The Mustangs boys squad takes first overall with nine top 10
finishes
LOS GATOS – The Gilroy High 4X100 relay team is leaving a slow start to the season in its wake. And for the reigning Central Coast Section champions, it’s full-speed ahead from here.
A healthy lineup, tweaked running order and a newfound commitment to practice all came together for David Guenther, Julius Travis, Romeo Travis and Jourdan Soares at Friday’s Los Gatos Top 8 meet, a sneak-peek showcase of competition to expect at next month’s CCS championships.
“We’ve had a good couple weeks of practice,” sprint coach Ryan Johnston said. “I’ve worked these guys.”
The foursome, which carried the section’s top time (42.76 seconds) of the season into the best-of meet, swiftly completed the four-part trip around the track in a first-place worthy 42.28 – a GHS record and more than one second faster than second-place Saint Francis.
The same group, which switched back to its more comfortable running rotation (Guenther, J. Travis, R. Travis and Soares), owned the previous school mark of 42.42, set at last season’s CCS finals.
Friday’s victory is the second straight for the relay team following subpar performances at the Avis-Kelley (dropped baton) and the Arcadia Invitational (seventh place).
“We were one beat up team. We had a lot of injuries to fight through at the beginning of the season,” senior Romeo Travis said. “Everyone is feeling better now.”
Romeo Travis added that the team’s experience at the 2010 CIF State Championships, where the Mustangs were humbled and finished second-to-last, has provided an extra push to its work ethic as the postseason approaches.
“That’s the worst feeling I’ve had,” he said. “That’s the first time we felt like we didn’t belong. This year, we are belonging.”
The seven Mustangs who participated in the varsity portion at Friday’s meet had no problems proving they belonged. Nine top 10 finishes, including the relay, led to 46 team points and an overall first place out of 43 schools.
Cordero Gonzales took fifth in the shot put, landing his best throw of the afternoon at 48 feet, 4 inches. North Monterey County’s Richie Casas won the event with a 52-10. Chima Ikeme, who entered the meet ranked No. 5 in the section, appropriately earned fifth place, tossing a 142-07. Guenther’s 43-06.25 leap in the triple jump notched a third place for the senior. Soares, who said he is still a little hesitant on his take off following a knee injury at last year’s CCS, finished tied for ninth in the long jump with a 20-04. Eric Martinez cleared 12-06 in the pole vault to grab seventh, but just shy of his personal best.
Back on the track, Julius Travis, the section’s defending champ in the 200, placed second in the discipline Friday with a 22.59. The senior, who has been battling a hamstring injury, said he is becoming more and more confident as his heath returns to normal. Julius ran a 21.83 to claim is CCS championship a year ago.
“I’m starting to get more comfortable,” he said.
Soares and Julius broke the 11-second mark for the first time this season, electrifying the crowd with a simultaneous 10.98 finish to share the crown in the 100.
“Right now, their best competition is each other,” Johnston said. “(The race) looked good. I was talking to them about finishing and they did that today.”
The 10.98 stands as the section’s third fastest time this season. Johnny Beard of Piedmont Hills (10.91) has the top time thus far.
The girls were represented by three athletes, Sarina Sandoval, Athena Alarcon and Samantha Una Dia. Running in the 3200 (2-miles or eight times around the track) Alarcon placed 12th of 23 in the field with an 11:53.03. Anna Maxwell of San Lorenzo Valley took first with a 10:48.90. Una Dia finished 11th (17.47) in the 100 hurdles. Saratoga’s Crystal Yen won the event in 15.25.
In one of the closer outcomes of the day, Sandoval missed out on a gold medal in the shot put by one-half inch. Sandoval, who is seeded fourth in the section, posted a 36-11 for second place.
