Cavaliers Are Back on Track : City final: Cleveland High, dormant two seasons ago, springs to life and could compete for title.

Talk about a quick rebuilding job.

Two years ago, Cleveland High did not field a track and field program because the school did not have a coach.

Today, the Cavaliers are one of six teams that appear capable of winning the boys’ title in the City Section championships at Birmingham High.

Crenshaw, led by hurdlers Bernard Ellis and Kabeer Smith, is a slight favorite to win its first City title, but Westchester, Banning, Cleveland, Fremont and Palisades could also win what might be the closest team competition since 1985, when Belmont totaled 44 points to edge Gardena (43) and Kennedy (42).

“L.A. is basically where most of the best teams have come from in the past, but I’m very confident that we have the talent to be right there,” said Cleveland senior Charles Lee. “We just need to get off to a good start in the 400-meter relay and let that set the tone for the rest of the meet.”

Lee, who posted personal bests of 10.4 seconds in the 100 meters and 21.44 in the 200 during last week’s prelims, is favored to win the 100 and battle Fremont junior Clarence Scott for the 200 title.

He will also anchor the Cavaliers’ 400 and 1,600 relay teams, but fellow seniors Russel Burwell and Rasool Raheem are the keys to whether Cleveland wins its first title.

Burwell had the sixth-fastest qualifying time in the 100 (11.12) and Raheem ranked fifth in the 300 intermediate hurdles (40.94) in last week’s prelims, but they have personal bests of 10.6 and 40.4. If they match or improve those marks today, they could finish among the top three or four in their respective events.

With the top six finishers in each event being awarded points on a 10-8-6-4-2-1 basis, every place will be crucial.

“That’s what [Coach Bill Paden] has been telling us,” Lee said. “That Russel and Rasool are the guys that can win it for us.

“They’ve just got to focus on what they have to do.”

The top three finishers in each event will qualify for the State championships at Cerritos College on June 2-3.

The meet will start with the field events at 3 p.m, followed by the running events at 4.

North Hollywood and San Fernando could also finish among the top six or seven boys’ teams.

North Hollywood’s Ryan Jones, who has personal bests of 14.5 in the 110 high hurdles and 39.2 in the 300 intermediates, is favored to win the former and place among the top three in the latter.

Teammate Matt Jones--no relation--is favored in the shotput after raising his best to 57 feet in the Valley Pac-8 Conference finals two weeks ago.

Williams, San Fernando’s lone qualifier, should contend for titles in the high jump (personal best of 6-7) and triple jump (47-7), and battle for top-four finishes in the long jump (21-10) and high hurdles (14.4).

Dorsey, the two-time defending champion, has the most qualifiers (13) in the boys’ meet, but most of the Dons qualified sixth or seventh in the prelims, places that will garner few points today.

That contrasts sharply with Dorsey’s chances in the girls’ meet, since sprinters Janice Thomas and Latavia Savage and 800 runner Betty Butler are expected to lead the Dons to a runaway victory.

Washington appears to be Dorsey’s biggest threat, but the Generals will be hard-pressed to finish within 20 points of the Dons, who are shooting for their second title in four years.

Chatsworth, led by senior Melinda George and junior Kim Pickup; Taft, powered by freshmen Tynisha Howze and Francis Santin; and Granada Hills, paced by junior Brandi Page, could contend for top-five finishes.

George finished third in the 800 in last year’s meet and has the fastest time in the City in the 1,600 (5 minutes 17 seconds) this season.

Pickup, third in the high jump and long jump last year, will compete in those events along with the pole vault and triple jump.

Howze will run in the 400 and anchor both of Taft’s relay teams, with Santin expected to place second in the 300 low hurdles.

Page posted the top times in the 1,600 (5:20.21) and the 3,200 (11:43.61) in the prelims.