High School Track : Burt Moves Birmingham Closer to Title Rerun

The Birmingham boys’ track and field team failed to win a varsity league title for 20 years, but after knocking off previously unbeaten Monroe, 72-54, in a Mid-Valley League meet Friday, the Braves are on the verge of their second consecutive league crown.

Birmingham defeated Kennedy, 64-63, in a Mid-Valley League finale last year to win its first title since 1968, and it could be on its way to another crown after defeating the host Vikings.

Birmingham (5-0)--which will face Van Nuys next week and Reseda the week after--may have cleared its toughest dual-meet hurdle with the win over Monroe (4-1).

Reseda (4-1), the 1987 and ’88 West Valley League dual-meet champion, was expected to challenge Birmingham for the league title, but sprinter-hurdler Aaron Whitehurst transferred to Dorsey two weeks ago in the wake of disciplinary actions and the Regents’ title chances may have gone with him.

“I figured it would be a close meet,” Birmingham Coach Scott King said of Friday’s meet. “I had it doped out, 66-61, with us winning the mile relay.”

As it turned out, the Braves didn’t have to win the mile relay--the meet’s final event. They had clinched the victory minutes before when junior Brian Gastelum won the two mile in 10 minutes, 15 seconds, to give Birmingham a 67-54 lead.

Gastelum also won the 880-yard run (2:04.3) as Birmingham won six of 10 track events and nine of 15 overall.

Senior Rodney Burt led the Birmingham charge, winning the 100 meters in a wind-aided 11.0 seconds, the 220 yards in a wind-aided 22.5 and the 440 in 51.1. He also anchored the mile relay team to victory in 3:35.1.

“We were hoping it would come down to the mile relay,” said Burt, who placed fifth in the 400 in last year’s City Section championships. “But when we went one-two in the 220, we basically put the meet away.”

Trailing, 40-36, after nine events, the Braves took the lead for good when Burt won the 220 and teammate Mark Vigil unexpectedly gunned down Monroe’s Chris Harvey in the final 50 yards for second. That gave Birmingham eight points in the event--to Monroe’s one--and a 44-41 lead.

Monroe was led by Mario Armijo and Derril White. Armijo won the 120-yard high hurdles in a wind-aided 15.3 and the 330-yard intermediate hurdles in 41.1, while White took the long jump at 20 feet, 8 inches.

In the girls’ meet, Birmingham (5-0) defeated Monroe, 66-43, as freshman Heather Ballard won four events.

Ballard took the 880 in 2:33.0, the 330 low hurdles in 55.2, the high jump at 4-10 and the shotput at 30-11 1/4.

Monroe (3-2) was led by Kynna Wright, who won the 100 in a wind-aided 12.9, the 440 in 1:03.5 and anchored the victorious 440 relay (51.7).