Hawthorne Track Team Takes Relaxed Approach

On a team that can’t afford any more mistakes, you’d figure that pressure would be a factor.

But the Hawthorne High School boys track team is taking the laid-back approach as it goes after a fifth state championship in six years.

The Cougars, whose point-scoring potential was reduced to four events after their 400-meter relay team was disqualified at the Ocean League finals, stayed in contention for the state title on Friday night with a strong showing at the CIF Masters Meet at Cerritos College.

Led by sprinters Curtis Conway and Travis Hannah, Hawthorne placed first in the 100, 200, 400 and 1,600 relay to set the stage for what Coach Kye Courtney expects to be a close battle for the team title at the State Championship Meet on Friday and Saturday at Cerritos.

If the Cougars win, fine. If they don’t, there won’t be any tears.

“Last year everybody on our team was talking about winning state,” Conway said. “It’s not like that this year. We just want to go out and do what we’re supposed to do. Then we’ll kick back and see what happens.”

Conway did his part on Friday. The junior swept the 100 (10.61 seconds) and 200 (21.22) and gave Hawthorne a huge lead on the second leg of the 1,600 relay (3:12.99), which the Cougars won by 3.5 seconds.

When he came off the track after winning the 100, Conway acted like he had just run in an all-comers race rather than a state-qualifying event.

“I just go out to run and have fun, win or lose,” he said. “I’m a football player.”

The all-CIF quarterback figures to face his stiffest competition next week from Washington High’s Bryan Bridgewater, the L. A. City champion in the 100 (10.65) and 200 (20.89). Bridgewater bested Conway in both events earlier this year at the Arcadia Invitational.

Asked about his potential rematch with Bridgewater, Conway said: “I’m looking forward to it. It will be hard to beat him, because he’s doing real good. I’m still going to try. But I’m not saying I’m going to win.”

Courtney isn’t counting on Conway winning either of the sprints. The coach figures if Conway can take second in the 100 and third in the 200, behind Bridgewater and Taft’s Quincy Watts, Hawthorne can score 34 points at the state meet, which might be enough to win.

That is providing, of course, that the Cougars can place first in their two best events: the 400 and the 1,600 relay.

Hannah, the state leader in the 400, won Friday night in 47.06. Watts, the L. A. City champion, ran 47.38 on Thursday.

“The 400 will be interesting,” Courtney said. “They will have to go like hell to beat Travis.”

Courtney says the state title could boil down to a three-team race between Hawthorne, Washington and Independence High of San Jose.

“Thirty-five points will win the boys meet,” he said. “If we get close to that, we might have enough to hold everybody off.”

Hawthorne’s girls kept their state championship hopes alive by qualifying in seven events at the Masters Meet.

Placing first were Sharon Edmonds in the 300 hurdles (43.95) and the 400 (46.77) and 1,600 (3:49.83) relay teams. Those are the Cougars’ best bets for the state meet.

After that, Hawthorne will be counting on DeeDee Wheeler in the 100, Kesha Marvin in the 400, Rhonda Kennerson in the 800, Edmonds in the 100 hurdles and Illana Mazingo in the 300 hurdles.

Morningside came through with several exceptional efforts at the Masters Meet. Leading the way were Ferric Webster, who took second in the boys 400 (47.41), and Althea Moses, who placed second in the girls 800 (2:14.89).

“(Taking second) is not a big deal to me,” said Moses, who placed third in state a year ago. “State is the thing that counts. That’s what I’ve been practicing for . . . for a long time.”

The Morningside boys also qualified their 400 (41.60) and 1,600 (3:16.72) relay teams for the state meet.

Coach Ron Tatum expected triple jumper Ronald Gipson to qualify, but the senior decided to skip the Masters Meet and attend the prom.

“I heard he had a limo reserved at a certain time,” Tatum said. “I’m terribly upset. It will never happen again.”

Individually, four other South Bay athletes qualified for the state meet.

David Scudamore of Palos Verdes ran a personal best of 9:02.38 to win the 3,200, Marilyn Cragin of Miraleste qualified in the high jump (5 feet 6 inches), sophomore Jennifer Tully of Torrance took third in the long jump (18 feet 1 inches) and Carolyn Hueth of West Torrance was fifth in the shot put (40 feet 4 1/2 inches).

Redondo and St. Bernard, the last South Bay survivors in baseball, both will hit the road on Tuesday for the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

Fourth-seeded Redondo (30-2) faces Covina (23-5) in a 4-A Division game at Northview High in Covina, while top-seeded St. Bernard (22-3) meets fourth-seeded Norte Vista of Riverside (20-6) in a 2-A match-up at UC Riverside. Both games start at 3:15 p.m.

Redondo pitcher Scott Davison continued his record-breaking season on Friday, hurling a three-hitter and striking out 14 in the Sea Hawks’ 6-1 quarterfinal victory over visiting Cerritos.

It was Davison’s second win over Cerritos this season. He shut out the Dons, 6-0, on two hits in the Redondo/Palos Verdes Tournament semifinals on April 30, but that game was at night. Cerritos Coach Richard Emard thought his team could do better against Davison in the afternoon.

However, after watching Davison strike out 11 of the first 13 batters and blank Cerritos until the seventh inning, Emard changed his tune.

“He was just too much for us,” he said. “I’ve seen three great high school athletes. One was Pat Haden when he played football at Bishop Amat, another is (Crespi running back) Russell White and the other is Scott Davison. They don’t come along too often.”

In improving to 18-0, Davison moved into a second-place tie with Scott McGregor of El Segundo (1971) for most wins in a season in Southern Section history. The record is 19, held by Dan Tippitt of Antelope Valley (1971).

The right-hander also moved up on the CIF strikeout lists. He is in third place in both single-season (215) and career (508) strikeouts and needs only two more to move into second in both categories. Bob Goodyear of L. A. Lutheran (1971-73) holds the records, with 232 in a season and 566 in a career.

Covina, the third-place team from the Valle Vista League, advanced with a 4-3 win over Fullerton, the team that had upset top-seeded Hart in the second round. The Colts, who have a strong pitching staff, have given up only seven runs in three playoff games, the same as Redondo.

In the other 4-A semifinal, Valle Vista League champion South Hills of West Covina (19-6) faces Ventura (21-6-1). Tuesday’s winners will meet in the 4-A championship game at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Anaheim Stadium.

St. Bernard, trying to return to the finals for the second straight year, struggled to a 3-2 quarterfinal win over visiting Gladstone on Friday. The Vikings fell behind, 2-0, in the first inning, but Pat Ahearne (8-1) pitched shut-out ball the rest of the way.

Norte Vista, on the other hand, breezed to a 14-1 victory over La Canada. The Sunkist League champions have scored 24 runs in two playoff games. St. Bernard left-hander Dan Melendez (7-1) will try to cool them down.

The 2-A finals will be played at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Anaheim Stadium.

Leuzinger’s softball team will make a 200-mile trip to Lompoc High for its CIF 1-A semifinal game against Cabrillo of Lompoc at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday.

The Olympians (19-6) have ridden the pitching of Candy Carrico through three rounds of the playoffs. She has 35 strikeouts in three games, including 15 in an 8-0 win over L. A. Baptist on Thursday.

The winner of Tuesday’s game advances to the finals at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Mayfair Park in Lakewood.