Noon Puts 70-Foot Mark Behind Him : Track and field: Fallbrook senior tops historic shot series at 73-3.

Fallbrook High School’s Brent Noon found out on Thursday that there is such a thing as a psychological barrier.

Noon’s was 70 feet in the shot put. Until Thursday, only five high schoolers had ever surpassed it. Until Thursday .

Noon spent last spring striving toward it, battling injuries and slumps. The battle continued into this season. Last week in a dual meet, Noon’s best effort was just shy at 69-feet-11 1/2.

Noon finally reached the magic number Thursday on his first throw of a meet against Mt. Carmel, just passing the barrier at 70-0 1/2.

With that behind, Noon then threw over 70 on his next five puts, saving his best for last: 73-3 , making him the third-best high school shot-putter ever.

“I knew I would get it today,” Noon said. “Just from the last few days of practice, I knew I’d hit something really big.”

Noon bettered his state best of 69-11 1/2 but did not set a San Diego Section record. At least five teams must compete in a meet for a mark to be considered for the section book, so Noon’s 68-9 1/2 in last year’s Orange Glen Invitational still stands.

Noon’s other accomplishments:

--He became the second high schooler in history to surpass 70 feet on a series of six puts, according to Jack Shepard, high school expert for Track & Field News. National record-holder Michael Carter, now a nose tackle for the San Francisco 49ers, did it on numerous occasions while competing for Dallas’ Jefferson High in the late 1970s, Shepard said.

--Noon now is the season national leader by more than eight feet. Scott Petersen of Acadiana High in Lafayette, La., is second at 65-2. The two will meet at the Arcadia Invitational on Saturday, April 7.

Petersen is the least of Noon’s worries. After the 73-3, Noon took no deep breaths, no sighs of relief, instead setting his sights on new distances.

There is the National Federation of State High School Assns. record of 77-0 set by Carter in 1979. Carter also threw 81-3 1/2 several days after graduation; that is recognized as the national best by Track & Field News.

The only athlete between Noon and Carter is Arnold Campbell of Airline High in Bossier City, La., who threw 74-10 1/2 in 1984.

Noon is taking aim at Carter’s 77-footer.

“Anything is possible,” Noon said. “If I thought I didn’t have a shot at it, I wouldn’t throw the shot. But obviously (Carter) did it, so it can be done.”

Passing Campbell on the way might be little more than a minor hindrance. The season is early, and Noon says he is still perfecting his technique.

“Brent has still not hit the ball,” said Jim Noon, Brent’s father and coach. “And once he does, he’ll get that 500-pound bench press behind it, and the ball is going to take off.”

Noon said he is convinced that shot putting is a skill in which he can not go backward.

“I think that way,” Noon said, “but who knows if I were to come out here with a cold or something?”

And if he remains healthy?

“My goal is 77,” Noon said. “And I think I’m going to hit it on every next throw--on every throw, I have a chance of breaking that now.”

Noon also was hoping to become only the second high schooler to surpass both 70 in the shot and 200 feet in the discus on the same day but fell short of that goal. His best discus throw was 188-3.

NOON’S BIG DAY

Brent Noon’s record-setting series:

70- 1/2, 71-5, 72-11, 71-7 3/4, 72-2 1/2, 73-3 (third best ever)