Robinson Really Steps It Up

As he raced toward the finish line in the 100-meter dash, Bennie Robinson of Long Beach Poly High said he felt the spirit of Darrell Rideaux and Kareem Kelly inside of him.

Rideaux and Kelly, two of the best sprinters in the storied history of Long Beach Poly track and field, graduated last year and are attending USC.

But the Jackrabbits have found somebody to follow in the sprint tradition.

Robinson surprised Warren Rogers of Gardena Serra--regarded as the state’s top sprinter--to win the 100-meter dash in 10.41 seconds Saturday night at the FloJo Memorial Arcadia Invitational track meet at Citrus College in Glendora.

For good measure, Robinson was a surprising winner over highly regarded Rickey Harris of Centreville in Clifton, Va., in the 200 in 21.64.

“A lot of people doubted me in the 200,” Robinson said. “They said I wouldn’t win the 200 but I proved them wrong.”

Robinson turned in the fastest time in the state in the 100 meters this season and the third fastest in Long Beach Poly history.

Rogers, who has signed with UCLA to play football, finished a close second in 10.46 seconds. He also anchored Serra’s winning 1,600 relay team.

Robinson’s performance is especially impressive in that it is only his second season of competing in track. But he said training with Rideaux and Kelly last season helped his development.

“If it wasn’t for them, I might’ve lost those races,” Robinson said.

In the girls’ division, Lashinda Demus of Long Beach Wilson was disappointed by her third-place finish in the 100 low hurdles (13.97).

So she was more focused than usual for the 300 hurdles, posting a meet record and national-leading time of 40.97. She also anchored Wilson’s winning 1,600-meter relay team and was named the meet’s top female performer.

Two other girls who came through with national-leading marks were Angel Perkins of Cerritos Gahr in the 400 (52.62) and Anita Siraki of Glendale Hoover (10:18.61) in the 3,200. In winning the 400, Perkins handed Monique Henderson of San Diego Morse the first defeat in her high school career.

In the boys’ division, Harris was named the male athlete of the meet after winning the 400 in 47.04 and the 110 high hurdles in a national-leading 13.51.

Other top boys’ efforts came from Ryan Bousquet of Anaheim Esperanza, who turned in a national-leading 4:09.37 in the 1,600; Rhuben Williams of Eagle Rock with a state best of 62-4 1/4 in the shot put and Tony Allmond of Santa Fe Springs St. Paul with a state best of 24-4 in the long jump.