Prep Review / Steve Scott : For Point Loma’s Davis, Looks Are Deceiving

At 6-feet 1-inch and 205 pounds, Point Loma High School’s Dan Davis hardly looks like a discus thrower. And going a step further, one would not expect Davis to be one San Diego County’s best.

Davis is both.

“I’m usually smaller than the other discus throwers,” Davis said. “I’m almost always smaller than the guys throwing at my level.”

A case in point was Point Loma’s dual meet last Thursday against Serra. Davis entered the meet with the county’s best mark (159-2 1/2), but was throwing against Joe Bowser, a 270-pound giant who is Davis’ closest competition.

Bowser shattered Davis’ prior mark by throwing 160-9, but Davis responded by throwing 162-9 3/4 on Thursday to retain the county’s top mark.

Davis had a best mark of 145-7 during his junior season and improved to 159-2 1/2 during the first dual meet this season. Davis credited his big improvement to a summer dedicated to training.

Davis’ training is not exclusive to just throwing events as he has also competed in the pole vault. He said his best in practice is 12-6, but his competition best is 11-6.

“I want to eventually be a decathlete,” Davis said. “I’ve been trying to work on the technical events, the hurdles, discus and pole vault. I can’t throw the javelin. And I’ve been working on the high jump some, too.”

Davis is aware that it’s a rarity for a thrower to become a decathlete, but he isn’t limited in his track and field exploits.

“Yeah, most decathletes come out of the sprints and jumps,” Davis said. “It would be real bizarre for a thrower to make it.”

But Davis is working to make it happen. In addition to his daily discus training, Davis plays basketball and rows for the San Diego Rowing Club.

It is his quickness that Davis thinks will pull him through the decathlon.

“Nine of the 10 decathlon events are based on quickness. All except the 1,500,” Davis said. “Being a smaller guy in the discus helps too. I’m quick across the ring.”

Big meet ahead: The lane assignments for the Sundevil/Coca-Cola Relays on April 20 at Mount Carmel High were announced on Saturday. The field is one of the finest ever assembled in San Diego County.

Choo Choo Knighten of Locke High in Los Angeles, who equaled her own national prep record in the 500-meter dash in the Michelob Invitational in February, will run the 100 (11.4), 200 (23.2) and the 400 (52.1).

Many San Diegans are coming off fine performances at Saturday’s Arcadia Invitational. Grossmont’s Darcy Arreola, who finished second in the 800 (2:14.68) and fourth in the 1,600 (4:59.29), will run the 1,500 and 3,000 at Mount Carmel. And Hilltop’s Ellis del Sol, who finished second in the Arcadia 3,200 (9:03.95), will run the 1,500.

The lone county winner at Arcadia was Southwest’s Tracy Crawford, who threw 141-8 in the discus. Crawford will double in the discus and shot put on Saturday.

Prep signings: Santana’s All-County girls basketball forward Chris Sherman has signed a letter of intent to attend Louisiana Tech University on a softball scholarship. Sherman is a catcher but was recruited as an outfielder.

Sherman, a 5-11 forward, averaged 22.5 points and 11.3 rebounds for the Sultan basketball team last season.

Add signings: One might expect The Times’ 1985 Boys San Diego All-County Player of the Year, Howard Wright of Patrick Henry, to feel the pressure of trying to make a good impression on the court in his freshman season at Stanford University. But Wright sees things differently.

“Their combination of athletics and academics is the best in the nation,” he said. “Regardless of how I do in basketball, the diploma, which I plan to get, will say a lot. I’m not expecting nor expected to do anything in basketball next season. I’m not in any big hurry.”

Fallbrook’s key element: Last season, Fallbrook track Coach Tim Oder was rebuilding the Warrior track program. He has apparently found the final piece to his puzzle in senior Mike Robinson, who ran at Lakes High in Tacoma, Wash. last season.

Robinson won the Invitational 400 and anchored the winning 400 and 1,600 relays on Saturday at the Poway-Pepsi Track Festival.

“The other kids were cheering him like he was God’s gift to track and field,” Oder said. “And he pulls all these kids with him. This year we have 10 guys under 55 (seconds in the 400). Two years ago that would’ve been our best mark.”