Southern Section 4-A Track Meet : Hawthorne Boys, Girls Seeking Championships

There could hardly be a bigger contrast between the tasks confronting the Hawthorne High School boys’ and girls’ track teams Saturday in the Southern Section 4-A track and field meet at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.

There is little, if any, doubt that the Hawthorne boys will win the title. The big questions concern their margin of victory and whether they will score 100 points.

The Hawthorne girls, on the other hand, face an extremely tight battle with Muir of Pasadena for the team championship.

The 4-A division, along with 3-A, 2-A and 1-A divisions, will be in action starting at 11 a.m. The top eight performers in each event, regardless of division, will qualify for the Southern Section Masters Meet next Saturday night.

Hawthorne’s Henry Thomas will be going for his sixth individual division title. The state leader in the 100 meters and 200 meters at 10.25 and 20.4, respectively, Thomas was a double winner as a sophomore in the 3-A, then repeated in both events last year in the 4-A.

Besides Thomas, Hawthorne has Sean Kelly in the 400 (48.50) and 800 (1:51.51), Michael Graham in the 110 high hurdles (14.64) and the 300 intermediate hurdles (37.62), Michael Marsh in the 200 (21.30) and 400 (48.48), John Medford in the high jump (6-8), a national record-setting 1,600-meter relay team (3:07.40) and the state-leading 400 relay quartet (40.64). Hawthorne certainly has the potential to score more than 100 points.

Other individuals to watch include, Chip Rish of Marina of Huntington Beach in the 200 (21.2) and 400 (47.22), Damon Thomas of Pasadena in the 110 high hurdles (14.13), Lawrence Nelson of Simi Valley in the long jump (24-3 1/2) and junior Marcus Hooks of Lakewood in the triple jump (49-10).

In the girls’ division, Hawthorne is dominant at 100 and 200 meters with junior Tami Stiles (11.6 and 24.44), and Kim Grant (11.8 and 24.0).

Linetta Wilson of Muir, who has the best 400-meter time in the Southern Section at 53.96, is expected to successfully defend her title but Hawthorne’s DeAnna Amy (54.9) and Tami Allen (55.77) figure to score for the Cougars.

Muir is overpowering in the 100 and 300 low hurdles. Carrie Franklin (14.04) and Lana Cantrell (13.7) could finish 1-2 in the 100 low hurdles.

Cantrell is also in the 300 low hurdles, where she has the nation’s second-fastest time at 42.3, but the recent emergence of Wilson as a hurdler could be what the Mustangs need to win the title.

Last week Wilson, running in only the third 300 low hurdles race of her career, clocked 42.26 for the fastest time in the nation this year.

Nikky Caddell should also score in both hurdles races for the Mustangs.

Hawthorne, at 45.29, and Muir, at 46.14, are ranked first and third in the nation in the 400 relay. The Cougars hold a 4-0 edge this year in head-to-head meetings.

In the 1,600 relay, where those two schools are No. 2 and No. 4 in the nation, Muir has the better time, 3:45.10 to 3:46.51, and has beaten the Cougars in all four of their meetings. The nation’s leading time of 3:44.31 is by Houston Sterling.

There are two other keys:

--The ability of Muir’s Franklin to break up the Hawthorne sprinters in the 100.

--The performance of Hawthorne freshman De De Wheeler, who will be trying split the Muir runners in both the 100 and 300 low hurdles.