Etiwanda’s Poe Is on the Fast Track at Mt. SAC

Senior Michael Poe of Etiwanda got the confidence boost he needed Tuesday when he won the Baseline League cross-country finals at Mount San Antonio College with a career best of 14 minutes 57 seconds over the 2.91-mile layout.

Poe placed fourth in the Division I races of the Southern Section and state championships last year, but finished a disappointing 13th in 15:19 in the individual sweepstakes race of the Mt. SAC Invitational on Oct. 26.

“I was going into the race just to get my confidence up because of my previous poor performance at Mt. SAC,” Poe said. “I didn’t feel very good warming up, but I felt fine once the race started.”

Poe had a large lead when he passed the mile mark in 4:51 and he won by 66 seconds.

“I felt a little fatigued at the end because Mt. SAC’s a hard course,” Poe said. “But I’m pretty sure if someone had come up on [me], I could have gone faster.”

-- John Ortega

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Jennie Lee of Huntington Beach Edison won the Sunset League girls’ golf title and qualified for the Southern Section individual finals with a birdie on the first playoff hole Wednesday at El Prado Golf Course.

Lee tied at three-over-par 75 with Jennifer Osborn and Jane Chin of Huntington Beach Marina and Jamie Oliver of Los Alamitos. Osborn finished second and also gained entry into the section finals with a par on the fourth playoff hole.

-- Mark Alai

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The Los Angeles Police Dept. and principals from Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and La Canada St. Francis are investigating an altercation between a Notre Dame assistant football coach and a St. Francis player that took place Friday during halftime of a Mission League game in Sherman Oaks.

The assistant coach, Lawrence Watkins, and the player, linebacker Jason Turner, each filed a police report after the incident. Turner alleged that Watkins hit him in the chest as the teams were coming off the field, said Jason Lee, a spokesman for the LAPD. Watkins alleged that Turner hit him on the left side of his body. Neither reported sustaining injuries.

Stephanie Connelly, principal at Notre Dame, said she and St. Francis Principal Tom Moran “are in the process of resolving the issue. We have the same philosophy and mission in our sports programs, which is integrity, sportsmanship and teaching the kids values beyond their athletic skills.”

Connelly declined to say whether Watkins has been disciplined for his role in the incident.

-- Ben Bolch

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