Taft Repeats Itself at Birmingham

The race was the 1,600-meter relay instead of the mile relay, but the result was the same for the Taft High boys’ team in its West Valley League track and field showdown against Birmingham on Wednesday night at Birmingham High.

Taft narrowly won the final event of the meet--known in track circles as the four by four--to post a 68-59 victory over Birmingham for the second consecutive year.

It was Taft’s fourth consecutive victory over the Patriots.

Fred Williams of Taft ran a 47.9-second anchor leg to nip Ramal Porter of Birmingham inches before the finish line last year.

Toreador sophomore Noah Smith held off a hard-charging Porter this time to give Taft a 3:23.42 to 3:23.47 victory and the final five points.

Porter, who won the 400 in 48.92, made up about 20 meters on Smith with a 47.8-second anchor leg, but fell about a foot short of a Taft team that was running without injured Tyrone Melton, its top 400 sprinter.

“I didn’t care what kind of lead I had,” Smith said. “I’m not going to lose.

“I know that may sound big-headed, but that’s the way I race.”

Smith, who has hampered by injuries last season, had a hand in four Taft victories.

He won the 100 in 10.99 and the 200 in 21.80 and anchored the winning 400 relay team to a 41.30 clocking that was the fastest time in the state this year.

The 400 time moved the Toreadors into fourth place on the all-time region list behind a trio of Quincy Watts-anchored Taft foursomes from the 1980s.

Seniors Chris Morgan and Daniel Clements had a big hand in the victory.

Morgan, defending state champion in the 110 high hurdles, won that event in 14.07 and the long jump in 21-11 3/4, finished second in the triple jump in 43-0 and ran the second leg on the 400 relay.

Clements won the 800 in 2:01.65, the 1,600 in 4:30.63 and the 3,200 in 10:14.78.

Taft, top-ranked team in the region by The Times, took a 63-50 lead after sophomore Steve Smith--no relation to Noah--and Morgan finished first and second in the triple jump.

But No. 2 Birmingham placed 1-2-3 in the high jump to cut the deficit to 63-59 entering the decisive 1,600 relay.

Birmingham defeated Taft, 89-32, in the girls’ meet.

Porscha Holland and Jennifer Mobarez each won two events for the Patriots, the top-ranked team in the region.

Schquay Brignac of Taft, defending state champion in the high jump, won that event in 5-2, the long jump in 18-9 and the triple jump in 32-3.

She placed second in the 100 in 12.97.