High School Spring Sports : Parker Vaults Onto U.S. List With 16-9 Mark

Tom Parker of Notre Dame High failed to attain his pre-meet goal at the Del Rey League track finals at St. John Bosco High on Friday, but he wasn’t disappointed. Not after raising his personal best in the pole vault to 16 feet, 9 inches.

“At first I was mad because I was really psyched to clear 17-1 today,” Parker said. “But then everyone started congratulating me and I realized I was being a little too hard on myself.”

Parker’s vault moves him to second on this year’s national high school list. Matt Warwick of Hesperia has cleared 17-0 3/4.

“He stole the show,” Notre Dame Coach Jon Mack said. “He was the center of attention. Everyone stopped to watch when Tommy jumped.”

Parker, runner-up in last year’s state championships, won the competition with his opening clearance of 15-0, and then cleared 16-0 and 16-9 on his initial attempts. He failed three times at 17-1 1/2.

“He soared over 16-9,” Mack said. “That was a 17-foot vault.”

Parker agreed.

“I think I had six or seven inches on it,” he said. “It wasn’t the best jump technically, but it shows me that I’m capable of clearing 17-6 before too long. I know that’s a big jump, but I can feel how close I am.”

Other top marks were turned in by Crespi’s Russell White and Eric Kieling and Alemany’s Tony Borquez.

White, who is nursing a bruised left heel, defended his league titles in the 100 and 200 meters with times of 10.8 and 22.2, and Kieling ran a Valley-area leading time of 14.3 in 110-meter high hurdles.

White, the defending state champion in the triple jump, placed a disappointing third in that event, but still qualified for next week’s Southern Section 2-A Division prelims. He also qualified in the long jump. The top three finishers in each event qualified for the prelims at Gahr High.

Borquez, continued his consistent sprinting in the 400, clocking 49.1. It was the third week in a row that the Alemany junior has run under 50 seconds.

In other track meets:

Marmonte League finals: While a frosty wind swept through the Camarillo stadium all night long, the Thousand Oaks boys’ and girls’ track teams blew away all league foes as both teams captured league titles.

Double winners Scott Atkins and Paul McCarter led the Lancers, who accumulated 148 points to outdistance second-place Royal with 81 points. The Lancer girls strutted to a cushy win, racking up 164 points to second-place finisher Westlake’s 107.

Atkins coasted to an impressive win in the 400, winning in 50.10 and followed with a win over Simi Valley’s Kevin Hatcher in the 200, edging Hatcher at the tape in 22.24. Hatcher’s time was a personal best. He also anchored the victorious 1,600 relay (3:23.92).

McCarter doubled with wins in 800 (2:00.15) and 1,600 (4:22.15).

The Lancer girls scored in every event and won both relays.

Other standouts at the meet included Channel Islands hurdler Charles Brown, who captured both the 110-high (14.85) and 300-low hurdles (39.70); Royal’s Eric Anhalt, who won the discus (158-8) and the shotput (52-2), and Camarillo distance runner Jessica Craven, who own the 1,600 (5:14.36) and 3,200 (11:08.22). Lis Noller of Thousand Oaks won the 400 in a personal best of 59.40 and the long jump with a mark of 16-8 3/4.

Golden League meet: Damiean Jenkins of Saugus threw a personal best of 178-3 to win the discus at the Golden League finals at Quartz Hill High. Jenkins, who placed eighth in last year’s Southern Section 4-A championships, had three throws farther than his previous best of 173-5.

Pacific League finals: Crescenta Valley’s Morgan Bateman, who placed third in the 800 meters at last year’s Southern Section 4-A Division championships, won the Pacific League 800 title at Arcadia High. Bateman, a junior, ran 1:54.1. It was the fourth time this season that Bateman has run under 1:55.

SOFTBALL

Notre Dame 7, Louisville 0--Sophomore Becca Berline pitched a two-hitter with a season-high 15 strikeouts for her eighth shutout of the year as Notre Dame moved closer to its first San Fernando Valley League title.

The Knights (19-3, 7-1 in league play) managed only three hits, one a run-scoring single by Berline (17-3). Senior center fielder Tracy Benn, who is batting a team-high .410, was 2 for 2 with three runs scored.

North Hollywood 7, Poly 6--The Huskies moved within a half-game of first-place Poly in an East Valley League game at Poly.

Poly (7-2 in league) finishes its league schedule Monday with a makeup game against Marshall. North Hollywood (12-3 overall) is 7-3.

Agoura 14, Santa Paula 4--Melissa Thatcher pitched a four-hitter to lead Agoura (13-7, 8-3) to the Frontier League win. Thatcher (13-7), who struck out five and allowed three earned runs, also was 2 for 4 with six RBIs to key Agoura’s 13-hit attack. Leslie North and Lisa Little both were 2 for 3 for Agoura.

Bel-Air Prep 10, Providence 0--Andrea Gartica was 2 for 4 with three RBIs as Bel-Air Prep (16-6, 8-1) won the battle for first place in the Delphic League. Chrissy Peck had 11 strikeouts.

Coast Christian 4, Ribet Christian 1--Crystal Dow struck out 14 and host Coast Christian (7-0 in league play) scored four unearned runs in a Heritage League game. Kate Stoll had 13 strikeouts for Ribet Christian (6-3-1, 3-3-1).

BOYS’ TENNIS

Westlake d. Royal, 17-1--Darrin Pleasant remained undefeated in Marmonte League play by beating three Highlanders to lead the Warriors to their second consecutive league championship. The doubles team of Mike Studebacker and Brian Sheffer also beat three Royal opponents, 6-1, 6-2, 6-0.

VOLLEYBALL

Royal d. Bishop Diego, 15-6, 16-14, 15-5--Robert Fungaroli, Craig Parker and Corey Herbert had 10 kills each to lead the Highlanders to a nonleague victory at Bishop Diego in their regular-season finale.

The Highlanders, in their first year of interscholastic competition, will learn today if they qualified for the Southern Section 3-A playoffs as a wild-card team. Herbert added nine kill blocks and Fungaroli had six for Royal (14-2), which has won five matches in a row.