PREP ROUNDUP : Esperanza’s Richardson Runs Wild at Poway

Excuse Damon Richardson of Esperanza High School if he fell asleep on the way back from the Titan Track Festival at Poway High Saturday.

He had a long day. After catching a bus in Anaheim at 6 a.m., he and his teammates took a two-hour ride down to this San Diego suburb--just to run in a track meet.

All Richardson did was take five first places, four as a member of relay teams and a fifth in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles.

Richardson, who placed second to El Toro’s David Fair in the Orange County championships two weeks ago only because he hit the final hurdle, atoned for that slip-up by running a personal and Orange County season best of 39.71 seconds at Poway. His previous best was 40.1.

Richardson also ran legs of the winning 800-meter relay team (1 minute 29.7 seconds), the first-place shuttle hurdles relay team (1:04.63), the winning 400-meter relay team (43.38), and the first-place 1,600-meter relay team (3:24.09).

But it was Richardson’s victory in the 300 hurdles that was most satisfying. The race went off less than seven minutes after the 400 relay finished.

“It didn’t give me time to be nervous,” Richardson said of the short rest between races. “I just concentrated on running.

“I was tired after running the relays, but still, I felt good.”

Richardson took the lead at the outset, but appeared to be in jeopardy of losing it coming out of the turn when two other runners came on strong along the outside.

“But as soon as I saw them catch up to me, I speeded up and carried it to the end of the race,” Richardson said.

Esperanza also took first in the shotput, discus throw, high jump and triple jump relays.

The Aztecs finished first in Division 8 with 107 points.

The Mission Viejo girls’ team also had some impressive marks in finishing first in Division 5 with 111 points. The Diablos finished first in four of the five field event relays and in four of the six track relays.

Mission Viejo placed first in the shotput (with a three-girl total of 96 feet 11 inches), long jump (49-7 1/2), triple jump (109-4 1/2) and in the high jump (14-6).

In the track relays, Mission Viejo took first in the 800 meters (1:46.09), the distance medley (13:00.08), the 400 meters (50.03) and the 1,600 meters (4:04.47).

Lisa Fager had the top marks of the day in the high jump (5-4), long jump (6-3) and triple jump (38-7).

Teammate Hilary Mann took third in both invitational hurdle events. In the 100 meters, she ran a 15.3 and in the 300 meters she ran a 46.1.