Edison’s Carter Scratches, Ends Up 4th

Heavy rains, cold winds and quickly waning crowds were more than enough to discourage many of the top high school entrants at the Mt. SAC Relays Saturday morning at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.

Many of the premier athletes--including Taft High School’s Quincy Watts, the nation’s leader at 100 meters--were noticeably absent, having scratched from their events because of the weather.

“We’re getting out of here,” Edison’s Kaleaph Carter, the nation’s leading shotputter, said after he scratched midway through the shotput competition. Carter’s teammates David Noel, the state’s leading pole vaulter, and Charlie Tyler, a top long jumper, scratched from their events as well.

The shotput event, one of several that, if filmed, would have contributed well to a track and field blooper movie, was stopped periodically so the official could search for the steel ball that many times got lost in the mud.

Carter, whose best mark is 63-feet 2 3/4-inches, threw it 52-10 before he left Saturday. That was good enough for fourth.

William Dancy of Santa Ana Valley leaped 20-11 to take third in the invitational long jump, an event that was stopped after conditions became too slippery. In the earlier open long jump, Los Alamitos’ John Cisneros placed third at 21-4.

The wet conditions didn’t put a damper on every event, though.

In the boys’ invitational 3,200-meter relay, Crea of Mexico won in a meet-record time of 7 minutes 45.1 seconds. Esperanza finished sixth in 8:00.2.

In the boys’ invitational 100 meters, Westminster’s David Reedus got a good start en route to a third-place finish in 11.2 seconds, 0.1 seconds ahead of Glyn Milburn, a Santa Monica football and track star.

Brad McQuaia of Calgary, Canada, won the event in 11.0. Paraclete’s David Nottoli, the defending Southern Section 3-A 100-meter champion, was second, also in 11.0.

Corona del Mar’s Mark Miller, Jeff Brixey, Bonne Liu and Doug Davis combined to win the shuttle hurdle relay in 1:03.7.

In the invitational 1,500 meters, Newport Harbor’s Jim Geerlings led the pack through the first 1,200 before dropping to seventh, where he finished in 4:02.45. Mission Viejo’s Greg Lamb was ninth in 4:07.39.

Spencer Punter of Canada won the event in 3:59.90.

In the distance medley, Edison’s Chris Parmer, Rick Loranger, Brian Whitmore and sophomore Dave Baker--the same foursome who won the 4 x 800-meter relay, all with personal bests, Friday afternoon--placed fourth in 10:29.82. Walnut won in 10:15.58.

In the 100-meter hurdles, Marina’s Marc Kallick placed second in 15.2. Mater Dei’s George Lynch was fifth (no time available).

In the 300-meter hurdles, Garden Grove’s Anthony Hale was second (38.6), holding off Lynch, who finished third (39.3).

The meet began at 8:20 a.m. under partly cloudy skies, but around 10:30 a light rain began and quickly became a steady downpour.

Despite the rain, most of the running events began on schedule, though several races were marred by the poor conditions.