City Track and Field Championships : Knighten-Led Locke Girls Are Favored

Led by Chewuakii (Choo Choo) Knighten, powerful Locke High is expected to roll to its second straight City girls’ track title tonight at Birmingham High School, where the City boys’ meet will also be held.

The field events are scheduled to begin at 5:30, the running events at 6. The top four finishers in each event will advance to the State meet in Sacramento next Friday and Saturday.

Knighten, who not only has the opportunity but the athletic ability to set City records in four events, will compete in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter races, and the 100-meter low hurdles.

Besides Knighten, however, Locke has sprinter Tesha Giddens, who should give Knighten a run for her money in the 100 and 200. Knighten has run 11.66 and 23.2 and Giddens ran personal bests of 11.84 and 24.08 in the semifinals. The Saints also have one of the favorites in the 800 in Angie Sims.

Van Nuys’ Kelly Peacock, who like Knighten has qualified in four events, is favored in the long jump and the 300 low hurdles where she has the City bests of 18-5 1/2 and 44.59, respectively.

The boys’ competition will also feature some exceptional individuals. Fairfax’s Danny Everett, who last week was timed in a wind-aided 20.90 in the 200 and has a best of 46.17 in the 400, is a threat to set City records in both events. With Everett anchoring the 400 and 1,600 relays, Fairfax has a chance to end Fremont’s one-year reign as the boys’ champion.

Belmont, Gardena and Granada Hills Kennedy also figure in a very tight team race.

Belmont, runner-up the last two years, is hoping to get 30 points from middle-distance runner Roman Gomez, the defending State champion in the 1,600 and 3,200. Gomez, a senior, and the City record-holder in both events, will be attempting a demanding triple tonight, since he has also qualified in the 800. He leads the City with times of 1:53.22, 4:12.21 and 9:09.37.

Gardena and Kennedy should both score in the boys’ sprints. Indeed, the 100 almost surely will be the evening’s most competitive race with Steve Broussard of Manual Arts, the defending City champion with a time of 10.89, running against Dwight Moore of Westchester, 10.73; Brian Brown of Gardena, 10.81; Mike Pringle of Kennedy, 10.82; and Joe Hart of Locke, 10.88.

Spectators will also have a chance to see Dorsey hurdler Ray Dumas, a transfer student from Hazelwood East in St. Louis. Dumas, a split end, has already accepted a football scholarship to Notre Dame.

The high jump will feature Cleveland junior Trevor Wilson, who has a best of 6-8 and is one of the best basketball players in Southern California.