Poston’s Legs Work Well for Sprinting, Not Jumping

Edison’s Daryl Poston discovered what it was like to stand out in two high-profile events Friday in the Division I boys’ and girls’ track preliminaries at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.

He also found out what it was like to finish last.

In a performance he labeled “so-so,” Poston finished third in the 100- and 200-meter dashes but failed to qualify in the long jump, an event he figured to excel at in the coming weeks.

“That was very disappointing,” Poston said. “But I’m glad that I qualified for the [100] and the [200]. Last season I didn’t qualify for anything.”

Poston ran the 200 in 21.92 seconds, a tenth of a second faster than his main rival, Cerritos Gahr’s Claude Melvin, who finished sixth. Last season Melvin was one of the fastest sprinters in Orange County when he ran for Brea Olinda.

In the 100, Melvin returned the favor, edging Poston by four-hundredths of a second to finish second in 10.97 seconds. Long Beach Poly’s Bennie Robinson, who also won the 200, came in first in 10.64.

Then came Poston’s disastrous long jump of 16-0 1/2, which was six feet shorter than his mark from the Sunset League finals. Poston said he suffered from tightness in his legs. “When I went to jump,” he said, “my legs wouldn’t work.”

Notes

Esperanza’s Ryan Bousquet had the best showing among county distance runners, winning the 1,600 and 3,200. He won the 1,600 in 4:27.76 and the 3,200 in 9:21.51, bettering his league qualifying time (9:31.66) by more than 10 seconds. . . . Mission Viejo’s Dana Bethel qualified in two events, the 100 hurdles and the long jump. Bethel ran the 100 hurdles in 14.81 to finish third. Her leap of 17-5 was good enough for sixth in the long jump. . . . San Clemente’s Marquita Taylor also qualified in two events, the 100 and 200. In the 100, Taylor finished ninth with a time of 12.58. In the 200, she took eighth in 25.62.