San Benito junior Jason Roascio, center, competes in the 400 meters on Friday in the Central Coast Section Championships in Gilroy.

Jason Roascio in the 200, Frankie Martinez in the discus and the
relay foursome of Roascio, David Kret, Felipe Davila and Jordan
Belton extended their respective seasons for one more meet on
Friday night in Gilroy, where each earned top-three standings at
the Central Coast Section Championships.
GILROY

Standing atop the third-place podium on Friday night in Gilroy, San Benito senior Frankie Martinez was beaming from ear to ear, and he wasn’t even pleased with his performance.

The discus thrower had just recorded a 149-04 in the Central Coast Section Track and Field Championships, which was well short of his season best and even a little off of his performance last week in the CCS Semifinals.

No matter. A ticket to state has a way of painting even third-place performances in a better light.

“I’m not happy about it. But I am happy that it got me to the next round,” said Martinez, whose 149-04 placed him behind both C.J. Nwuzi (152-06) of Silver Creek and Erik Kramer (165-04) of Mills on Friday at the Garcia-Elder Sports Complex in Gilroy – a top-three standing that advances him to next weekend’s CIF State Track and Field Championships.

“I didn’t think it’d get me through to the next round because in the [CCS Semifinals], everyone was throwing better than that,” Martinez said of his throw. “Hopefully by the next meet, I can actually show what I can do.”

Martinez’s performance in the discus, as well as his state bid, only set the tone for the remaining members of the San Benito track and field team on Friday night.

While senior Sophie Coelho fell short in the pole vault event with an eighth-place mark of 10-0, the boys’ 4×400 relay team of Jason Roascio, David Kret, Felipe Davila and Jordan Belton punched their ticket to state in a third-place time of 3:24.93, while Roascio himself did the same when he recorded a third-place time of 22.14 in the 200 meters.

It was Martinez’s state bid that seconded as a story of redemption, though.

As a junior, the discus thrower finished in fourth place at the CCS Championships – and less than three feet from advancing to state – while his senior campaign started off with a series of injuries that made him wonder whether another chance at state was even possible.

He pulled his hamstring during cross country season, then pulled his other hamstring during track season.

Martinez then landed awkwardly on both his ankle and knee while practicing throwing drills one day this spring, minutes after that same ankle was hit with a shot put.

He was sidelined for three to four weeks as a result.

“In the beginning of the season, I set my goals really high,” Martinez said. “But with all the injuries, it’s been difficult getting back to the season achievements I had last year. This whole season, it’s been a battle to get back.

“But I am just trying to do my best and not let it get me down.”

A state bid certainly has a way of curing ills.

Injuries are a part of the game, though, and the San Benito 4×400 relay team took a major hit as well when junior Scott Medina suffered a season-ending foot injury earlier this year, and was replaced several times in the lineup before boys coach Iran White settled on sophomore Jordan Belton.

On Friday, Belton didn’t disappoint when he ran a 51.08 split time on the second leg – the second fastest split after Roascio’s 48.32.

“I’m still trying to figure out the race, but my stamina is building up,” said Belton, who had only run the 4×400 with Davila, Roascio and Kret once before at the CCS Semifinals. “But it’s getting easier because I’m getting faster.

“I’m just trying to push off that first turn and keep it going.”

Belton received the baton in sixth place on Friday night, and passed it off with San Benito in third.

The final leg by Roascio, though, kept the Balers in their top-three position. A runner from Independence closed the gap on Roascio entering the final turn, and as soon he entered Roascio’s peripheral vision, the San Benito junior exploded to the finish line.

Independence finished the race nearly three seconds behind the Balers after being neck-and-neck some 200 meters earlier.

“I was trying to run a little bit smarter. But I knew if he passed me, it’d be a whole lot harder,” Roascio said. “I just tried to kick in the boosters a little bit.”

Roascio’s run in the 1,600-meter relay was the third and final event the junior competed in on Friday night. His first race, the 400 meters, didn’t go as planned when he fell short of a state-qualifying time with a fifth-place finish of 49.85.

“I feel better this time than I did last week (at CCS Semifinals), but I don’t know what happened,” said Roascio, referring to the 49.95 he ran during preliminaries a week ago. “I tried to move faster, but I just couldn’t get my body to move any faster.”

Roascio, who narrowly led the race on the final turn, had his fast start from lane 2 catch up with him in the very end, where Overfelt senior Benjamin Knight crossed the finish line first in 49.45.

“I’m not happy with my performance today,” said Roascio, who had clocked a 48.63 earlier this season, which was the second fastest recorded time in the CCS. “Something just didn’t click.”

Of course, being a three-event competitor, Roascio was in an enviable bounce-back position. A little more than an hour later, he competed in the 200 meters and clocked a state-qualifying time of 22.14.

“I was just trying to use what happened to me in the 400 as motivation,” Roascio said after his third-place finish in the 200. “It’s not what I wanted, but I’m happy I qualified.

“I don’t know if you noticed, but I was a little happier this time than I was after the 400.”

The CIF State Track and Field Championships are scheduled for June 4-5 at Veterans Memorial Stadium on the campus of Buchanan High School in Clovis. Field events will begin at 3 p.m., while track events start at 5 p.m.

Central Coast Section Championships

Girls Pole Vault

=======================================================

Meet Record: * 13-08 2007 Tori Anthony, Castilleja

Name Year School Finals

=======================================================

1 Diamara Planell 11 Los Altos 11-00.00

2 Alison Ang 11 Gunn J11-00.00

3 Rachel Bolton 10 Homestead 10-06.00

4 Amanda Lackides 10 S.L.V. J10-06.00

5 Bronwyn Stone 12 Los Gatos 10-00.00

5 Marissa Engle 11 Homestead 10-00.00

5 Thresa Vinson 10 Aptos 10-00.00

8 Sophie Coelho 12 San Benito J10-00.00

9 Lucy Kurzava 11 Notre Dame Sal 9-06.00

10 Monique Lam 11 Carlmont J9-06.00

— Jorja Flynn 11 Carlmont NH

Boys Discus Throw

=======================================================

Meet Record: * 204-10 2003 Nik Kay, Los Gatos

Name Year School Finals

=======================================================

1 Erik Kramer 12 Mills 165-04

2 Cj Nuwzi 12 Silver Creek 152-06

3 Frankie Martinez 12 San Benito 149-04

4 Richie Casas 11 N.M.C. 148-03

5 John Warren 12 Santa Cruz 146-00

6 Cody Bickham 10 St. Francis 143-04

7 Mike Guberlet 11 M.V.C. 142-05

Boys 400 Meter Dash

=======================================================

Meet Record: * 45.51 1979 Bill Green, Cubberley

Name Year School Finals

=======================================================

1 Benjamin Knight 12 Overfelt 49.45

2 Justin Montgomery 11 Bellarmine 49.64

3 Markus Rutner 12 Mountain View 49.68

4 Andre Chapman 11 Bellarmine 49.75

5 Jason Roascio 11 San Benito 49.85

6 J’Tier Favors 11 Gunderson 50.10

7 Jason Chandler Woodside 51.47

— Daniel Donate 12 Alisal DNF

Boys 200 Meter Dash

=======================================================

Meet Record: * 20.84 2002 Rubin Williams, Valley Christian

Name Year School Finals Wind

=======================================================

1 Julius Travis 11 Gilroy 21.83 1.5

2 Justin Montgomery 11 Bellarmine 22.10 1.5

3 Jason Roascio 11 San Benito 22.14 1.5

4 Byron Marshall 10 Valley Christian 22.21 1.5

5 J’Tier Favors 11 Gunderson 22.28 1.5

6 Gary Moore 11 Sacred Ht. Cath. 22.40 1.5

7 Daoud Anthony 12 Santa Cruz 22.50 1.5

8 Andre Chapman 11 Bellarmine 23.68 1.5

Boys 4×400 Meter Relay

=======================================================

Meet Record: * 3:15.8h 1970 Los Altos

School Finals

=======================================================

1 Mountain View 3:22.83

2 Bellarmine College Prep 3:24.79

3 San Benito (Hollister) 3:24.93

4 Independence 3:27.37

5 Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep 3:29.09

6 Woodside 3:30.38

7 St. Francis (Mountain View) 3:30.64

8 Alisal 3:44.17

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A staff member wrote, edited or posted this article, which may include information provided by one or more third parties.

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