Bussey, Spiker, Start Out Slowly but Finish First

Neither ran a career best, but senior Blaine Bussey of Taft High and junior Josh Spiker of Ventura weren’t complaining after winning individual boys’ titles before 16,175 in the state track and field championships at Hughes Stadium on Saturday.

Bussey, who had run a region record and the fastest time of the year at 46.3 in winning the 400 in the Northwest Valley Conference finals May 14, won that event in 46.94 on Saturday to become the second state champion from Taft and the first since Quincy Watts had won the 100 and 200 in the 1987 state meet at Hughes Stadium.

Watts, who went on to win the 1992 Olympic title in the 400, also won the 200 in the 1986 state championships.

“I didn’t get to run as fast as I wanted to,” Bussey said. “But I won and that’s what matters.”

Bussey, who also ran the anchor leg on Taft’s 1,600 relay team that finished seventh in 3:19.71, was in second place at 200 meters after bucking a stiff backstretch head wind, but he hit the accelerator around the curve, opened up a five-meter lead on the field with 50 meters left and held off a late challenge by senior Raheem Barnes of Gardena, who clocked 47.19.

“This a big accomplishment,” said Bussey, who finished third last year. “Because I’ve wanted it for a long time. I should have won it last year, but I didn’t run well.”

Spiker won the 3,200 in 9:02.00 after kicking past senior Marcus Chandler of San Diego Serra and junior Augie Escobar of Villa Park in the homestretch.

Escobar ran a nation-leading 8:56.23 to defeat the 8:56.66 career best of Spiker in the Southern Section Masters Meet at Cerritos College on May 28, but Chandler and Spiker passed him in the last 120 meters.

Chandler, who won the 1,600 in a state-leading 4:10.44 earlier in the meet, had a two-meter lead over Escobar and a four-meter lead over Spiker as the trio entered the home straightaway. But Spiker shifted gears with about 70 meters to go.

He passed Escobar with about 35 meters left before collaring Chandler with about 10 meters remaining.

“I’m glad I was able to win,” Spiker said after becoming Ventura’s first state champion. “I felt a lot better on the last lap this time because the pace wasn’t as fast early in the race.”

Junior Oliver Jackson of Royal, senior Tim Adrian of Moorpark, junior Rodney Woods of Littlerock and junior Shane Hackett of Verdugo Hills also placed among the top six finishers in the boys’ meet.

Jackson placed second in the long jump with a wind-aided 24-8 3/4 after entering the meet as the state leader at 24-4 3/4.

Adrian placed fourth in the discus at 179-5 after finishing fifth in the state championships last year.

Woods, the first Littlerock athlete to reach the state meet, was fifth in the triple jump with a wind-aided 47-3 1/4.

Hackett tied for sixth in the pole vault at 15-2 after clearing a school-record 15-4 in qualifying on Friday.

Junior Fernando Lopez of Taft finished seventh in the high jump at 6-7 and sophomore teammate Chris Morgan was ninth in the long jump with a wind-aided 22-9 3/4 and ninth in the 110 high hurdles in a school-record 14.44.

Vallejo beat two-time defending champion Long Beach Poly, 35-32, for its first team title.