San Benito takes second place at exclusive Top 8 Track and Field
Classic in Los Gatos on Friday
HOLLISTER
David Kret’s first lap in the 800 meters at the Stanford Invitational last month was clocked at 58 seconds. On Friday at the Top 8 Track and Field Classic in Los Gatos, it was 56 seconds.
It may seem like a minor difference to some, but when school records are in jeopardy of falling, every second counts.
“After I was in at :56, I knew I was going pretty fast,” the San Benito sophomore said.
Kret’s pace was fast enough. The middle-distance runner clocked a 1:56.36 in the 800 on Friday in Los Gatos, which although positioned him in ninth place overall at the exclusive meet, supplied him with the No. 1 spot atop the San Benito record books in the 800 meters.
Kret comfortably shattered the previous record of 1:58 by two seconds.
“Everyone in the heat I was in was running a 1:59,” Kret said. “I knew we’d be pushing each other. But I just wanted to stick with the leader and at the end, kick it in.”
Friday’s Top 8 meet was the perfect place to flex some track-and-field muscle. Considered one of the most elite meets of the season, Top 8 often acts as the last precursor before the Central Coast Section Championships, scheduled for late May.
And with a runner-up finish to Bellarmine, the Baler boys perhaps wouldn’t mind replicating Friday’s efforts for the year-end meet.
Behind Jason Roascio, Enrique Ramos and the boys 4×400 relay team, San Benito compiled 45.5 points and finished behind only the Bells (79 points) on Friday night, besting some 33 other teams.
Ramos was third in the shot put (48-07) and Scott Medina was third in the 300 hurdles (40.64), but it was Roascio’s performance that was felt in the 200, the 400 and the 4×400.
Along with a foursome that included Felipe Davila, Taylor Lothman and Kret, Roascio ran the anchor leg of the 4×400 and led the Balers to a first-place finish and a season-best time of 3:24.74, edging Bellarmine by four one-hundredths of a second in the process and staying true to its current No. 1 ranking in the CCS.
The first-place finish was an especially fitting end to Roascio’s evening, though. Earlier in the night, the San Benito junior took first place in the 200 with a 22.03, then clocked a school-record time of 48.63 in the 400, finishing runner-up to Bellarmine’s Andre Chapman by three one-hundredths of a second.
“It was crazy,” San Benito boys coach Iran White said of the close finish in the 400.
“I know I did good, but I don’t feel like I did that good,” Roascio said after the 200 on Friday. “I don’t feel like I ran that good, for me personally … probably just fatigue.”
Lady Baler freshman Maura Forbush was worried she’d be tired by the time her one and only event rolled around. Forbush was listed as the third alternate in the 3,200 meters, and figured she wouldn’t even get a chance to compete.
“I found out about 3:30, when we got here,” said Forbush, whose 3,200-meter event was slated for 7:40 p.m.
“I kind of pumped myself up during the five hours I was waiting before the race,” Forbush joked. “I wasn’t too happy about it. I figured I’d be tired.”
Pushed by some of the best long-distance runners in the section, though, Forbush clocked a 12:06.28 in the 3,200 on Friday to finish in 15th place, improving upon her season-best time of 12:19 by 13 seconds.
“It was kind of a lot,” added Forbush, who was the only alternate from the Lady Balers who got a chance to compete on Friday.
Meanwhile, Melissa Castro qualified to the Top 8 meet and finished with a 4-10 in the high jump, while Melisah Cortez recorded a 2:30.67 in the 800.
San Benito’s tough slate — from a dual meet with Palma/Notre Dame last week to the Top 8 Classic — will continue into this week. The Balers will visit Salinas on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. for a make-up dual meet, and will then visit Gilroy on Thursday for a night meet at 5:30 p.m.
Top 8 Track and Field Classic
Los Gatos High
VARSITY BOYS
Teams (Top 10 only)
1, Bellarmine, 79; 2, San Benito, 45.5; 3, Pioneer, 34; 4, Mountain View, 31; 5, North Monterey County, 28.5; 6, St. Francis of Mountain View, 26; 7, Santa Cruz, 24; 8, Valley Christian, 20; 9, Oak Grove, 18; 10, Cupertino, 16.
Individual (San Benito only)
Shot Put — 1, Leo Navarro, Oak Grove, 50-09; 3, Enrique Ramos, San Benito, 48-07. High Jump — 1, Stephen Johnson, Mountain View, 6-04; 6, Scott Medina, San Benito, 5-10. 4×100 — 1, Bellarmine, 42.81; 4, San Benito, 43.90. 1,600 — 1, Nathan Strum, Pioneer, 4:14.98; 6, Jose Castillo, San Benito, 4:26.12; 10, Eddie Guzman, San Benito, 4:29.00. 110 Hurdles — 1, John Paul Williams, Westmoor, 14.63; 11, Jayjoel Fernandez, San Benito, 16.91. 400 — 1, Andre Chapman, Bellarmine, 48.60; 2, Jason Roascio, San Benito, 48.63. 800 — 1, Nathan Strum, Pioneer, 1:53.41; 9, David Kret, San Benito, 1:56.36. 300 Hurdles — 1, Ryo Kubozono, Cupertino, 40.27; 3, Scott Medina, San Benito, 40.64. 200 — 1, Jason Roascio, San Benito, 22.03; 2, Justin Montgomery, Bellarmine, 22.14. 3,200 — 1, Weston Strum, Pioneer, 8:59.53; 10, Jose Castillo, 9:42.98; 11, Eddie Guzman, San Benito, 9:44.45. 4×400 — 1, San Benito, 3:24.74; 2, Bellarmine, 3:24.78.
VARSITY GIRLS
Team (Top 10 only)
1, Leigh, 58; 2, Mitty, 47; 3, Aptos, 32.33; 4, Los Gatos, 30; 5, Homestead, 26.50; 6, Mount Pleasant, 24.33; 7, Valley Christian, 23; 8, Los Altos, 22; 9, St. Francis of Mountain View, 20.33; 10, Leland, 20.
Individual (San Benito only)
High Jump — 1, Stephanie Armstrong, Live Oak, 5-04; 16, Melissa Castro, San Benito, 4-10. 800 — 1, Melissa Hopper, Leigh, 2:15.08; 25, Melisah Cortez, 2:30.67. 3,200 — 1, Marissa Ferrante, Aptos, 11:01.01; 15, Maura Forbush, San Benito, 12:06.28.
