2nd Time Charm for Taylor

Cary Taylor has been second fiddle to his brother Gary all year.

But Friday night at the Orange Glen Invitational, Cary stepped out of the shadows and into the spotlight.

The Morse High junior uncorked a triple jump of 47 feet, 10 inches, San Diego County’s best mark this season by 19 inches. However, it was only the second time Taylor has competed in the event.

The first time was Wednesday against Point Loma. He jumped 45-3. Basically, he improved his mark by more than a foot per day.

“I think I can go 49 or 50 feet,” Taylor said. “I need to work on my second phase. I’m trying to strive for Willie Banks’ record.”

Banks of Oceanside jumped 51-3 in 1974.

Cary’s mark eclipsed the section-leading by Morse teammates Terry Sweet, who had gone 46-3, and Cary’s younger brother--by five minutes--Gary, who had gone 46-0.

Gary took second place Friday at 46-2 and Sweet third at 44-4 3/4.

The competition between the Taylor twins is intense and goes beyond the athletic arena, Cary said.

“We’re pushing one another,” said Cary, who was named the field athlete of the meet after also winning the long jump with a distance of 21-8 1/2. “We wrestle a lot, but we never get in any fights. He has better grades. We compete in grades, too. He teases me about that, ever since we were little kids.”

Gary was the county’s leading rusher for the Morse football team last fall. Cary was a wide receiver and backup quarterback.

“His time is coming, but my time is coming, too,” Cary said. Next season, Cary is scheduled to replace Teddy Lawrence as Morse’s starting quarterback.

“He’s going to be a good quarterback,” said Lawrence, whose 10.8 edged Kearny’s Darnay Scott in the 100 meters. Lawrence was awarded the victory on a judge’s decision.

Lawrence also won the 200 in 22.3 and was second in the long jump.

While Cary Taylor was stepping into the spotlight, Escondido hurdler Keith Williams was stepping out of an ice-cold bath. The night before the race, he immersed himself in a bath with 10 gallons of ice, a 20-minute ritual he performs before meets. He said he does it to keep his legs fresh.

“I hate the coldness; I like the heat,” said Williams, the section record-holder who Friday was selected the track athlete of the meet. “I can feel the difference. Every time I take an ice bath, I run well.”

That was the case in Friday’s 110 high hurdles. Williams ran a meet-record 14.2, well ahead of the 15.0 by Castle Park’s Eric Bell.

But that wasn’t the only record Williams set. He clocked 38.5 in the 300 intermediate hurdles to better the 38.8 by Dexter Monroe of Patrick Henry in 1989.

Williams said he tied the record last year. “My name’s not in the program, so I’m kind of ticked off. So I’m going to break the record,” Williams said before the 300.

Vista’s Scott Gommel set a county best this season in the discus with a throw of 162-0. Second place Jomo Graham of Mira Mesa (160-1) also bettered the previous best. Mar Vista’s Hector Hernandez won the 3200 with a section-best 9:27.0.

Girls competed in the meet for only the second time 25 years, and there were three notable performances: Fallbrook’s Milena Glusac surpassed Kira Jorgensen’s meet record in the 1,600 by five seconds, winning in 4:59; Fallbrook’s Melanie Hand had a meet-record 2:17.5 in the 800; and Orange Glen’s Christina Mataafa won two events, the shot put (40-5) and the discus (meet record 135-0).