San Diego Prep Review : It’s Technique, Not Size, That Puts Fisher in Final

Had a group of college football recruiters been asked to select which of the hundreds of area discus throwers would qualify for the nine berths in the San Diego Section track and field final, there’s a good chance Bryan Fisher would not have been one of them.

You see, the Valhalla High School senior stands 5-foot 5-inches and weighs 140 pounds. And the same kind of intellect that tabs kids too small for football, usually works against throwers as well.

But, led by proper technique and lots of effort, Fisher qualified for the section final Thursday at San Diego State University.

Fisher didn’t edge his way into the final, either. He qualified third on Saturday with a toss of 145-2. He finished ahead of 260-pound Joe Bowser of Serra (143-10) and the San Diego County leader, Brian Boggess of El Capitan (142-10).

“Being smaller than the other guys doesn’t bother me at all,” Fisher said. “I just compete against myself.”

Fisher’s best throw was a 154-0 at the Grossmont League finals on May 10, and he said he hopes to throw 160-0 before season’s end. Should he at least hold his third-place position on Thursday, he will qualify for the state meet on May 31 and June 1 at Sacramento.

There was no wind blowing across the SDSU track on Saturday morning during the discus preliminaries. But a strong wind was blowing that afternoon as Fisher sized up his chances.

“We’ll be throwing in the afternoon on Thursday,” Fisher said. “If the wind is blowing like it is now, it’ll hurt my chances.

“If the conditions aren’t good, I don’t have much of a chance because I’m all technique. The big guys still have their strength to overcome the conditions.”

Moving fast: The San Diego sprint championship is wide open this season as El Camino’s Darron Norris, who coasted to the 100- and 200-meter dash wins last season, has found three legitimate challengers.

And suddenly, the state title, which was owned by Hawthorne’s Henry Thomas, also is in doubt. Thomas had an appendectomy on Friday and will be unable to defend his 100 and 200 state titles.

Should Norris return to form in the 100 Thursday in the San Diego Section finals, he would be considered one of the favorites in Sacramento.

Norris will face a strong challenge from Mount Miguel’s Ron Young, Fallbrook’s Mike Robinson and Patrick Henry’s Mike Conway. Young had the top time of the day in the 200 (a county best 21.9). Norris led all qualifiers in the 100 (10.94).

Moving up: According to the latest prep baseball rankings by Cal-Hi Sports, Patrick Henry has moved from fifth to second in the state 4-A Division rankings and Granite Hills entered the top 10 at No. 7.

Mission Bay is No. 6 in the 3-A and San Pasqual is No. 4 in the 2-A. Parker is No. 4 in the Class B rankings. Parker and Santa Fe Christian are already set as the 1-A San Diego Section finalists and will play for the title at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium at 11 a.m. on May 29.

The 2-A and 3-A baseball championship games will be May 30, following the San Diego Padres’ game against Montreal at the stadium.

The state rankings are not limited to baseball. The Madison softball team is ranked No. 3 by Cal-Hi Sports in the 4-A Division.

Moving out: Neil Bernstein, a 1984 Times’ All-County Basketball selection at La Jolla High, has been selected to play for the United States in the Maccabiah Games in Israel, which start July 15. Bernstein saw a lot playing time as a 6-9 freshman center at the University of Pennsylvania this season.

Moving on: Morse’s Paul Bryant, a member of The Times’ 1985 All-County team, has signed a letter of intent to attend Arizona Western College in Yuma. Bryant averaged 22.7 points per game in leading Morse to the San Diego Section 3-A Conference title game against Poway.

Moving over: Darcy Arreola’s 2:09.59 in the girls’ 800 Saturday ranks as the top time in the state. The Grossmont High junior has decided, however, to drop the event in favor of the 1,600, 3,200 and 1,600-meter relay in Thursday’s section finals.

The 2:12.4 run by Mount Carmel’s Lesley Noll on May 10 in the Palomar League finals is the third best in the state. Laura Chapel of University City (2:13.43) is fourth and Vista’s Robin Eager (2:14.3) is fifth.

Moving around: Dan Ritter has resigned as coach of the University City football team and will join the University of San Diego football staff. Ritter coached University City the past three seasons.

Moving early: The Bill Williams Football Camp for boys 8-14 and high school athletes 14-18 will be held July 15-19 at El Cajon Valley High School.

Among the coaches involved in the camp are Gene Alim, coach of 3-A champion Sweetwater High, and Herb Meyer, coach of 2-A champion El Camino. Alim will help the wide receivers and defensive backs, and Meyer will work with offensive backs and assist in defensive drills. Bennie Edens, coach of Point Loma High, will teach quarterback and defensive secondary techniques.