TRACK AND FIELD ROUNDUP : Esperanza Boys, Girls Dominate

The Esperanza boys’ and girls’ track and field teams left their mark while bidding farewell to the Empire League on Thursday at Rancho Santiago College.

Both Aztec squads ran away with team titles, the boys earning 208 points, the girls tallying 193. The Katella boys and girls were a distant second, each scoring 82 points.

“They want us out of this league, no doubt,” said Esperanza Coach Al Britt, whose Aztecs will move to the Sunset League in the fall.

Four-event winners Anton Hector and Kristy Kierulff led the way for the Aztecs, each running legs on victorious 400- and 1,600-meter relay teams.

Hector, who missed much of the early portion of the season because of academic ineligibility, won the 200 meters in 21.53 seconds, a county-leading--albeit wind-aided--time.

Hector, a junior, also won his specialty, the 300 intermediate hurdles, in 39.10, leading a 1-2 sweep with teammate Cody Heron (40.94).

“Coach wants me to drop one of the races in CIF,” Hector said. “If it was up to me, it would be the 200.”

Kierulff, the 1992 State champion in the high jump, won the high jump (5 feet 9) and long jump (18-3 3/4, wind-aided).

“I was happiest with the long jump,” said Kierulff, a junior who jumped better than 18 feet for the first time.

Aztec juniors Courtney Pugmire (800, 1,600 and 1,600-meter relay) and Inshirah Jones (100 low hurdles and both relays) were triple winners.

Loara’s Pearlene Mercer won the 100 (12.37) and 200 (25.9 hand-timed) races in wind-aided times.

Los Alamitos sophomore Cory Johnson edged Esperanza senior Chris Chapman to win the high jump. Each cleared 6-8, but Johnson had fewer misses.

Katella’s Mike Moreno, second at the county cross-country championships last fall, won the 1,600 and 3,200 meters for the Knights.

Moreno, a senior, ran 4:27.59 and 9:39.63 beating teammate Delphino Resendiz (4:30.72 and 9:49.36) in each.

Cypress picked up victories from Jimmy Hutsell (400 in 49.58), Jeremy Becker (triple jump in 43-11 1/2 wind-aided) and Sheila Whitney (discus in 107-9).

In the Garden Grove League boys’ finals:

Ramsey and Sianez win honors--Londell Ramsey of Pacifica and Carlos Sianez of Los Amigos won the league male track and fields athletes of the year awards. Ramsey won the 100 yard-dash in 10.04. He also won the 120 hurdles (15.36) and the 330 hurdles (39.79).

Sianez won the shotput (54-3 1/2) and the discus (148-10).

In the Garden Grove League girls’ finals:

Murray wins honor--Michol Murray of Garden Grove was selected as the league’s athlete of the year. Murray won the 100 (11.52) and the 220 (26.96).