TRACK : Granville Left With Few Options After Foot Injury

Michael Granville had too many options deciding which event to run in Friday’s Almont League finals at Schurr High in Montebello. But the Bell Gardens High freshman might be left without any choices for the Southern Section championships or the state meet.

Granville, the freshman national record-holder in the 800 meters, won the 200 and 400 in 22.1 seconds and 50.2 seconds, but injured his left foot at the finish of the 200, falling to the infield.

His foot was swollen several minutes afterward and he was carried off the field. He planned to have his foot examined Saturday and was questionable for this week’s Southern Section preliminaries.

“I’m not sure what it is,” Granville said. “I just felt a shooting pain at the top of my foot. I tried to walk on it but I can’t even flex it or put any weight on it.”

Granville turned in the fastest 100-meter mark of 10.5 in Tuesday’s league preliminaries at Schurr.

But Granville, who also holds the state freshman 400-meter record, decided to drop the 100 and 800 to concentrate on the 200 and 400 in the Southern Section championships and state meet. Athletes are permitted to compete in as many as four events.

Granville was also scheduled to run the anchor leg on Bell Gardens’ 1,600-meter relay. Bell Gardens finished fourth, but it was not without controversy.

Bell Gardens Coach Fidel Elizarrez filed a protest after Schurr’s Adrian Baca, who was running the first leg in lane four, wandered in front of Bell Gardens’ second leg Jose Delgado after making his baton exchange. Delgado, running in the sixth lane, was forced to run around Baca.

Schurr was called for hindrance, but the protest was denied because the act was not intentional.

Schurr and San Gabriel finished first and second in 3:34.3 and 3:40.5. Alhambra edged Bell Gardens for third. Both were timed in 3:41.1.