HIGH SCHOOL NOTEBOOK : A Novice Makes Tracks in High-Tops

Charles Mansfield’s first pair of running shoes were his basketball high-tops.

That’s what the Canyon High sophomore wore to his first day of track and field practice, when all he intended to do was high jump. But a group of runners doing repeat 400-meter workouts on the track diverted his attention from the high jump apron.

So Mansfield stepped in and gave it a try.

“He ran (about) 55 seconds and beat all the other sophomores and when he finished I noticed he had run in his basketball high-top shoes,” Coach Dave DeLong said.

While Mansfield’s teammates were raving about his first-time performance, Mansfield (5-feet-11, 145 pounds) wanted to try again.

“He said, ‘I’m a lot faster than that,’ ” DeLong recalled.

Mansfield was not boasting. Moments after his 55-second 400, Mansfield clocked 53 seconds--yes, in his high-tops--on a dirt track.

“I just came out (for track) to do the high jump,” said Mansfield, the MVP of the junior-varsity basketball team. “I’d never run before.”

So what happened the first time Mansfield put on track spikes?

In a Golden League meet against Quartz Hill he finished second (51.8) to senior teammate Rob Landtiser (51.2) in the 400.

Although merely a novice on the oval, Mansfield has performed like a veteran in two invitationals. In the Eagle Rock Relays on March 9 at Occidental College, Mansfield timed 1 minute 58.7 seconds for 800 on the Cowboys’ distance-medley relay team. On Saturday in the Northridge/Alemany Relays, he finished fourth in his 400 heat in 50.16.

Not bad for someone lacking practice.

“The times he has run (in the 400) are close to what would get him into the (Southern Section 4-A Division) final,” DeLong said.

Grounded flier: Two days after high-jumping 6 feet 4 inches in a dual meet at Westlake, Camarillo freshman Jeremy Fischer on Saturday suffered a sprained left hip and sustained ligament damage while attempting the same height in the Northridge/Alemany Relays.

Fischer, who stands 5-9, will be sidelined for about a month, Scorpion Coach Mike Smith said.

The injury occurred during Fischer’s second attempt at 6-4.

Rain woes: The recent rains no doubt have caused a lot of frustration among area baseball coaches, causing rainouts or postponement of numerous games. But Canyon Coach Rich Montanio is not complaining, despite the fact that the Cowboys have yet to play a game at home because of poor field conditions.

Of course, it is easy to be understanding when your team is 4-0-1 after finishing 11-12 the previous season.

“Our field just has a terrible drainage system,” Montanio said. “Everything runs toward home plate, which has a lot of clay around it. The place becomes a swamp after it rains.”

Canyon, which was scheduled to play three of its first five games at home, will travel to Antelope Valley for a Golden League game today.

Because of the rains, Canyon (1-0) and Burroughs Ridgecrest (0-1) are the only league teams to play a league game.

Add Canyon: The Cowboys have committed 11 errors in five games, but that is an improvement from last year when they made 72 errors in 23 games.

“Our defense has really improved,” Montanio said. “We’ve made some errors, but so far they haven’t hurt us. Last year, it seemed like they always came in critical situations.”

On standby: St. Genevieve finished last in the San Fernando League with a 1-9 record and was 6-13 overall last season, but the Valiants are undefeated after four games this season.

St. Genevieve won the Highland Hall tournament with an 8-2 victory over Providence in the championship game Saturday. Fred Flores, the tournament most valuable player, had two doubles, drove in two runs and picked up the save against Providence.

St. Genevieve will not open league play until April 10 and will go for nearly a week without a game.

Mike Glaze and staff writers Kirby Lee and John Ortega contributed to this notebook.