Oxnard Rio Mesa’s Jones Has a Busy Week

It should come as no surprise that Marion Jones of Oxnard Rio Mesa High added to her growing list of athletic accomplishments last Friday night when she equaled the national high school indoor record in winning the girls’ 50-meter dash in 6.43 seconds at the Sunkist Invitational track meet in the Sports Arena.

In less than two years of varsity competition, Jones, a 15-year-old sophomore, has proved to be a notch above her competition in whatever sport she participates in.

Last year, Jones made her high school track debut by winning the Sunkist 50 meters in 6.53. She went on to set national age-group records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes for 14-year-olds in times of 11.62 and 23.70, respectively, and in her only 400-meter race of the season, her winning time of 54.21 was one of the fastest in the country. She then established herself as one of the nation’s top sprinters by winning the 100 and 200 meters in last year’s state meet at Cerritos College.

At 5 feet 10 1/2, Jones is also a standout on Rio Mesa’s 10-5 basketball team this season. In averaging 26 points and 10 rebounds, she leads the Spartans in scoring and rebounding, and is rated as one of the best players in Southern California. In a game against Hueneme earlier this month, she scored 48 points.

“During basketball season, I’m all basketball,” Jones said. “Except when the Sunkist meet comes around.”

Last week, Jones played in two Channel League basketball games and then ran in the Sunkist meet despite an injured ankle. Even though the Spartans lost both basketball games to league leaders Ventura High and Ventura Buena, Jones’ week ended on a positive note Friday.

In making the most of her only indoor track appearance of the year, Jones tied the 14-year-old mark set by Jeanette Bolden of Compton Centennial, running away from the field and winning by three strides.

Since her one-meet indoor track season is over, Jones will continue with basketball as Rio Mesa heads into the Southern Section playoffs. In the spring, she will again take to the track in an attempt to repeat as state sprint champion. That’s a solid schedule for most athletes, but Jones says there is one more sport she would like to try.

“I would love to play football and play wide receiver if I could, but my track coach doesn’t think that it would be a good idea,” she said. “I don’t think that it would be hard.”

Add Sunkist: Juliana Yendork of Walnut broke her national indoor high school triple jump record with a leap of 42 feet 11 1/2 inches. Yendork, the two-time defending outdoor triple jump champion, had set the indoor record of 42-3 in last year’s Sunkist meet.

Yendork, whose effort Friday surpassed the outdoor record of 42-10 1/2 set by Wendy Brown in 1984, also won the long jump with a leap of 19-10 and finished second to Jones in the 50 meters in 6.68.

Southern California got a taste of New York-style girls’ basketball last weekend as New York Christ the King made a trip to the Southland and swept games against Ventura Buena and Brea-Olinda.

Christ the King (11-2) beat Buena Friday night before a near-capacity crowd of 2,000 at Ventura College, 61-54. The Royals dominated Buena inside with Nakia Hill, a 6-3 junior, leading the way with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

The Royals completed their sweep the next night, beating Brea-Olinda, 58-43, before an estimated crowd of 2,000. Christ the King never trailed, running off the first eight points and leading, 24-17, at halftime, and 41-19 early in the second half. Hill again led the Royals with 17 points and 17 rebounds.

As the Feb. 6 signing date for national football letters of intent approaches, Chad Finch of Riverside Ramona has made an unwritten commitment to San Diego State for an unusual reason.

Finch, a 6-6, 270-pound lineman, chose San Diego State over USC, Arizona and Washington because of the Aztecs’ dyslexia program.

“He’s a very big, physical kid who played every down of every game,” Ramona Coach Myron Miller said. “He’s just has a problem with reading. . . . I guess SDSU has one of the top programs for helping kids with that problem.”

Other unwritten commitments include: Leonice Brown, a running back from San Fernando, to Colorado State; Newhall Hart defensive lineman George Kase, to UCLA; and Servite lineman James Christensen to UCLA.

The Los Angeles Unified School District’s plan to switch to year-round school starting in July has caused a ruckus regarding the fate of winter sports in the senior high division. There have been discussions of moving winter sports to a fall-calendar schedule, since many schools will be closed for six weeks during the winter.

The Games Committee of the LAUSD’s Interscholastic Athletics Committee will hold two public hearings this week to listen to suggestions regarding athletic scheduling. The first will be held tonight at 7 at the Senior High School Division office, 644 W. 17th St. The second will be held Wednesday night at 6:30 at Grant High in Van Nuys.

Prep Notes

After deciding to retire last fall, Canyon Country Canyon football Coach Harry Welch has changed his mind and announced last week that he will return for his 10th season.