Jones Named Top Girl Track Athlete in ’91

Marion Jones was a unanimous choice for Track & Field News’ 1991 high school girl athlete of the year, earning an unprecedented triple of being ranked first in the girls’ 100, 200 and 400 meters.

The national leader in the 100 (11.17 seconds), 200 (22.76) and 400 (52.91), Jones became the first sophomore, the second Rio Mesa High athlete, and the fourth sprinter from the region to win the award.

Sherri Howard of Kennedy won the award in 1980, followed by her sister Denean Howard in 1981 and ’82. Angela Burnham of Rio Mesa won it in 1988 and ’89.

Dave Hartman of Villanova and Deena Drossin of Arkansas, who won state titles in the boys’ and girls’ 3,200 meters in June for Canyon and Agoura, respectively, were selected as All-Americans.

Hartman was ranked first in the boys’ 3,000--the standard high school distance in many states outside California--and Drossin was ranked third in the girls’ 3,000.

The top three ranked athletes in each event are considered All-Americans.

TYING TIMES

When Village Christian High played Camp Kilpatrick last season in a nonleague game, the teams tied, 14-14. Earlier this season, the teams played in a nonleague game and tied, 6-6.

So when the Southern Section Division X playoff pairings were announced Sunday, Crusader Coach Mike Plaisance felt like putting on his best tie: Village Christian will open against Camp Kilpatrick on Saturday night at Kennedy.

The decision to play at Kennedy is a break for Village Christian, which plays all of its home games at Kennedy. Camp Kilpatrick is the host team, but the Mustangs do not have a home field. “We’ll go to the same field and dress in the same locker room and all that,” Plaisance said. “Except we’ll wear visiting jerseys instead of home jerseys.”

And everything else will be the same? “No,” Plaisance said, laughing. “Somebody has to win this thing this time.”

HALF AND HALF

The way things turned out, Crespi Coach Tim Lins was half-right. Or half-wrong.

In Crespi’s upset at the hands of Notre Dame last week, Lins surprised a few in attendance by forsaking an opportunity for a two-point conversion in the game’s final moments. Crespi had closed to within 41-36 with 51 seconds left, but Lins elected to send in Bach Stabile to kick the point-after.

A two-point conversion, recovery of an onside kick and a field goal would have tied the score. Stabile had converted 31 of 33 PATs and four of six field-goal tries. Seconds later, Lins’ rationale seemed sound.

“We’d missed on one (two-point conversion attempt) early on and decided to just kick it and go for the win,” Lins said. “When we had our onside kick team together on the sideline, we really felt like we were going to get the ball back and win the game.”

Crespi’s Torie Lee recovered the onside kick, but the Celts’ drive stalled after a pass by Cody Smith (370 yards, four touchdowns) was intercepted at the Notre Dame eight-yard line by Danny Guerrido.

PLAYOFF BOUND

In Highland’s first season at the varsity level, the Bulldogs compiled a 9-1 record.

Coach Lin Parker expected the Bulldogs, who compete as a free-lance team, to land a berth in a Southern Section division commensurate to their ability, perhaps Division VII. Parker was stunned when Highland was placed in Division IX.

“I was shocked when I saw where we were put,” Parker said. “We spent three or four hours sitting there (at the Southern Section office), poking each other over what a great placement it was.

“Then we thought we might get someone like a Big Bear or a Desert. We never even considered getting Tehachapi,” Parker said after the Bulldogs were, indeed, pitted against Tehachapi.

Tehachapi has won five Southern Section titles. Still, Parker isn’t complaining. “To tell you the truth, we’re just tickled to death to be in the playoffs, because that was one of our goals,” he said.

FEAR OF FLYING

For the first time, Crescenta Valley’s basketball team will compete in the San Dieguito tournament, making the trip to San Diego next month.

Previously, the Falcons traveled to Las Vegas for the El Dorado tournament. But after a frightening flight to Las Vegas last December, Coach John Goffredo and Co. decided the competition wasn’t worth gambling on another terrifying trip.

Severe winds nearly caused the team’s plane to crash as it approached the runway at Las Vegas. The plane was forced to return to Los Angeles where the team boarded another plane that arrived in Las Vegas five hours later.

“The plane was rocking left and right,” Goffredo recalled. “We had four or five kids getting sick. Everybody was screaming. We didn’t want to go through that again. Not this year.”

FAMILY AFFAIR

When Thacher hired Chris Kirkmire as girls’ tennis coach this season, it also got her sister Katie, a top-notch player, as part of the bargain. Katie, a sophomore, has established herself as the Condor League’s No. 1 player, and Chris has led the Toads to a 14-4 record.

Chris, who also was hired to teach French, played at Dartmouth and served as her sister’s personal coach before coming to Thacher. The Kirkmires have brought a competitive spirit to the Thacher team, which is anchored by seniors Linda Hoos, Alexis Feigin-Fasteau, Kendra Schmidt and Erina Lin.

“I’m real gung-ho, since I’ve played competitively for so long, so I’ve really pushed them,” Chris said.

David Coulson, Vince Kowalick and staff writers Steve Elling, Paige A. Leech, Brian Murphy, and John Ortega contributed to this notebook.