Fargas and Fletcher Push Each Other to Sacramento

The two sprinters formed an unspoken alliance.

They could be seen together all season, crouching in the blocks, bursting down the track, crossing the finish line with as little as one hundredth of a second between them.

Now, Justin Fargas of Notre Dame High and Miguel Fletcher of Alemany will be together again, running the 100-meter dash next week at the track and field state championships in Sacramento .

The Mission League competitors qualified by finishing third and fifth, respectively, in the Southern Section Masters Meet at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach on Friday night.

In a way, they have each other to thank.

“We have a nice, friendly rivalry going,” Fargas said. “Fletcher has kind of pulled me along. He has brought out the best in me.”

At the start of track season, Fargas was better known for his exploits on the football field and no one expected him to push Fletcher, the defending 100-meter champion in Division III.

But at their first head-to-head meeting of 1997, in the Alemany-Northridge Relays at Cal State Northridge, Fargas led for 60 meters before fading to third behind Fletcher and Derick Brown of Compton Dominguez.

“Fargas shocked everybody,” said Ned Fletcher, Miguel’s father and coach. “His goal was to beat Miguel. You need that rivalry. That’s going to make each of the athletes better.”

Fargas said: “That race gave me a lot of confidence that I could run with him. I knew that sooner or later everything would come together and I would win.”

They met three more times during the season, Fargas losing each time but drawing closer. Fletcher was inspired.

“He helped me out a lot,” Fletcher said.

At the Mission League finals on May 9, Fargas started fast and held on for a personal best of 10.58 to upset his rival. Last week, he got the jump again and finished second, just ahead of Fletcher, at the Division III championships.

Fletcher knew what he had to do.

“I’ve been working on my starts all week,” he said.

The Masters 100-meter dash was held in early evening shadows with a brisk wind at the sprinters’ backs. Fletcher drew Lane 3 and Fargas Lane 7. They would not be able to see each other.

Fargas burst out of the blocks and, at the halfway point, was among the leaders. Despite his preparation, Fletcher struggled early and found himself in danger of not finishing among the five qualifiers for the state meet.

But the Alemany junior settled down over the last 50 meters, driving his arms, closing ground with characteristic strength as Fargas began to tighten up.

Sultan McCullough of Muir pulled away to win in 10.28. The next four sprinters finished close, Fargas in third place at 10.45 and Fletcher in fifth place at 10.50.

After realizing that he had recovered from his shaky start to qualify, Fletcher looked up and asked: “What did Justin do?”