Town Crier Sports Editor
CCS track and field
Damesha Craig does more than just set sprint records and anchorSt. Francis’ girls winning relay teams.
The Lancer junior also sets an example for freshman teammateKerry Blaschke – by showing her the way to the finish line. Forthe entire season, Craig and Blaschke have been the No. 1 and2 runners in the Central Coast Section 100- and 200-sprint rankings.
And that’s exactly the way it went again last Thursday at theCCS track and field championships at San Jose City College. Thanksto those individual performances – and many others – St. Francis’girls raced to their second consecutive title with 72 points;on the boys side, defending champion Los Altos and St. Ignatiustied for second with 30 points.
“I just stay on Damesha’s shoulder and have her pace me,”laughed Blaschke, who also qualified for this weekend’s statemeet at Cerritos College in Norwalk as a top-three finisher. “Isee state as a learning experience. To see who’s out there, andhang with the big girls.”
Craig was one of the biggest in the section on Thursday, dashingto first in the 100 (12.05) and 200 (24.13, a meet record). Alsofor St. Francis were firsts in the 400 relay (47.68) and 1600relay (3:52.71), and Michelle Steingart’s second and third inthe 300 and 100 hurdles, respectively.
For Los Altos, Jessica Burnham leapt into the state meet witha second-place finish in the long jump (18-foot-3/4), topped onlyby four-event winner Tisha Ponder of Del Mar (20-06).
Los Altos’ guys also put on a show, with Willie Howard winningboth the shot put (58-05) and discus (171-01) and Darren Marbleplacing second in the high jump (6-4) behind Mountain View’s JohnBull (6-6).
Howard was joined in both events by freshman Pete Bjorklund,who placed sixth each time. “This is not just for us. It’salso for Miah (Girouard) and Joy (de Armero),” Howard saidof the other supportive Los Altos throwers.
On a personal level, Howard described what it took to win onThursday: “Today, I had 30 people from my school, and coachesfrom other schools, saying ‘Go for it.’ And the paper (San JoseMercury) said I was inconsistent, so I knew I could bust one out- and I did.”
In his first year of high school competition, Bjorklund put upsome impressive marks: shot, 51-03; discus, 139-01. And threeyears down the road, he should be a force to be reckoned with.”My senior goal is to break the state record in the discusand shot,” he said.
While Howard owned the shot-put and discus areas at San JoseCity, Mountain View’s Bull held court at the high jump. His 6-6jump topped the field and has him motivated to clear 6-10 at thestate meet.
Bull also qualified for state with a second-place finish in the110 hurdles (14.53). “I was quick in between the hurdles,but I’ve got to work on starts,” he said of his best run.”I feel I’ve turned it up a notch. I’ve got a great coach(Jennifer Greene) whose been fine tuning me.”
As Bull looked around at the huge crowd, and soaked in the atmosphereand his success, he added: “I’ve had a fun day.”
St. Francis’ boys, ninth-place finishers with 21 points, willsend Eric Stuart (400 sprint) and the 400 relay team to state.
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