Burroughs’ Valles vaults into Masters Meet

May 20, 2017 9:10 PM PT

Reporting from Norwalk —

While six athletes from the city of Burbank entered the CIF Southern Section Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College with various goals, only one competitor guaranteed his season wouldn’t end Saturday.

Burroughs High’s Christian Valles will carry the local torch at Friday’s Masters Meet in Arcadia after the junior qualified out of the pole vault competition in a meet that included athletes from Burbank High and Bellarmine-Jefferson.

Valles matched his personal-best vault of 15 feet in the Division I pole vault championships, which merited him third place. Valles was one of four vaulters to tie for fifth overall among the four divisions.

“It was real nerve-racking out there,” Valles said. “It’s just awesome to be in this company and it’s a fun environment. You’ve got to love it.”

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Agoura Hills High School’s Tara Davis sailed to a twenty-two-feet three and three quarter inch mark in the Girls Division 2 Long Jump at the 2017 CIF Southern Section Track & Field Divisional Finals, at Cerritos College in Norwalk on Saturday, May 20, 2017. Davis’ mark is the the best in California for all conditions and number two in the USA for all conditions. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Agoura Hills High School’s Tara Davis shows her excitement on her second jump where she sailed to a twenty-one-feet three inches mark in the Girls Division 2 Long Jump at the 2017 CIF Southern Section Track & Field Divisional Finals, at Cerritos College in Norwalk on Saturday, May 20, 2017. Davis’ best mark is the the best in California for all conditions and number two in the USA for all conditions. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Agoura Hills High School’s Tara Davis won the Division 2 girls 100 meter hurdles at the 2017 CIF Southern Section Track & Field Divisional Finals, at Cerritos College in Norwalk on Saturday, May 20, 2017. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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La Cañada High School’s Claire Murray won the Division 3 girls 100 meter hudrdles at the 2017 CIF Southern Section Track & Field Divisional Finals, at Cerritos College in Norwalk on Saturday, May 20, 2017. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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La Cañada High School’s Claire Murray won the Division 3 girls 100 meter hurdles at the 2017 CIF Southern Section Track & Field Divisional Finals, at Cerritos College in Norwalk on Saturday, May 20, 2017. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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St. Francis High School’s Matthew Molina participates in the Division 3 boys high jump at the 2017 CIF Southern Section Track & Field Divisional Finals, at Cerritos College in Norwalk on Saturday, May 20, 2017. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Agoura Hills High School’s Tara Davis reaches high towards the sky on her first of three jumps in the Girls Division 2 Long Jump at the 2017 CIF Southern Section Track & Field Divisional Finals, at Cerritos College in Norwalk on Saturday, May 20, 2017. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Flintridge Prep’s Hanna Barakat in the Girls Division 4 400 meter dash at the 2017 CIF Southern Section Track & Field Divisional Finals, at Cerritos College in Norwalk on Saturday, May 20, 2017. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Damien High School’s Zachary Shinnick won the Boys Division 3 400 meter dash at the 2017 CIF Southern Section Track & Field Divisional Finals, at Cerritos College in Norwalk on Saturday, May 20, 2017. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Rancho Verde High School’s Isaiah Cunningham, center, won the Boys Division 1 100 meter dash at the 2017 CIF Southern Section Track & Field Divisional Finals, at Cerritos College in Norwalk on Saturday, May 20, 2017. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Bell-Jeff High School’s Cailty Couch participated in the Girls Division 4 800 meter run at the 2017 CIF Southern Section Track & Field Divisional Finals, at Cerritos College in Norwalk on Saturday, May 20, 2017. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Flintridge Prep’s Sasha Codiga participated in the Girls Division 4 800 meter run at the 2017 CIF Southern Section Track & Field Divisional Finals, at Cerritos College in Norwalk on Saturday, May 20, 2017. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Burbank High School’s Mikaela Teixeira clears the ten-foot nine-inch mark in the Girls Division 2 Long Jump at the 2017 CIF Southern Section Track & Field Divisional Finals, at Cerritos College in Norwalk on Saturday, May 20, 2017. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Flintridge Prep’s Evan Pattinelli won the boys Division 4 3200 meter run at the 2017 CIF Southern Section Track & Field Divisional Finals, at Cerritos College in Norwalk on Saturday, May 20, 2017. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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Valles was on the brink of missing the cut on a couple of occasions after converting his first attempts at 13-6 and 14.

Valles needed a third try to secure 14-6 and then 15 feet before missing on three attempts at 15-6.

The junior is the third Burroughs vaulter to advance to the Masters Meet over the last four seasons and joins Matthew Schwartz (2014) and Sarah Prystupa (2016).

“I felt a little of the history,” Valles said. “Sarah came by and she made it to state last year. I just want to go to state, too.”

Burbank High girls’ pole vaulter Mikaela Teixeira had aspirations of advancing to the Masters Meet and may still do so. As of Saturday, though, Teixeira did not qualify as the senior tied for fifth in the Division I pole vault with a mark of 11-3.

That distance placed her outside the top 12 automatic entries at No. 14, or the second alternate for the event.

Despite the near miss, Teixeira was anything but disappointed.

“It means the world to me to be here,” Teixeira said. “I’ve had a really tough three years getting to this point. I’ve made mistakes along the way and to see progress happen, that’s all I can ask for.”

Teixeira doesn’t leave Burbank empty-handed either, as she owns the school record in the pole vault at 11-6, which she set at the Division I prelims on May 13.

Bell-Jeff junior Caitlyn Couch was so ecstatic to compete in the Division IV 800-meter championship that the reigning Santa Fe League champion in three events raced from the starting line into first place over 150 meters.

Couch held the lead until the halfway point when she was passed up. She eventually finished sixth with a time of 2 minutes, 21.53 seconds, which came up short of her prelims mark of 2:18.53.

While the wind wreaked havoc all day, Couch had more difficulties with the heat.

“It was definitely really hot and the one thing I really noticed,” said Couch, who earned an at-large berth to the 1,600 but chose not to run. “It’s not that hot off the track, but once you’re on it, it’s 100 more degrees.”

Even though Couch ended her season Saturday, she was thrilled to have advanced to the division championship level.

“I’m honestly happy I made it here again because last year I didn’t qualify by myself,” Couch said. “I had people drop out last year, so that’s how I made it. To qualify for myself is just amazing.”

Couch’s final event came in the 1,600-meter relay where she ran the second leg with Cosette Balmy, Claire Borot and Dalila Rincan.

The foursome entered having set the school record of 4:09.40 at the Division IV prelims at Carpinteria High on May 13.

It appeared the group beat that mark by finishing eighth in a new school record of 4:09.07.

Unfortunately for the Guards, they were disqualified for stepping out of the running lane.

andrew.campa@latimes.com

Twitter: @campadresports