Morgan Keeps Aiming High

At age 5, Chris Morgan decided to emulate Neil Armstrong by taking “one giant leap for mankind.”

He saw a hurdle, charged ahead and went airborne.

The next thing anyone remembers is a scene straight out of Wile E. Coyote chasing the Roadrunner.

Kaboom!

“He crashed pretty bad,” said Dale Morgan, Chris’ father.

Chris was given some fatherly advice: Hold off on the hurdles until you’re taller than the hurdle.

At 12, Chris made a triumphant return to hurdling and became one of the top youth performers in the nation.

At 17, he’s a junior at Taft High and the fastest hurdler in California. By June, he could be a state champion.

Hurdling runs through Morgan’s blood. Nobody told him to try jumping over that hurdle as a 5-year-old. He just did it, pushed on by a sixth sense.

Call it destiny, call it family genes. His parents were hurdlers at San Fernando. Dale became his youth coach, and his mother, Kimberly, rooted for him every step of the way.

Morgan, 6 feet 1 and 185 pounds, is on his way to reaching peak form. Last weekend at the Pasadena Games, he ran the 110-meter highs in a school-record 14.08 seconds, fastest time in the state.

He has 10 hurdles to clear, each 39 inches high. The secret to success is running at sprinter speed and spending as little time as possible in the air.

“It’s just a waste of time floating over the hurdle,” Coach Mel Hein said. “You have to get off the ground and get back on the ground as fast as you can. You want to make it like the hurdles are not even there.”

The scabs and old bruises on Morgan’s knees and ankles from hitting hurdles or suffering flesh wounds from spikes are proof of the hard work he puts in during practice.

Morgan runs hurdles the same way he plays outside linebacker at Taft--he attacks.

“You can’t be afraid and if you don’t have a football mentality, you won’t do well,” he said. “I just think there’s 10 obstacles in my way and I have to get past each one of them. I’m trying to attack and get on the ground as fast as I can.”

His physical talent is enormous. He started as a sophomore on Taft’s City Championship football team and averaged 17.6 yards per reception as a junior. He has leaped 23-8 in the long jump.

But beyond the athletic skills, Morgan has discovered that there are different paths awaiting him.

His father delivered a powerful message several years ago by taking him to meet some old high school buddies who wasted away their athletic gift.

“I took him to a hangout spot to see the guys,” Dale said. “They were alcoholics, one step away from being bums. I showed him two different ways he could end up. I told these guys, ‘Tell my son what you did in high school. Confess. Don’t lie.’ I wanted him to see how life doesn’t end up perfect just because you think it does. He had to do his school work.”

Said Chris: “It was a shock. He always used to tell me stuff, but I didn’t believe him. Then I knew it could happen.”

Not until after he struggled as a freshman did Morgan fully make the transition to dedicated student determined to qualify for college.

He has the family behind him and plenty of siblings ready to follow in his footsteps. Joshua, 11, is already an age-group champion in the hurdles. Sister Brea-Shae, 9, and brother Dale Jr., 8, are aspiring athletes.

Big brother serves as their baby sitter.

“I have to threaten them sometimes,” Morgan said. “Like, ‘I’m going to tell Mom or Dad,’ or ‘I’m going to take away something.’ Little things they know I’m going to get them on.”

But if Morgan ever needs to practice his tackling, he knows Joshua and Dale will be quick to oblige.

“They practice their little running back moves,” Morgan said. “I give them a little nudge.”

For the rest of the spring, Morgan’s focus is on hurdling.

“My goal this year is under 13.7,” he said.

That might be considered a giant leap, but he’s never been afraid to try.

*

If basketball Coach Howard Levine of Grant ever needs a second job, he could be a lounge singer. He was singing songs from the Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync during the school basketball banquet Thursday night.

Levine was so good, players were dancing in the aisles. If junior guard Bryan Guevarra can shoot as well as he dances, watch out for the Lancers next season. . . .

Joel Wolfe, who played baseball at Chatsworth and UCLA, won $10,000 on the game show, “Greed.”. . . .

Tony Kim, a freshman golfer at Campbell Hall, has been shooting impressive scores. He shot a three-under-par 69 Friday at Harding Golf Course.

Another freshman golfer to watch is Jared Tarlow of Calabasas. He’s the brother of Darren Tarlow, who played basketball at Chaminade. . . .

Granada Hills’ football team is no longer looking for a running back after the arrival of Bryan Wilson, a transfer from Alemany who will be a junior in the fall. “He’s got the key ingredient--speed,” co-Coach Tom Harp said. . . .

One day, junior outfielder Polo Gomez of El Camino Real is going to rank among the best in the City Section. He’s 6-3, 170 pounds and could become an elite hitter. . . .

Arthur Lee, former point guard at North Hollywood, is playing in Turkey. Another former Husky, Dana Jones, is playing in Japan. . . .

Applications to attend a City Section high school based on open enrollment are available May 1. There are not many spots available in the region.

El Camino Real and Kennedy have zero openings. Taft leads with 275 openings. Chatsworth has 225, Canoga Park 100, Granada Hills 75 and Cleveland 50. If schools receive more applications than openings, a lottery will be held.

Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422 or eric.sondheimer@latimes.com