Allen, Shorey, Martinez, boys 4×100 team all advance to Friday’s
CCS Finals as well
GILROY
The San Benito boys 4×400 relay team seems to be hitting its stride.
Perfect timing, too.
One week after the Haybaler foursome of Justin Williams, Jason Roascio, Nik Soza and Ryan Shorey set a meet record at the Tri-County Athletic League Championships with a 3:24.00, the team upped the ante last Saturday at the Central Coast Section Semifinals at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex in Gilroy where it clocked a 3:23.10 – the fastest recorded time in the section this year.
Now the team just needs to record the fastest time on Friday at the CCS Finals, once again to be held at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex on the Gilroy High campus.
“If everyone is at the top of their game and if everyone runs well,” San Benito boys coach Iran White said, “it could be something special.”
Special indeed. White feels that under ideal conditions, with each leg posting top split times, the 4×400 relay team could record a time near 3:21 or even 3:20, which would vault them into top-25 consideration in the state of California.
San Benito will be up against Mitty, St. Francis and Bellarmine, among others, in the 4×400 event. However, top teams such as Riordan and Serra, which had two of the three fastest recorded times this year in the 4×400, failed to qualify last Saturday.
Serra, in fact, missed the cut by 12 one-hundredths of a second. But White points out that even without those top powerhouse teams, the CCS Finals are sure to be close.
“It’ll be a much more intense race on Friday,” White said. “They have an excellent chance of being CCS champions.”
San Benito’s 4×100 relay team, meanwhile, also qualified after it recorded a seventh-place finish in 43.64, while Ryan Shorey advanced as an individual in the 400 after he won his heat in 49.93 – a seasonal record for the senior sprinter.
Shorey’s time place him fourth overall behind Winton Nguyen of Milpitas (49.46); Jaquelle Thompson of Piedmont Hills (49.50); and Josh Tran of Independence (49.62).
In the discus, Frankie Martinez will compete in the CCS Finals after tossing a throw of 152-08, good for fourth overall.
“They didn’t do quite their best in the semifinals,” White said of Martinez and Shorey, whose personal record is 49.32, “but they’re both capable of making state as individuals.”
As is Courtney Allen. The senior harrier competed in two events and qualified in two events at Saturday’s semifinals, one week after she became TCAL champion in three different individual events, including the 400-, the 800- and the 1,600-meter races.
Allen’s 5:03.72 in the 1,600 was the top time in the event – she beat Mountain View’s Allison Sturges (5:04.47) – while her 2:17.82 in the 800 qualified her towards Friday’s CCS Finals as well, but just barely. Allen edged Leland’s Nisha Parmeshwar (2:17.96) by 14 one-hundredths of a second for the final qualifying spot.
The CCS Finals will take place Friday at Gilroy High. Field events are scheduled for 4 p.m., while track events begin at 6 p.m.
Check out Friday’s edition of The Weekend Pinnacle for a CCS Finals preview.
BOYS
4×100 – 1, Serra, 42.26 (Q); 7, San Benito, 43.64 (q). 1,600 – 1, R. Hunt, Aptos, 4:17.34 (Q); 20, J. Castillo, San Benito, 4:36.81. 110 Hurdles – 1, J. Prader, Salinas, 14.74 (Q); 14, E. McFadden, San Benito, 15.95. 400 – 1, W. Nguyen, Milpitas, 49.46 (Q); 4, R. Shorey, San Benito, 49.93 (Q); 19, N. Soza, San Benito, 51.74. 300 Hurdles – 1, J. Campbell, Mitty, 38.30 (Q); 19, E. McFadden, San Benito, 42.30. 200 – 1, K. Spencer, San Mateo, 21.93 (Q); 13, R. Shorey, San Benito, 22.99. 3,200 – 1, P. Macquitty, Palo Alto, 9:11.52 (Q); 25, E. Guzman, San Benito, 9:59.71. 4×400 – 1, San Benito, 3:23.10 (Q); 2, Mitty, 3:24.03 (Q). Discus – 1, D. White, Oak Grove, 159-06 (Q); 4, F. Martinez, San Benito, 152-08 (q). Shot Put – 1, B. Nava, Mount Pleasant, 54-04 1/2 (q); 14, S. Stephens, San Benito, 46-07 1/2.
GIRLS
4×100 – 1, Mitty, 48.38 (Q); 20, San Benito, 51.53. 1,600 – 1, C. Allen, San Benito, 5:03.72 (Q); 2, A. Sturges, Mountain View, 5:04.47 (Q). 400 – 1, I. Hardiman, Wilcox, 56.04 (Q); 26, M. Cortez, San Benito, 1:03.29. 800 – 1, J. Fedronic, Carlmont, 2:12.39 (Q); 8, C. Allen, San Benito, 2:17.82 (q); 24, R. Shimabukuro, 2:29.02. 4×400 – 1, St. Francis, 3:58.53 (Q); 19, San Benito, 4:12.84. High Jump – 1, E. Sklar, Presentation, 5-02 (q); 13, E. Dungy, San Benito, 4-10; 27, M. Castro, San Benito, 4-10. Pole Vault – 1, C. L’Heureux, Santa Clara, 10-0 (q); 16, S. Coelho, San Benito, 8-06. Long Jump – 1, S. Evans, Leigh, 17-03 (q); 12, C. Emilio, San Benito, 15-09 1/2. Discus – 1, M. McKee, Santa Teresa, 133-10 (q); 24, N. Becker, San Benito, 89-02.
