PREP TRACK AND FIELD / ORANGE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS : Esperanza’s Boys, Girls Appear to Be the Teams to Beat

Esperanza is the favorite in the boys’ team competition and Woodbridge will try to dethrone defending champion Esperanza for the girls’ title at the Orange County Track and Field Championships, beginning 9 a.m. Saturday at Trabuco Hills High.

Here’s a preview of the day’s individual events and competitors:

Sprints--Dana Hills sophomore Bryan Harrison is the class of the field in the 100- and 200-meter sprints. Huntington Beach’s Jess Strutzel and Savanna’s Mike Flores have shown the most potential in the 400.

Woodbridge’s Erin Stovall and Meisha Wilson-Duval and Mission Viejo’s Kelly Phillips lead the way in the girls’ 100, 200 and 400. Foothill’s Tara Oettinger is the defending champion in the three races.

Distance races--Strutzel, Brethren Christian’s Brandon Pacheco and Ocean View’s Brian O’Bannon, a Times’ all-county first-team selection last year, lead a strong 800 field.

Esperanza’s Courtney Pugmire and Carrie Caulkins, along with Huntington Beach’s Summer Shaw, are the favorites in the girls’ 800.

Pacheco and Capistrano Valley’s Adalberto Sanchez head the boys’ 1,500 field, and Pugmire and Caulkins could repeat their 1,500 sweep of last year.

Sanchez is the heavy favorite in the boys’ 3,000. Pugmire, Corona del Mar’s Tracey Clark, and Buena Park freshman Heather Garritson are the trio to watch in the girls’ longest race.

Hurdles--Tustin’s Dominique Degrammont and Esperanza’s Anton Hector are the favorites in the 110 high hurdles and 300 intermediates.

Freshman Ashley Bethel of Mission Viejo is expected to be challenged by Foothill’s Katie Mook and Esperanza’s Inshirah Jones in the girls’ 100 low hurdles. Mook, Jones and Edison junior Kerry O’Bric will battle in the 300 lows.

Relays--Esperanza’s boys and Woodbridge’s girls are heads and shoulders above the rest in the 400-meter relay, with both Foothill teams entering as the county’s leaders in the 1,600 relay.

Vertical jumps--Cory Johnson of Los Alamitos has jumped 6 feet 10 this season and is the clear favorite in the boys’ high jump. Esperanza’s Kristy Kierulff is the class of the girls’ event. The pole vault events are led by Steve Michels of Brethren Christian and Katie Inoue of Laguna Hills.

Horizontal jumps--Tustin’s Reggie Curry is the favorite in the triple jump, but the long jump field is wide open.

A Sunset League battle could be brewing in the girls’ triple jump with O’Bric and Esperanza’s Kelly O’Conner, the county leaders. Oettinger, defending county and State champion, Kierulff and Bethel are the favorites in the long jump.

Throws--University’s Sepeher Sharifi is the favorite in the boys’ shotput and discus.

Woodbridge’s Angela Burgess must win both throwing events for the Warriors to have a shot at the girls’ team title.