Bussey Outruns Problems, Wins 400

In his first two years at Taft High, sprinter Blaine Bussey’s career was derailed by an injury and academic problems.

He missed his freshman season after he broke his kneecap and suffered ligament damage while trying to dunk in a pick-up basketball game and sat out most of his sophomore season because he received too many U’s on a report card.

But Bussey has clearly come of age this season. The junior stamped himself as one of the top runners in the City Section with a victory in the 400-meter run during the Northwest Valley Conference finals Friday night at Birmingham High.

Bussey finished in 47.4 seconds to lead a one-two-three sweep for Taft. He also ran on Taft’s 1,600-meter relay team that set a conference record of 3:20.4.

“By the time City and state come along, I should be running in the 46s,” Bussey said.

Bussey will have plenty of company at the City preliminaries Thursday at Birmingham.

The Toreadors had 21 girls and 20 boys qualify, while Birmingham had 20 boys and 19 girls.

Lawrence Jones of Taft ran a dead heat with Demetrus Patterson of Birmingham in the 200 at 21.8 seconds, finished second in the 400 at 48.6 and ran on the winning 400 and 1,600 relay teams.

Patterson, who ran 10.7 and placed second to Quincy Wright of El Camino Real, who won the 100 in 10.5, thought he won the 200 outright.

“I thought I got it on the lean,” Patterson said. “[Jones] looked like he was too confident and slowed at the line.”

Pedro Solorzano of San Fernando set a conference record of 4:26.2 in the 1,600 and Jeremy Jackson of Chatsworth established a conference mark of 6-8 in the high jump.

De Angelo Nedd of El Camino Real won the long jump at 22-2 and the triple jump at 43-9 1/2.

Eboni Grayson of Taft, who has committed to UCLA, set conference records of 24.4 in the 200 and 38-8 in the triple jump, won the 100 in 11.9 and ran on the 400 relay team that set a conference mark of 46.6.

Frances Santin of Taft, bound for Cal State Northridge, won the 100 in 14.7 and the 300 low hurdles in 43.4, and ran on Taft’s 1,600 relay team that set a conference record of 3:59.7.

Junior Tiffany Burgess of Birmingham won the 800 in 2:17.9 and the 1,600 in 5:08.7.

“I did what I came here to do,” Burgess said. “My long-range goal is to break five minutes [in the 1,600] and I think if I use that as a goal I can do it.”

Conference records were set by Jessica Cosby of Granada Hills in the shotput at 44-3 1/2 and Kim Lawson of Chatsworth and Melissa Astete in the pole vault, both at 8-6.