New Stars Born in Mid-Valley Meet : Without Alsen and Burt, League Final Showcases Unsung Talent

With Ian Alsen of Granada Hills High and Rodney Burt of Birmingham absent, the Mid-Valley League track finals Thursday at Birmingham offered some lesser-known athletes a chance to make names for themselves.

Alsen, the defending City Section champion in the 3,200 meters and the owner of the fastest outdoor times in the nation in the 1,600 and 3,200 meters, was declared academically ineligible last week. Burt, the Valley-area leader in the 400, was sidelined by chicken pox.

With Alsen and Burt missing, the sprinters and jumpers shone brightest on a blustery day.

Tony Brown and Damon Garrett of Kennedy, Larry Collins of Granada Hills and James Green of Van Nuys all turned in noteworthy performances.

Brown won the 100 meters in a wind-aided 10.7 seconds. Garrett, who had defeated Burt in a dual meet two weeks ago, won the 400 in 51.2 and Collins won the 200 with a wind-aided 21.9.

Green, the only double winner in the boys’ meet, won the long jump and triple jump with wind-aided marks of 21 feet, 4 1/2 inches and 44-1 3/4.

Brown, Garrett and Collins did not limit their talents to one event.

Brown placed third in the 200 (22.0) and ran legs on the Golden Cougars’ victorious 400- and 1,600-meter relay teams, as did Garrett, who finished fourth in the 200 (22.6).

The Kennedy foursome of Willie Marshall, Brown, Garrett and Fred Decatur ran a season-best 42.4 in the 400 relay and Brown, Decatur, Darryl Delavega and Garrett clocked 3:36.8 in the 1,600 relay.

The 200 was the most hotly contested race. As usual, Brown exploded out of the blocks, but he could not hold off the closing surges of Collins and Decatur (21.9) in the final 80 meters. The race initially was ruled a dead heat, but after reviewing films, officials deemed Collins the winner. Collins was runner-up in the 100.

In the girls’ meet, San Fernando teammates Nikawa Prevost and LaShone Erwing were multiple winners.

Prevost, the defending league champion in the 200, won the 100 and 200 with wind-aided times of 12.2 and 25.5. She also ran legs on victorious 400- (50.5) and 1,600-meter (4:13.5) relays.

Erwing won the 100 (15.8) and 300 (48.3) hurdles and the long jump (a wind-aided 14-10).