Middle Distances Are La Habra’s Strength in the Freeway

The La Habra boys’ track and field team put some distance between itself and its Freeway League competition Thursday at Fullerton College.

Paced by a pack of middle-distance runners who won 71 of the possible 93 points in the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter events, the Highlanders won the team competition handily, totaling 141 points. Second-place Sunny Hills had 120.

La Habra’s distance dominance was virtually complete in the 3,200. Mark Gonzales, who has won the past three league cross-country championships, led from start to finish, winning in 9 minutes 58.1 seconds. Four La Habra runners followed him across the finish and the Highlanders won 30 of the 31 points in the event.

Gonzales also won the 800 (1:59.5), leading a La Habra sweep of the top three spots, but because he ran a too-fast first lap in the 800, he decided to drop out of the 1,600.

Mike Sullivan of Sunny Hills won the 200 (22.3), the 400 (50.9) and the long jump (21 feet 3 1/4 inches).

Sonora easily won the girls’ competition, scoring 179 points to 108 for second-place Sunny Hills. Lisa Knott won the 100 hurdles in 14.6 and the 300 hurdles in 45.9 and Casie Lozano won the 100 (12.4) and the 200 (25.8) for Sonora.

Danielle Brown won the triple and long jumps with jumps of 38-6 and 18-1 and Carrie Garritson won the 1,600 (5:27) and the 3,200 (11:21) for Sunny Hills.