Granville Fastest in Meet History : Track: Bell Gardens junior’s 1:47.96 in the Arcadia 800 meters is less than a second off the all-time high school record.

The Arcadia/Foot Locker Invitational seems to bring out the best in Michael Granville.

The Bell Gardens High junior won the 800 meters for the third year in a row, running 1 minute 47.96 seconds at Arcadia High on April 8.

Granville’s time was the fastest in the meet’s 28-year history, smashing the standard of 1:49.9 set by David Mack of Locke in 1979, and it was less than a second off the all-time high school record of 1:47.31 run by Peter Richardson of Berkeley in 1981.

Granville now ranks as the third-fastest high school runner at 800 meters. Only Richardson and George Kersh of Mississippi have run faster. Kersh ran 1:46.58 in 1987, but the mark is not acceptable as a record because it was not run in a high school competition.

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“My goal was to win the race,” Granville said. “I have to give credit to God (for getting) the record with it. The season is far from over and I’m still improving.”

Granville, who led from the start, held off a challenge from Aaron Richburg of Union City Logan with 150 meters to go after leading the 15-runner field at the 400-meter mark in 52.3.

Richburg placed second in 1:49.12 and Obea Moore of Muir, who was third in 1:49.16, also dipped under the previous meet record. Loyola’s Brian Duff shaved more than two seconds off his lifetime best to place fourth in 1:51.33.

“I knew I would have to run fast,” Granville said. “I ran my race, and when I saw them on my shoulder I knew the race was over. I felt strong and really good.”

Granville was selected as the boys’ athlete of the meet for the second time in three years. After winning last year’s Arcadia race, Granville went on to win the state title. As a freshman, he was named the athlete of the meet after a ninth-grade national record of 1:51.61.

In the long jump, Clarence Scott of Fremont surpassed his personal best by nearly 10 inches to win with a leap of 24 feet 6 3/4 inches. The mark was the third-best in the meet’s history, trailing only the 1989 mark of 25-3 1/4 by Dion Bentley and the 1973 jump of 24-10 by Jim Spillane. All six of Scott’s jumps were over his previous best of 23-8 1/2, and four were over 24 feet.

The Dorsey 1,600-meter relay team of Walter Young, Demetrie Edwards, Omar Lucien and Roderick Brown posted the City Section’s top mark of the season in placing fifth in 3:21.96.

In the open division, Janice Thomas of Dorsey won her heats of the 100 and 200 meters in 12.31 and 25.26. She also anchored the Dons’ 400-meter relay team of Latavia Savage, Khameel Flemming and Samara Whitworth to victory in 48.6.

Loyola’s Nick Cimuluca and Locke’s Tanisha Hunter were winners in the open pole vault (14-7) and open shotput (37-11).