Birmingham’s Maldur Soars to New Height

Edward Maldur of Birmingham High could not have picked a better time for the best high jump of his career.

With the Braves and El Camino Real deadlocked, 59-59, after 14 of 15 events in a Northwest Valley Conference track and field meet Friday, Maldur cleared 6 feet for the first time in his career to lead Birmingham to a 1-3 finish and a 65-62 victory.

The victory was the 70th in a row for the Braves, who lost all of an early 24-point lead before recovering.

“I just feel so happy that I was able to make that height and help us win the meet,” said Maldur, his voice breaking with excitement. “To be in a position where everyone is watching you and to come through is a feeling that I’ll remember for a long time.”

After clearing 5-6, 5-8 and 5-10 on his first attempts, Maldur was in first place when the bar was raised to 6 feet. He cleared that height--which topped his previous best by two inches--on his first try, but wasn’t able to totally exult until El Camino Real’s Corey Taylor missed all three of his jumps.

Maldur’s heroics helped Birmingham (6-0, 6-0 in the conference) stave off a furious rally by El Camino Real (5-1, 5-1).

The Braves led, 37-13, after Jose Lorenzo led them to a 1-2-3 sweep in the 800 meters with a time of 2 minutes 4.1 seconds. But the Conquistadores won the next six events to take a 54-50 lead with three events left.

Taylor, Jeff Macrea and Roderick Crow played big parts in El Camino Real’s streak.

Taylor won the 300 intermediate hurdles in 41.3, Macrea put the shot 52-1 1/2 to lead a sweep in that event and Crow won the 200 and the triple jump with wind-aided marks of 21.6 and 43-9.

Birmingham swept the 3,200 as expected to take a 59-54 lead, but the Conquistadores won the 1,600 relay in a season best of 3:27.3 to tie the score, 59-59.

Taylor broke the race open with a 51.9 second leg, then had to return to the high jump for his attempts to clear 6 feet. He was given 10 minutes to rest, but his weary legs lacked the spring to get over that height.

“I felt good about him having to run the relay,” Maldur said. “But I also felt like he didn’t have a fair chance to win the high jump. But that’s the way track meets go sometimes.”

Although Maldur posted the most-dramatic victory in the meet, the sprints produced the highest-quality marks.

Birmingham sophomore Demetrus Patterson edged Wright in the 100 as both clocked a wind-aided 10.7 and Crow won the 400 in a career best of 49.5 to turn back the Braves’ Maurice Threewitts (49.9).

Crow, Wright and David Belk of Birmingham staged a superb battle in the 200, Wright finishing second in 22.0 and Belk third in 22.2.

El Camino Real won seven of the 14 events in the girls’ meet, but Birmingham’s depth resulted in a 68-50 victory.

Freshman Tiffany Burgess won the 800 in 2:28.5 and the 1,600 in 5:30.6 for the Braves (5-1, 5-1) and ran a leg on the 1,600 relay team that won in 4:25.9.

Triannette Scott won the 100 and 200 with wind-aided times of 12.5 and 26.9 for the Conquistadores (4-2, 4-2).