TRACK NOTEBOOK: WAYNE'S MAIN LANE PAIN WANES.

Byline: Matthew Kredell Staff Writer

Jensen Wayne looked back for the baton, took the handoff, turned around and bam!

A Dominguez of Compton runner had lingered on the track, between the first and second lanes, where the Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks 1,600-meter relay team was running.

Wayne was forced to a complete stop, losing valuable seconds and falling from third to the back of the pack at the Masters meet Saturday. The crowd moaned, Wayne yelled, but the officials did nothing.

The race went on as if nothing had happened. Notre Dame battled back but finished sixth, thus missing qualifying for the state meet by one place.

The state prelims will be today and the finals will be Saturday at Cerritos College in Norwalk.

``That really (upset) me, ... because it ruined the race,'' Wayne said. ``It happened blatantly in front of everyone's eyes. But for some reason, they didn't do anything.''

Notre Dame coaches have the race on tape and tried to appeal to the Southern Section. Wayne said they were told decisions on the track could not be overruled. Dominguez finished second.

That was the only blemish on an otherwise outstanding day for Wayne. He bettered his personal best by more than a half-second to win the 300 hurdles in 37.79 seconds, the second-best time in the state this season. Wayne also qualified in the 110 hurdles.

``I still didn't have a great race,'' Wayne said of the 300 hurdles. ``I stumbled a little after I landed on the first hurdle but had a really good finish. I have room to do better.''

Notre Dame's Louie Procopio joined Wayne in the 110 hurdles in a personal-record 14.54.

--Surprise performance: Rio Mesa of Oxnard hurdler Justin Johnson went from battling to qualify to contending for the state title with one brilliant race.

Johnson won the 110 hurdles at the Masters meet in a school-record 14.28. His previous best without wind was 14.68.

``I was shocked,'' Johnson said. ``I knew I had run a fast race, but I didn't think it would be that fast. It was a perfect race.''

Johnson, a junior who didn't advance past the Southern Section prelims in the 110 hurdles last year, is seeded second entering the state meet.

Teammate Phillip Reid won the Masters title in the 1,600 meters.

It's the first time Rio Mesa has had two Masters winners in one season.

--World view: L.A. Baptist of North Hills sprinter Allyson Felix has joined a select club: a high school athlete with world-class credentials. Her time of 22.95 in the 200 meters at the Masters meet ranked No. 12 among women in the world this year.

--Left behind: Luke Llamas and Ryan Morgan were more saddened than elated when they advanced to the state meet in the 3,200 meters.

Canyon teammate Jameson Mora, expected to give them three competitors in the event when no other school in California has two, failed to qualify. After leading for the fifth and sixth lap, Mora's back tightened and he finished at 9:18.39, seven seconds off his personal best.

Mora, a senior, advanced to the state meet last year. The worst part is knowing that 17 of the 28 runners in the state meet have worse qualifying marks than the off-time he ran at Masters because other sections with automatic qualifiers aren't as good as the Southern Section. One athlete who advanced has a time of more than 10 minutes.

``That really bugs me,'' Mora said. ``I think they should change the system, but they never will.''

Mora plans to go to the state meet to cheer on his teammates.

STATE TRACK AND FIELD

What: Prelims, today, running events starting at 5 p.m.

Finals, Saturday, running events starting at 4 p.m.

Where: Cerritos College

Ones to watch: Randy Bundy, Cleveland, 400; Ryan Davis, Saugus, SP; Allyson Felix, L.A. Baptist, 100 and 200; Derek Hagan, Palmdale, TJ; Justin Johnson, Rio Mesa, 110H; Luke Llamas, Canyon, 3,200; Ryan Morgan, Canyon, 3,200; Travis Patterson, Royal, 1,600; Phillip Reid, Rio Mesa, 1,600; Michelle Rivera, Birmingham, PV; Noah Smith, Taft, 100 and 200; Justin Tryon, Taft, 400; Jensen Wayne, Notre Dame, 300H

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STATE TRACK AND FIELD (see text)