Benito (17-3) began play by defeating Santa Cruz 2-1 on Saturday morning behind strong the strong pitching performances of senior Ryan McFall and sophomore Zach Canez.
Returning to the diamond at Wilcox High that afternoon, the ‘Balers saw their winning streak snapped as Wilcox prevailed 11-6. San Benito pitchers had a difficult afternoon, walking and hitting a combined 13 Chargers.
“It’s hard to win a game when you give up 13 free passes,” San Benito head coach Michael Luna said.
Returning to Crown Classic play with a midweek contest against Harbor, the ‘Balers were spurred by another solid outing by Canez. The right hander allowed two runs over six innings. Breyon Canez relieved his younger brother to pocket his first save of the season and went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.
Karson Klauer went 2-for-3 with a double and Kevin Medeiros had two hits and drew his coach’s praise.
“(Kevin) has been playing really well the last four or five games,” Luna said.
San Benito returns to Valley Christian tomorrow for a 3:30pm contest as the Crown Classic winds down. With their opponent unknown at press time, the ‘Balers will start Breyon Canez in a bid to start another winning streak.
GOLF
Returning to the course after a 10-day break, the San Benito boys golf team showed no ill effects from its layoff. Competing in the King of the Mountain Tournament in Atascadero, the Haybalers took fourth place out of 18 teams Tuesday.
San Benito’s three-golfer team shot a combined 242 at Mountain Golf Course (par 72). Arroyo Grande High of Santa Maria won the tournament at 227.
‘Balers No. 1 Chris Shackleton fired a 76, the fifth-best individual round of the day, to lead San Benito. Senior Derek Stone followed with a solid 79 and freshman Diego Navarro finished at 87.
All three Haybalers were playing Chalk Mountain for the first time, making the team’s finish even more encouraging to coach Andy Parra.
“I think we played really well for not knowing the course,” said Parra, who noted Chalk Mountain’s blind spots as a factor that the higher team finishers avoided because they play the course regularly. “76 and 79 were really good scores for playing that course for the first time.”
San Benito, the third-place finisher in the Tri-County Athletic League regular season behind Palma and Salinas, returns to action Monday when it plays in the Aptos Invitational. Parra hopes for another strong showing in that 18-hole tournament at Seascape Golf Course, the ‘Balers’ last competition before the league postseason tournament.
The TCAL Championships are set for Carmel’s Quail Lodge Golf Course on May 1.
