Taft Girls Looking City Title in Face

Taft High will have to fall on its face to not win its first City Section girls’ track and field title next week.

That became apparent Thursday when the Toreadors won one heat after another in the City preliminaries at Birmingham High.

Taft, led by seniors Frances Santin and Eboni Grayson, qualified at least one athlete in all 10 running events and in two of the five field events for the championships at Birmingham next Thursday.

“It’s going real good,” Taft Coach Mel Hein said two-thirds of the way through the meet.

“We’re getting everyone through [into the finals].”

Taft, which finished second to Dorsey in the City championships last year, produced a slew of season and/or career bests in the girls’ meet, topped by Santin’s 42.91 clocking in the 300-meter low hurdles.

The Cal State Northridge-bound Santin ran a school record of 43.24 in winning her qualifying heat in the 1996 state championships, but she struggled--by her standards--to a season best of 44.04 last year.

“After three years, it feels good,” Santin said of finally breaking 43 seconds.

“I heard them announce that I ran [an unofficial] 42.8 but . . . I keep thinking, ‘Please let it be under 43.’ I would have been happy even with a 42.99. I just wanted to break 43.”

Santin’s time, which was the third fastest in the state this year and brought tears of joy after it was announced, was doubly impressive because she stutter-stepped badly at the second of eight hurdles and was forced to clear it with her left leg first instead of her usual right.

“There’s more there,” Santin said her time. “There’s more there.”

Santin won her heat of the 100 high hurdles in 14.78, the second-fastest time of the meet, reached the final of the high jump by clearing 4 feet 8 inches, and ran the first leg on Taft’s 400 relay team that clocked 47.03, fastest of the day.

The UCLA-bound Grayson anchored the 400 relay team and ran the second fastest times of the meet in the 100 with a wind-aided 11.91 and in the 200 with a season best of 24.34. She is defending City champion in both events.

Grayson set a meet record of 38-6 1/2 in the triple jump.

Taft had the fastest qualifying time in the 1,600 relay at 3:55.01.

Sophomore Jayda Bailey of Taft posted the second-fastest time in the 400 at 56.96 and sophomore Deneeka Torrey had the second-fastest time in the 300 hurdles with a career-best 45.43.

Junior Tiffany Burgess of Birmingham, two-time City champion in the 1,600, was the fastest qualifier in the 800 at 2:22.97 and had the No. 2 time in the 1,600 at 5:10.14.

Sophomore Jessica Cosby of Granada Hills, defending City champion in the girls’ shotput, led the qualifying at 42-1.

Taft had the leading qualifying mark in three events in the boys’ meet, led by junior Blaine Bussey’s 47.61 clocking in the 400.

Bussey ran on Taft’s 1,600 relay that clocked a leading 3:18.05.

Senior Ricky Harvey was Taft’s other leading qualifier with a mark of 21-10 1/2 in the long jump.

Demetrus Patterson of Birmingham ran career bests of 10.73 in the 100 and 21.55 in the 200.