Thousand Oaks Runs Away With Marmonte Title

It might not rival the eight consecutive titles that Simi Valley High won from 1979-86, but the Thousand Oaks High boys’ track team clinched its third Marmonte League dual-meet title in a row with a convincing 80-56 victory over Royal at Thousand Oaks on Wednesday.

Tied, 38-38, after eight events, the Lancers won seven of the last eight events to pull away from the Highlanders.

Thousand Oaks (5-1 in league meets) won 12 of 16 events and all 10 running events.

Seniors Mike Lindsay, Pat Foy and Mike Williamson led the Lancers, winning seven individual events between them and combining for more than half (40 1/2 points) of Thousand Oaks’ total.

Lindsay won the 330-yard intermediate hurdles in 41.4 seconds, the long jump at 20 feet, 8 1/4 inches and the 120-yard high hurdles in 15.4.

He also ran the first leg on the Lancers’ victorious 440 relay team (44.9).

Lindsay’s victory in the high hurdles turned the meet in Thousand Oaks’ favor as he came from behind to defeat Clint Guy by a tenth of a second.

Guy led after the ninth flight of hurdles, but struck the tenth--and final--barrier--allowing Lindsay to streak to the victory.

The victory by Lindsay gave Thousand Oaks a 57-47 lead and when Foy led Thousand Oaks to a one-two finish in the 220-yard dash in the next event, the meet was all but decided.

“That was a very big win,” Thousand Oaks Coach John Hansen said. “I thought we were in big trouble when Bellamy false started, but Pat came through for us.”

Thousand Oaks sophomore Jack Bellamy, winner of the 100 meters (11.0) earlier in the meet, was disqualified for a false start in the 220, but Foy came to the rescue.

Foy--second to Bellamy in the 100 (11.2)--also won the 440 in 52.3 and anchored the victorious mile relay (3:35.4).

Williamson, runner-up in the 1988 State Division I cross-country championships, won the 880 in a personal best of 1:59.6 and the mile in 4:33.9.

Royal (4-2, 4-2) dominated the weight events, going one-two-three in the shotput and discus, but was unable to overcome Thousand Oaks’ superiority on the track.

Thousand Oaks was even more dominant in the girls’ meet, winning 13 of 15 events to post a 92-34 victory.

The win clinched the Lancers’ tenth consecutive dual-meet title. They are 69-2 in league meets since 1978.

Jenni Brown won four events for Thousand Oaks (6-0).

Brown opened the meet with a victory in the 330 low hurdles (47.2) and followed with wins in the long jump (16-6), 440 (63.0) and 220 (27.2).

Teammate Betsy Moore won the triple jump at 34-1 1/2, placed second in the long jump at 15-11 1/4 and finished third in both the 100-meter (17.0) and 330-yard (50.0) low hurdles.