Winning Is Year-Round Event for Saugus Trio

A stellar cross-country season doesn’t always guarantee similar success in springtime distance races, but it has for the Saugus High boys’ team this year.

The Centurions won the Southern Section Division II cross-country title in November and three members of that team swept the boys’ distance races in the Foothill League track and field finals at College of the Canyons on Thursday.

John Getskow timed 1:57.1 in the 800 meters, Jacob Boeding clocked 4:22.9 in the 1,600 and Dan Klawer timed 9:54.2 in the 3,200 for Saugus after sweeping the top three places in the league cross-country finals last fall.

“I thought we could win all three races,” Boeding said after cutting 3.2 seconds from his personal best in the 1,600. “I was pretty confident that we could actually take the 400, too, and we did that.”

Boeding, a junior, started the Saugus distance sweep by pulling away from Burroughs sophomore Brian Anderson in final lap of the 1,600.

Boeding and Anderson came through the 1,200-meter mark in 3:20.1 before Boeding ran the final 400 in 62.8 to win by four seconds.

“That’s a big [personal record] so I’m really happy with the time,” Boeding said. “My goal was 4:24 at the start of the season.”

Getskow, a senior, said his only goal this year was to have fun in what he claims is his final season of competitive running.

In pursuit of that goal, he hasn’t trained as hard as in previous years and he’s competed in events such as the 300 intermediate hurdles and the discus.

Despite his unconventional approach, Getskow won a very competitive race Thursday. He was in fifth place after the first 400, moved into third with 200 left and then overtook leader Doved Berg of Canyon in the final straightaway.

“I saw him out in front of me and just decided to go for it,” Getskow said.

Klawer also had a strong finishing kick to overtake senior Jeff Wright of Canyon in the final homestretch.

Sara Foster of Valencia, Dimi Watson of Hart and Aaron Thompson and Lauren Fleshman of Canyon each had a hand in two or more victories. The meet’s top three finishers in each event advanced to the Southern Section Division I preliminaries at Long Beach City College on May 16.

Foster, a sophomore, won the girls’ 400 in 61.7, the high jump at 5 feet 5 inches, the long jump at 15-9 1/4 and ran the second leg on the winning 400 relay team that timed 50.8.

Watson, a senior, won the boys’ 100 in 10.9, the 200 in 22.6 and ran the anchor leg on the victorious 400 relay team that clocked 43.8.

Thompson, a senior, took the boys’ 110 high hurdles in 15.9, the 300 intermediates in 40.7 and ran the third leg on the winning 1,600 relay team that timed 3:28.6.

Fleshman, a junior, took the girls’ 1,600 in 5:12.7, the 3,200 in 11:48.3 and ran the third leg on the victorious 1,600 relay team that ran 4:13.6.