Taft’s Watts Heads Strong Sprint Field for Tonight’s 45th Pasadena Games

Many of California’s top high school sprinters meet at Occidental College tonight in the 45th Pasadena Games, the oldest high school track and field meet in the state.

Quincy Watts of Taft, the defending state 200-meter champion, is favored in the 100 and 400-meter races. He also will run the anchor leg for the Toreadors’ 400- and 1,600-meter relay teams.

Opposing Watts in the 100 will be Corey Ealy of Muir, Martin Cannady of Duarte and Robert Harris of Simi Valley. Ealy placed fourth in the 100 in the 1986 state championships and Cannady is the defending Southern Section 3-A champion in the 100 and 200. Watts, who has a personal best of 10.56 seconds in the 100 meters, placed second in that event at last year’s state meet.

In the 400, Reggie Johnson of Compton, fifth in last year’s Southern Section 4-A championships, will challenge Watts.

Ealy, third in last year’s state championships, is favored in the 200 meters, but should be challenged by Harris, who was fifth in the state meet last year.

The boys relays also have superb fields. Hawthorne has run 41.45 in the 400-meter relay this year and Muir returns its two fastest sprinters from a team that was timed in 40.93 in 1986. Taft, the defending City Section champion, and Duarte, the defending Southern Section 3-A champion, also are entered.

Hawthorne is favored in the 1,600 relay. Muir, Duarte and Taft should lead the challengers.

The girls 800 meters was the most exciting event at last year’s meet and it could be again this year. Winner Desiree Joubert of Westlake and Locke sophomore Kim McAllister, who staged a thrilling homestretch dual in 1986, are entered.

The other top girls events include the 100- and 300-meter low hurdles. Janeene Vickers of Pomona, the defending state champion in both events, is the favorite. The leading Valley-area entrants are Staci Leach of Thousand Oaks in the 100 lows and teammate Sharon Manship in the 300 lows. Leach also is entered in the 200 and Manship is scheduled to compete in the 400. Each also will run a leg on the Lancers’ 400- and 1,600-meter relay teams.