Shotputter Noon Saves Best for Last : Track and Field: Fallbrook athlete struggles early but then uncorks 1990 national best throw of 74-4 at Orange Glen Invitational.

Orange Glen High went to the trouble of building a shotput ring in the middle of the football field so Brent Noon of Fallbrook could do his thing in front of the bleachers. But the national leader in that event was having trouble equaling his best throw this year--73-feet-5 3/4--Thursday night in the 24th Orange Glen Invitational.

Frustrated after his first five throws--the best of which traveled 71-11 1/4--Noon approached the ring for his final put and decided not to try.

Noon’s body, which now twirls through the ring almost by reflex, took over, and the result was this year’s national best: 74-feet-4.

“That was exciting,” Noon said of being able to throw at center stage. “I can’t believe they did this. This (feeling) will never be matched.”

The feeling might not be matched, but Noon says he has found the secret to improving his distance.

“I didn’t even try,” Noon said. “I just decided to go ahead and go on auto-pilot.”

Some guidance system. Noon hadn’t even neared his 73-5 3/4 since April 5.

“I didn’t use any arm at all,” Noon said. “I just threw off my right foot.

Though relaxing was a key to the throw, it was not the only factor.

Noon has changed his spin slightly in the past couple weeks in an attempt to get more speed through the ring.

He got the idea from a recent house guest, who also happens to be an Olympic silver medalist in the shotput, Randy Barnes.

Barnes threw 73-5 1/2 at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. And it is Barnes’ spin technique that Noon has chosen to imitate.

Noon seems to be an A student. Barnes said watching Noon is like watching himself.

“He’s very coachable,” Barnes said. “And he’s stronger than I was before I went to college.”

While Noon was improving on this year’s national best, another athlete was setting two county bests.

Hector Hernandez, not even among the leaders in the mile or two-mile, won both events in 4:20.9 and 9:36.8.

Hernandez, a Mar Vista junior, had to come from behind in both.

Hernandez ran a final lap 1:00.1 in the mile. In the two-mile, he overtook Javier Lozano of Helix, who finished second in 9:36.9

But don’t talk to the 5-foot-5, 130-pound Hernandez about a “kick.” He just calls it picking up the pace.

“I have to pick up my pace earlier (than other runners) because these guys are so much taller than me and have more kick.”

Maybe in the past. Hernandez’s previous best in the mile was 4:30, and he did that last year as a sophomore in the Metro Conference finals. His best time in the 3,200 (slightly less than two miles) was 9:51.6 earlier this year.

Lincoln sophomore Scott Hammond also had a big day, winning the 100 meters in 10.6 and the 200 in 21.8 (both county bests) and running the anchor leg of Lincoln’s first-place 400-meter relay team (42.32).

Besides Noon’s shotput mark, one other meet record was set: University City senior Jerome Price’s long jump of 24-5 1/2.

One meet record was tied when Escondido High’s Keith Williams placed first in the 300 high hurdles at 38.8.