Birmingham Makes Sweeping Statement

Birmingham High defeated Cleveland by identical 68-59 scores in West Valley League boys’ and girls’ track meets Wednesday, but each squad experienced different levels of tension near the finish at Birmingham.

While Birmingham led for the last seven events of the girls’ meet, the Patriots outscored Cleveland, 16-2, in the final two events of the boys’ meet.

“I knew it was going to be close and I knew we were going to have a hard time matching up against them,” Coach Scott King of Birmingham said of the boys’ meet. “They’re an outstanding program.”

Cleveland, the No. 3-ranked boys’ team in the region by The Times, took a 57-52 lead when the Cavaliers won the 1,600-meter relay in 3:23.44. But Jacobe Powell bounded 41-5 1/2 in the triple jump and Mohammed Ahmed leaped 40-10 1/4 to give No. 2 Birmingham a 1-2 finish and a 60-58 advantage.

Powell and John Walker followed with a 1-2 finish in the high jump to clinch the victory for Birmingham (5-1, 3-1 in league competition) and take some of the sting out of a 68-59 loss to top-ranked Taft on Friday.

“I took Jacobe aside [after the triple jump] and said, ‘Remember Taft?’ ” Walker said. “Now’s our chance to shine.”

Powell, Walker and Anthony Davis of Cleveland each cleared 6-1 in the high jump, but Powell placed first because he did it on his second attempt while Walker and Davis made it on their third. Walker finished ahead of Davis because he had fewer total misses.

Walker won the 110 high hurdles in 14.57 and the 300 intermediates in 40.54 for Birmingham, which outscored Cleveland, 36-9, in the five field events.

Junior Jason Lovell had a sensational meet for Cleveland (5-1, 3-1), winning the 400 in a school-record 47.8, the 200 in a wind-aided 21.3 and anchoring the 1,600 relay.

Cleveland led, 38-30, after the first eight events of the girls’ meet, but top-ranked Birmingham outscored the No. 4 Cavaliers, 22-5, in the next three events to take a 52-43 lead.

Melissa Astete and Michelle Rivera of Birmingham started the run by tying for first in the pole vault at 10-6 and leading the Patriots (6-0, 4-0) to a 1-2-3 finish.

Sisters Gigi and Vincetta Mendola followed with a 1-2 finish in the 200 in wind-aided times of 24.6 and 24.8, and Tammy Carpenter won the long jump in 16-5 1/2.

Carpenter won the triple jump in 35-3 1/2 for Birmingham, which got a huge upset victory in the shotput when Ellen Shepstone’s 36-8 effort beat three-time defending City Section champion Jessica Cosby of Cleveland by four inches.

Brynne Steward won the 100 high hurdles in 15.56 and the 300 lows in 46.82 for the Cavaliers (5-1, 3-1).