Two Firsts and a Second; Taft’s Torrey Wants More

If Deneeka Torrey of Taft High had her druthers, the rule that prohibits high school track and field athletes from competing in more than four events in a meet would be history.

The soft-spoken Toreador junior would like to enter six events in the City Section championships in May, but she realizes she’ll have to limit herself to four.

The question is--which four?

Torrey competed in the 100-meter high hurdles, the 300 low hurdles and the 100-meter dash in the Northridge-Alemany Relays at Cal State Northridge on Saturday. She also excels in the 200 and is a member of Taft’s 400 and 1,600 relay teams.

“I like to do it all,” Torrey said after winning the 100 highs in 15.68 and the 300 lows in 46.57, and finishing second in the 100 in 12.37.

Torrey’s hurdle times fell short of the sub-15 and sub-46 clockings she hoped for, but she wasn’t too disappointed.

She’s still refining her hurdling technique, particularly in the 100 highs, an event she had not run before this season.

“We haven’t been practicing that much,” Torrey said about the hurdles. “But I’ll get there.”

Torrey, third in the 100 and in the 300 lows in the City championships last year, was one of three athletes from the region who won two individual events.

Senior Jameka Taylor of Little-rock won the girls’ long jump with a leap of 17-5 3/4 and the triple jump with a mark of 35-4.

Junior Brian Anderson of Burroughs took the boys’ 1,500 in 4:05.79 and the 3,000 in 9:28.63.

Senior Mentu Daniel of Antelope Valley, the second-fastest returning 400 sprinter in the state with a best of 47.24, came from behind to win the boys’ 800 in the most exciting race of the meet.

Justin Temple of Dorsey and Jon Rymsza of Chaminade led the field through the first 400 in 58.4.

Daniel trailed in fifth, but he moved into fourth with 300 to go and into third with 200 left.

He surged past Rymsza entering the final straightaway before inching past Temple with about 30 meters left to win in a career best 1:59.45.

Temple was second in 1:59.83, with Rymsza third in 2:00.21, Chris Covert of Paraclete fourth in 2:00.77 and Ontae Chaney of Cleveland fifth in 2:00.83.

“[Winning] was just icing on the cake,” said Daniel, whose goal was a sub-2:00 clocking. “I didn’t really care where I placed, so to win was icing on the cake.”

Daniel ran legs on Antelope Valley teams that won the first heat of the 400 relay in 45.47 and placed third in the first heat of the 1,600 relay in 3:35.29. Daniel ran a strong 49.1-second leg in the 1,600 relay.

Senior Lauren Fleshman of Canyon ran anchor legs on teams that won the girls’ 6,400 relay in 22:45.15 and the distance medley relay in 13:08.18, and placed second in the 3,200 relay in 9:59.29.

Fleshman, runner-up in the national cross-country championships in December, ran 5:09 on her leg of the 6,400 relay and 5:14.2 in the distance medley. She also clocked 2:15.6 on her leg of the 3,200 relay.

Sophomore Chris Morgan of Taft won the boys’ 110 high hurdles in a career best of 14.60.