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Kennedy Goes Deep to Clinch Title : Golden Cougars Show Their Depth to Outlast San Fernando

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Kennedy High’s superior depth in the field events and distance races led the Golden Cougars to an easy 72-50 win over San Fernando in a meet at San Fernando on Friday.

The victory assured the Golden Cougars (4-0) of at least a tie for the Mid-Valley League title, as previously undefeated San Fernando dropped to 3-1.

With a victory over Monroe next week, Kennedy will win its second straight league title and seventh in the last nine years.

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San Fernando hurdler Shelton Boykin should get some credit for the Kennedy victory. It was his taunting of Kennedy’s Wilton Mays at the end of the 120-yard high hurdles that served as motivation for the Golden Cougars.

Boykin’s antics were an attempt to psych-out Kennedy, but they had the opposite effect.

A fired-up Kennedy 440-yard relay team came back in the next event and blew away the Tigers, giving the Golden Cougars an 8-6 lead they never relinquished. The team of Boris Gurarie, Barry Rankins, Derek Cowan and John Diggs displayed fine baton passing to clock a season-best 42.9.

The Golden Cougars then swept the 880 to go ahead 17-6. Dimitry Lagos (2:05.1) won the race.

Kennedy co-coach Pete Nelson felt that the 880 was the turning point. “Before the race, I felt that their kid (Juan Soto) was capable of winning. But we were able to sweep the event, and that really swung the momentum in our favor,” he said.

Gurarie, a senior, said that Boykin’s taunting helped Kennedy. “What he did was classless. It made us mad. We really wanted to beat them after that.”

And it showed in their performance.

Ara Derderian won the shotput at 50-8, which equaled his season best. Serapio Jaramillo won the mile in a personal best of 4:38.2. Antonio Duran was victorious in the two-mile in 10:29.7 and Diggs tied for first in the long jump (21-2 1/2).

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Gurarie also finished a close second behind San Fernando’s David Sals in the 220-yard dash. Both sprinters were credited with wind-aided times of 22.2.

Sals performed superbly for the Tigers in defeat. In addition to his 220 effort, the junior won the 100-meter dash in a wind-aided 10.9 and ran the second legs on both relay teams.

Boykin also won two events, the high hurdles in a wind-aided 14.8 and the 330-yard intermediate hurdles in 40.4.

However San Fernando’s speed proved to be no match for Kennedy’s depth.

In the girls meet, Kennedy defeated San Fernando, 63-45. It was the 44th straight league victory for the Golden Cougars and assured them of at least a tie for their ninth straight league title.

Sheri Lawson led Kennedy, winning the mile in a personal best of 5:31.0 and the two-mile in 12:13.0.

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