HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW : TRACK : Watts Gearing Up for Sprint Wins and Pursuit of National Records

After winning three state and four City Section individual titles in the past two years, Quincy Watts of Taft High has some great expectations to fulfill in 1988.

Winning won’t be good enough as many fans will expect meet records and personal bests every time the 6-foot-3, 197-pound Toreador explodes out of the starting blocks.

“If I don’t run fast times and win by a lot, they’ll be disappointed,” Watts said. “But I won’t worry about that. I’ll just concentrate on winning. As long as I win, I’ll be satisfied.”

Watts has experienced little discontent in the past two years because he has little familiarity with losing.

As a sophomore in 1986, he lost only three races and all of them were to Madera’s Ronald McCree, the 1985 and 1986 state champion in the 100 meters.

Last year, Watts was only beaten once in high school competition and that was a fluke loss to former Taft teammate Sean Roberts. Roberts defeated Watts in a 100-meter race when Watts misjudged the finish line and eased up at the 70-meter mark.

Watts should not lose much this season, either, especially if he attains his preseason goals.

“I’d like to break one of the national records in either the 100 or 200,” Watts said. “I’d really like to break both, but I’ll be satisfied with one.”

The national high school record in the 100 meters, 10.13 seconds, was set by Derrick Florence of Galveston, Tex., in 1986. Roy Martin of Dallas set the 200 record of 20.13 in 1985.

While those marks are substantially faster than Watts’ bests of 10.30 and 20.50, the two-time defending state champion in the 200 feels they are attainable.

“Each year, I’ve seen myself getting better and better,” Watts said. “And this year I see myself improving a lot .”

Taft assistant Hilliard Sumner believes Watts can improve enough to make the 1988 U. S. Olympic team.

Sumner, who started coaching Watts with the West Valley Eagles Track Club last summer, sees no reason why the Woodland Hills Wonder can’t compete with the best in the United States in July.

Sumner does not think Watts can defeat Carl Lewis, the four-time Olympic champion in 1984, or Calvin Smith, the two-time world champion. He does believe, however, that Watts may be capable of qualifying for the third and final berth in the 200 meters.

“There’s no reason why he can’t get that third spot,” Sumner said. “This kid has incredible potential. He’s got potential that he doesn’t even know about yet.”

Watts, who has qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 100 and 200, isn’t fretting about his chances.

“I just want to run as well as I can and let what happens, happen,” Watts said of the trials. “No one really expects me to do anything in ’88. Ninety-two is the year I think I’ll be expected to do things. I expect myself to win it then.

“Right now, I’m more worried about getting a college scholarship than the Olympic Trials.”

Watts has narrowed his choices to UCLA, USC, Florida and Arizona, but he won’t make a decision for several weeks.

“I just want to concentrate on the upcoming season,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to running this year, to improving in every meet.”

Watts could lead Taft to its third consecutive City title, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since Fremont turned the trick in 1957-59.

Watts could also make individual history.

If he wins the 200-meter dash at the state championships in June, he will become the first sprinter in 48 years, and only the third ever, to win three consecutive 200 titles.

“I definitely want to double again at the state meet,” Watts said. “But we’d also like to win the 400 relay. We thought we had a shot at winning it last year, but we dropped the baton.”

It was a rare disappointment in Watts’ high school career.

Others to Watch: Though Watts is the most heralded track athlete in the Valley area, there are others to keep an eye on as the 1988 campaign unfolds.

Tom Parker (Notre Dame)--Runner-up in last year’s state championships in the pole vault, Parker raised his personal best to 16 feet, 1 inch, two weeks ago and has cleared 16-0 in three meets this year.

Russell White (Crespi)--Better known for his running on the football field, the Celt junior placed second in the triple jump at last year’s state championships. He holds the Valley-area high school record of 49-7 in the event and also has run 10.95 for 100 meters, 22.0 for 200 and 49.8 for 400.

Angela Burnham (Rio Mesa)--After winning the state 100-meter title as a freshman, Burnham was plagued by injuries and illness during her sophomore season. She has personal bests of 11.77 in the 100 and 24.08 in the 200 and could contend for the state title in both events if she stays healthy.

Jenny Whelchel (Agoura)--The area’s only other returning state champion, Whelchel upset several highly regarded throwers to win last year’s state title in the shotput at 43-9 1/2. She improved her personal best to 44-5 1/2 last week.

Desiree Joubert (Westlake)--As a sophomore, she placed third in the 1986 state championships in the 800 (2:09.62) but was hampered by injuries throughout 1987. If healthy, she could contend for the state title.

Ian Alsen (Granada Hills)--The defending City Section champion in the 3,200 meters, Alsen won the Kinney West Regional cross-country championships in November. He has run personal bests of 1:56.0 in the 800 meters, 4:12.52 in the mile and 9:16.6 in the two mile.

Bryan Dameworth (Agoura)--The Charger sophomore placed seventh in last year’s state championships in the 3,200 meters and won the state Division I cross-country title in November. He has a personal best of 9:09.78 for 3,200 meters.

Travis Cooksey (Rio Mesa)--A notorious front-runner, Cooksey won the 1987 Southern Section title in the 800 and placed sixth in the state championships. His personal best of 1:52.05 makes him the third-fastest returning high school runner in the nation.

Tracy Wilson (Taft)--The defending City shotput champion, Wilson began the season with a personal best of 40-7. She shocked everyone, however, with