State High School Track and Field Meet : Carrasco Wins the Third Time Around : Anaheim Senior Survives a 15-Minute Delay in High Jump Final

It was three years in the making, but Yleana Carrasco of Anaheim High School finally won the high jump Saturday at the 68th State track and field meet at Cerritos College in Norwalk.

Make that three years plus a 15-minute delay in Carrasco’s quest for the elusive gold medal. Time certainly is not on this young woman’s side.

Carrasco and eight other finalists began the competition at 5-feet 2-inches. The field was narrowed to five once the bar was lifted to 5-7, but suddenly the competition was halted.

A timeout was called by meet officials for the opening ceremonies and the introduction of the state’s scholar-athlete award winners. When the competition resumed 15 minutes later, Eugenia Miller of Crenshaw and Lashawn McBride of Long Beach Poly were no longer up to the challenge of Carrasco.

Carrasco was the only girl to clear 5-9, and then set her sights on 5-10. She cleared the bar on her second attempt but failed in three attempts at 5-11. Last year, she cleared 6 feet but had to be content with a third-place medal.

“I finished third in the State meet as a sophomore and a junior and was expecting it (third) again this year,” Carrasco said. “This was my last high school meet, and I’m glad the way it ended.”

The organizers of the meet nearly ended the competition before it heated up by staging the opening ceremonies in the midst of the high jump.

“They told us before we started that they were going to hold up the competition at some point for the opening ceremonies,” Carrasco said. “It messed everybody up. I’ve never seen that happen before in a meet.”

Two other Orange County athletes--Debbie Orr of Ocean View and Lisa Coleman of Marina--also placed in the high jump. Orr was third at 5-7 and Coleman, a freshman, had a personal best of 5-6 for sixth.

Hurdler Terry Johnson of Katella was the only other county athlete to win an event. Johnson, a senior, won the 110-meter high hurdles in 13.88 to beat Albert Pride (14.13) of Grant. But Johnson had to settle for second place in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles, losing to Rodney Bradshaw of Saugus.

“My shoulder was bothering me all day,” Johnson said. “My 110 race wasn’t my best . . . it wasn’t as strong as my race in the league finals (a wind-aided 13.3). My shoulder was hurting, and I lost my concentration.”

Johnson was attempting to become the first male county athlete to win two gold medals in the State meet since Capistrano Valley’s Brian Blutreich on the shotput and discus events in 1984. But Bradshaw’s 37.30 was slightly faster than Johnson’s 37.46. Johnson stumbled over two hurdles in the race.

Kaleaph Carter of Edison was attempting to become the first sophomore to win the boys’ shotput title since Clarence Houser of Oxnard in 1920, but the 15-year-old came up 8 inches short.

Brian Boggess of Lakeside El Capitan won with a put of 61-4, followed by Carter’s 60-7 3/4. Carter’s best effort came on his second attempt, and he led through the first round. “Boggess had excellent technique on his first throw in the finals to beat me,” Carter said. “I thought I was going to beat him on my last throw, but the shot didn’t come out of my hand correctly.

“I’m disappointed that I didn’t get a personal best or match it (61-11). My personal best would have won the meet. But I have to be optimistic. I’m only a sophomore, and I’ll be back.”

Corona del Mar’s junior discus thrower, Michael Bain, also figures to return. Bain finished third with a mark of 170-6, but he was disappointed with his performance. He had a personal best of 179-1 in the qualifying meet at Valencia High 10 days ago.

“I was forcing things today and nothing seemed natural,” Bain said. “I was hesitating on my spin. The wind was blowing into us at Valencia, which gave my throws more height.

“I would have rather gotten third and thrown 180 feet than 170 feet. But I’m glad I didn’t take first because I have something to work for next year.”

Two county girls--Maggie Henson of Newport Harbor and Orr of Ocean View--earned second-place medals. Henson was the runner-up to Laura Chapel of San Diego University City in the 800 meters. Chapel attended Irvine’s University High before moving to San Diego.

Orr leaped 38-9 1/2 in the triple jump to finish behind San Lorenzo’s Felicia Harris (40-2). Henson also finished sixth in the girls’ 1,600-meter run.

Other top performances by county athletes included:

- Shellie Lovati of El Modena. She finished eighth in the girls’ discus at 130 feet and fourth in the shotput at 41-11.

- Doug Miller of Estancia and Steve Williams of Servite in the boys’ pole vault. Miller was a surprising second at 15-4 while Williams was seventh at 14-8.

- Nicole Ritchot of Edison in the girls’ 800-meter run. Ritchot finished seventh at 2:11.09, but Mission Viejo freshman Kathy Grayson was disqualified, after finishing fourth, for forcing a runner to miss stride.

- Jim Sorenson of Villa Park in the boys’ 800-meter run. He finished sixth at 1:52.38.

- Mike Fritz of Anaheim in the boys’ 400-meter run. He was seventh with a time of 48.26.