Hawthorne State Track Champion for 3rd Year in Row

Consider these developments:

For the first time in seven years, the Hawthorne High boys’ 1,600-meter relay team failed to bring home the state title.

Also, the sprint relay team, after setting records in its three previous starts, was disqualified for passing the baton out of the zone.

Are they disappointed in Hawthorne today?

Hardly.

That’s because the Cougars had more than enough to stave off the competition in the CIF State Track and Field Championships on Saturday before 10,650 fans at Cerritos College. Hawthorne earned 40 points, besting second-place Dorsey (26) and Oakland (22) by comfortable margins.

The Hawthorne girls’ team, seventh with 16 points behind winner Muir (36), received a title performance from the 1,600 relay team, which covered the distance in 3:46.59.

But, as they have been all season, the Cougar boys were the story.

“It (the 1,600 relay) was a tradition that got broken, but we still won the state title, and that’s what’s really important,” said anchorman Curtis Conway, who won his first individual state title with a victory in the 100. He finished a close second in the 200.

“If we lost the state and the race, I’d probably be still running all the way home.”

Hawthorne Coach Kye Courtney, who guided the Cougar boys to their third state title in a row and sixth in seven years, also was pleased with the results.

“That’s all right, we still got the plaque,” he yelled at the conclusion of the 1,600 relay.

Hawthorne’s Ismael Delpino and Chris Alexander gave Hawthorne the lead after the first two legs of the 1,600 relay, but Kevin Gatlin gave ground on the third leg and Conway was 10 yards behind Dorsey’s Beano Bryant starting the anchor leg.

Conway closed with 120 meters remaining, but Bryant had a better kick and held on for the victory.

“I wish we were even when I got the baton,” Conway said. “But things like that happen, and you can’t do anything about it.”

The Cougars also lamented the 400 relay, an event they had dominated going into Saturday’s finals. For three straight weeks they had broken their own state record, culminating in a 40.24 effort in Friday’s preliminaries.

But everything went awry Saturday.

The first man out, Alexander, ran well but had trouble handing off to Anthony Smith. Smith gained on the second leg and closed in on sophomore Erik Allen, who, in his own words, was watching his teammate’s eyes and not his feet.

Allen took off too soon, then stopped, creating a logjam around the third turn. When the dust settled, the Cougars had been disqualified.

Allen’s day was brightened, however, with a fourth-place effort in the 200, finishing in 21.53.

“It felt really great because after I messed up in the relay, I just took out all my anger on the 200,” Allen said. “Anthony Smith was coming up fast, and I just took off too soon.”

Said Courtney: “He’s just a sophomore. That’s all it is.”

Greg Wiler of Rolling Hills took second in the pole vault with a personal best of 15-2. But Wiler, whose previous best was 15-1, said he was disappointed with the effort.

“To tell you the truth, I’d hoped to go 15-6,” he said. “I wasn’t that happy with my performance. I woke up sick today. Of all the days to wake up with a cold, it had to happen today.”

Conway gave the Cougars a boost in the 100 with a close victory over solid competition. He started slowly but closed ground midway and won going away in 10.42. Oakland’s Jeff Laynes claimed second place in 10.48, while Conway’s teammate Chris Alexander finished fifth in 10.68.

Barry Smith of San Francisco Mission set the state mark of 10.41 in Friday’s preliminary round but was not a factor in Saturday’s race, finishing third in 10.55.

But Smith got the best of Conway in a rematch in the 200 by covering the distance in 20.82, just ahead of second-place Conway, who finished in 20.89.

Conway’s race resembled his effort in the 100. He again closed ground midway through the race and was pushing Smith in the final 25 meters. Lunging forward at the finish line, he came up just short.

“I never get a good start in the sprints,” Conway said. “I always have to come from the back. In the 200 I caught him, and when you have to catch somebody, it’s hard to come back and win.

“I guess he just wanted it more than me today.”

Keisha Marvin, Rhonda Kennerson and freshman Konika Conwright moved the Cougars to a comfortable lead in the girls’ 1,600 relay before anchor Kee-Sha Adams received the baton.

Inger Miller of Muir closed quickly and was on Adams with 50 meters to go. Adams shifted forward and finished five yards ahead of the challenger.

“I just need to run my race like I’m supposed to and not worry about the others,” Adams said. “This is really a satisfying win because we changed our order in the relay so much this year. We worked hard for this one.”

The Hawthorne girls’ team sprinted to a fast start with a third-place finish in the 400-meter relay (47.42), trailing winner Pasadena Muir (46.46) and second-place St. Francis (47.27). St. Bernard finished seventh in 47.89.

Anthony Smith scored for the Cougars in the long jump, placing fifth with a jump of 23-11 1/2, but Tulare’s James Stallworth was the big story, setting a state record of 26-4 3/4.

Keith Pouncey, who qualified in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.45, finished third in 14.07, just twp ticks behind William Henry of Arroyo Grande who finished in 14.05.

Other South Bay competitors included:

Carson’s Chris Roulier, who placed seventh in the 330-meter intermediate hurdles in 39.06.

Tim Camillo, a Leuzinger pole vaulter, tied for seventh with a 14-2.

Miraleste high jumper Marilyn Cragin, who finished tied for eighth with a jump of 5-4.

Hawthorne’s Keisha Marvin, who ran 56.12 in the 400-meters to finish seventh.