Four San Benito athletes end seasons with solid showings at CCS
Finals
San Jose – Friday night at the Central Coast Section Track and Field Championships, four San Benito athletes – Anthony De La Cerda, Jackie Perrien, Rigo Vasquez and Jeff Weltz – were stopped one step short of California’s biggest stage for high school track and field.
Of the four, Weltz, a senior sprinter, came the closest to advancing to the CIF State Championships next weekend. He took the track at San Jose City College as the third seed in the 100-meter dash at 11.07. If he matched his seed, Weltz would be headed to Southern California alongside teammates Amanda Boyd, Todd Merrigan and Josh Schroder.
And the senior went out and set a notable PR in the event, flying down the straightaway to finish in 10.89. But on this day, that left him fourth. One precious spot away from State.
“I’m more angry than disappointed,” said Weltz, who was frustrated with his poor start, “because you can’t really be disappointed when you run a time like that. In track, you get one run, one race – and it’s over.”
Asked to detail his woes at the outset, Weltz said, “I lost a step in the beginning. I came up too fast. While I was hitting full speed, (the other runners) were just coming up. I was already at my top speed and they were at about 80 percent.”
San Benito head coach Iran White said he was impressed with the senior’s performance nonetheless.
“That’s how fast he’s gotten,” White related. “He PRd with his worst technically-run race of the year, maybe.”
Valley Christian’s Domique Hunsucker won the CCS title at 10.71, and Independence’s Darren Barrera and North Monterey County’s Reggie Topps followed in 10.78 and 10.80, respectively.
Said Weltz: “It’s tough to PR by that much and not go to State. I was proud of myself for getting the PR, but that little start? … I could’ve been going to State.”
After jumping out to the start he would’ve liked to have had in his first race, Weltz later took seventh in the 200-meter dash in 23.36. This season marked the second straight year in which he was a CCS finalist in the 200.
For Perrien, one foot further in the shot put would have given her a new school record. But the distance of 36-00 that she threw at the Finals was enough to get Perrien on the podium.
And that was satisfying enough for the senior thrower.
“It felt really good (to be in the Finals) and I got podium so that’s really exciting,” said Perrien, who took sixth with her shot put mark, which was 11 inches off her PR and San Benito’s school record. Oak Grove’s Chidinma Onyewuenyi won the title with a 44-09.25 mark Friday night.
With the finish, Perrien improved on her CCS performance as a junior. Last season, Perrien didn’t make it through to the Finals.
The senior also took seventh in the discus with a throw of 108-6. Soquel’s Jessica Hadley (136-07) took the section title.
“I came in at eighth so I moved up a spot,” Perrien said of the discus. “I pretty much had everything to gain, so there was no reason to not go out and just have fun.”
Vasquez and De La Cerda, competing in the CCS Finals for the first time as a junior and sophomore, respectively, used Friday as an introduction to track and field’s elite level.
Vasquez, a distance runner, placed 10th in the 1600-meter race at last week’s CCS Trials, and took the track Friday looking to improve on that finish. The junior immediately noticed that the intensity and aggression were a few notches higher as he found himself jostled when runners broke for position after the gun.
“There was a lot of pushing and stuff,” said Vasquez, who finished seventh at 4:27.32. “I just didn’t get in a comfortable place. … If I tried to go outside and pass, they would’ve got me again.”
Said White: “It was a brutal race. They kept forcing him to the back.”
Vasquez said he was already looking forward to imparting the lessons learned next season in CCS.
“Now, I know what it’s about,” Vasquez said. “It’s about more aggression and who has the guts to get out in front. Next year, I’m going to be more aggressive and not let someone take my spot.”
In the high jump, Haybaler sophomore De La Cerda failed to clear the opening height. But that didn’t discourage White, who was just glad De La Cerda had the opportunity to compete at the CCS Finals.
“It was a really big situation for him we’re just proud that as a sophomore, he made it,” White said. “He got a little overwhelmed, but I’m sure he gained some valuable experience from being here.”
