WEST VALLEY LEAGUE MEET: TAFT BEATS BIRMINGHAM AGAIN AT WIRE DEFENDING CITY CHAMPION HAS JUST ENOUGH AS FINAL EVENT PIVOTAL IN WIN.Byline: Kirby Lee Staff Writer Taft High is an overwhelming favorite to defend its City Section boys' track and field title, but the Toreadors had all they could handle against Birmingham on Wednesday night. Taft held on for a 68-59 victory after Noah Smith held off Birmingham's Ramal ramal /ra·mal/ (ra´m'l) pertaining to a ramus. ra·mal adj. Of or relating to a ramus. ramal pertaining to a ramus. Porter on the anchor of the 1,600-meter relay in the West Valley League meet at Birmingham of Van Nuys. The Toreadors were timed in 3 minutes, 23.42 seconds to win by five hundredths of a second. Taft of Woodland Hills entered the 1,600 relay holding a 63-59 lead with the outcome of the meet hinging on the event. Smith, a sophomore, also won the 100 (10.99), 200 (21.80) and anchored the 400 relay of Steve Smith, Chris Morgan Chris Morgan is the name of:
In the 1,600 relay, Paul Pratt, Lahsaei and Mike Pratt gave Smith a 20-meter lead on the final leg. But Porter, winner of the 400 in 48.92 and a state finalist in the event as a sophomore last season, cut the deficit in half by the midway point and made a strong run down the final stretch with a 48.9 anchor. ``I didn't care how much of a lead I had,'' said Smith, who missed most of his freshman season because of injury. ``Just give me the baton. With me at anchor anchored. See also: Anchor , we're not going to lose. That may sound bigheaded but you have to have faith.'' Taft (2-0) also defeated Birmingham (1-1) last season 68-59 by squeaking squeak v. squeaked, squeak·ing, squeaks v.intr. 1. To give forth a short, shrill cry or sound. 2. Slang To turn informer. v.tr. out a victory in the 1,600 relay at the finish. The Toreadors, though, were projected to have much more of a cushion this season until a hamstring injury hamstring injury Sports medicine A muscle injury of biceps femoris, seen in sprinters and runners, when a contracted muscle meets a lengthening force, overpowering intrinsic muscle resiliency Management RICE, NSAIDs, gradual ↑ of pain-free activity–eg, to junior Tyrone Melton mel·ton n. A heavy woolen cloth used chiefly for making overcoats and hunting jackets. [After Melton Mowbray, an urban district of central England.] , a City finalist in the high jump and 400, who was also expected to contribute on the 400 and 1,600 relays. The victory was Taft's fourth in a row over Birmingham, the Patriots' only losses over the last 14 years. ``We knew the meet was going to come down to an eyelash eyelash /eye·lash/ (-lash) cilium; one of the hairs growing on the edge of an eyelid. eye·lash n. 1. Any of the short hairs fringing the edge of the eyelid. Also called cilium. without Tyrone,'' first-year coach Troy Starr said. ``We decided to hold him out because our goal is to peak in June. Right now, this is great but it is a small step.'' In the girls' competition, Birmingham (2-0) overwhelmed o·ver·whelm tr.v. o·ver·whelmed, o·ver·whelm·ing, o·ver·whelms 1. To surge over and submerge; engulf: waves overwhelming the rocky shoreline. 2. a. three-time defending City champion Taft (0-2) 89-32 by winning 10 of 15 events, including sweeps in the 200, 800, 1,600, 3,200 pole vault pole vault Track-and-field event consisting of a vault for height over a crossbar with the aid of a long pole. It became a competitive sport in the mid-19th century and was included in the first modern Olympic Games. and shot put. The Taft boys received an ironman Ironman - HOLWG, DoD, Jan 1977, revised Jul 1977. Fourth of the series of DoD requirements that led to Ada. "Department of Defense Requirements for High Order Computer Programming Languages", SIGPLAN Notices 12(12):39-54 (Dec 1977). performance from UCLA-bound senior Daniel Clements. The City Section cross country champion won the 800 (2:01.68), 1,600 (4:30.63) and 3,200 (10:14.78). He hopes to attempt the same triple in the City championships in May. ``I want to go out and party,'' Clements said. ``I am done. I am happy and thrilled. It's over and I did my part. I knew the relay could do their part. I just wanted to go out and win by the least amount possible.'' Morgan, the defending state champion in the 110 high hurdles, also had a hand in three victories, winning his specialty in 14.07, the long jump at 21-11 3/4 and second in the triple jump behind teammate Steve Smith. Jennifer Mobarez and Porscha Holland were double winners for the Birmingham girls in the 1,600 and 3,200 and the 100 and 300 hurdles, respectively. Defending state high jump champion Schquay Brignac, the lone returning scorer from last year's City championship team, accounted for 18 of Taft's 32 points. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: Melissa Astete of Birmingham High warms up before Wednesday night's track meet with Taft. Taft High runner Chris Morgan helped the Toreadors to a state-leading mark of 41.30 Wednesday night at Birmingham. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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