Guenther racks up three golds, GHS boys finish second
Gilroy High track and field head coach Alvin Harrison describes David Guenther as a ball of energy. It’s a fairly loose summation of the often jovial sprinter who rarely lacks something to say.
Guenther bounced around the infield at the 41st annual Avis Kelley Invitational on Saturday just waiting for a chance to unleash his pent up potency.
With two personal bests to his credit after the meet, Guenther maximized his force.
Claiming gold in the 400-meter dash (51.15) and the long jump (21 feet, 6 inches), both personal records, Guenther alone secured 20 team-points toward the Mustangs’ 57, which gave them second place at their home meet.
“David had a great day. David was on fire and is poised to do great things,” Harrison said. “A guy like that is well suited for 400 meters because that energy is continual.”
Central High School–Fresno took the boys’ title and Mount Pleasant earned the girls’ crown at the 38-team gala.
Guenther also helped the GHS boys’ 4X400-meter relay team (Julius Travis, Romeo Travis, Jourdan Soares and Guenther) to victory in 3:28.73, 12 seconds faster than second-place Burlingame.
The senior’s triple gold highlighted a day where the GHS boys track and field team took the good with the bad. The 57 points were three more than third-place Willow Glen but a whopping 45 behind Central. And with Julius Travis and Jourdan Soares returning to full-fledged activity after missing time with various injuries, the sprint specialists were not at full potential.
A dropped baton during the first exchange (Soares to J. Travis) in the 4X100-meter relay denied the Mustangs’ (defending Central Coast Section champions) the chance to compete in the event finals. However, the faux pas didn’t bother Harrison much as he looked toward future meets.
“Even though they dropped the baton, the initial start was great,” he said. “They would’ve broken the school record. They will get it together.”
As he continues to regain his conditioning and flow, Julius Travis, who Harrison said is receiving interested looks from various universities, did not qualify for the 200 finals, an event where he is the reigning section champ, and took the 100 finals off after qualifying.
“When you are healthy you feel invincible,” Harrison said. “But when you have an injury a little doubt creeps in. Although he is now healthy, we are now building his confidence back and re-registering his muscle memory.”
The Mustangs were still well represented in the 100 finals, however. Soares posted an 11.34 for second.
Though missing his personal best distance of 48 feet-7 inches, which puts him in the top-10 in the section, Cordero Gonzales posted a 47-8.50 in the shot put to notch second while teammate Austin Boyd finished seventh.
The boys and girls throws team has received its due acclaim in the early portion of the season. Led by coach Brian Lopez, the Mustangs boys and girls are consistently posting CCS-leading numbers.
On the girls’ side, the Mustangs took a modest sixth place, anchored in large part by the discus and shot put efforts from Angeline Kimbo and Sarina Sandoval as well as a busy afternoon on the track from Chelsey Kalata.
Sandoval, who is ranked first in the section in shot put, finished second on Saturday with a 36-09.75.
“She did a fantastic job yesterday,” Harrison said. “I believe she is going to rank very high the rest of the way.”
Kimbo and her 36-03.00 placed third. Kimbo also nabbed the third spot in the discus, marking a 99-03. Kalata crossed in fifth in the 100 and 200. Mariza Ruelas recorded a 12:06.59 in the 3200 to garner the third position and the 4X400 relay team took third (4:24.53).
Sophomore Enrique Villanueva couldn’t hide an ear-to-ear smile even if her tried, showing off his gold medal he won in the frosh/soph 3200-meter race. Villanueva blistered the field in the 2-mile event, clocking a 10:20.30 second time.
Christopher’s Marty Ettema continued his stellar season, posting a school record (15.38) in the 110 hurdles, eclipsing his own mark to take third.
“His frame makes him perfect for the 110,” CHS head coach Jeff Myers said. “He is able to move his frame efficiently and quickly. He’s built for it. We are going to work the rest of the season on his speed in between the hurdles. That’s where he is getting beat right now. But we expect to see 14(seconds)soon.”
CHS’s success in hurdles didn’t end with Ettema.
Haylee Peterson, in just her third hurdles competition advanced the finals where she set her own school record (18.12) in placing eighth.
