Dorsey Runs Down First Boys’ Title Since 1999

One down. One to go.

That seemed to be the feeling among members of the Los Angeles Dorsey boys’ track and field team Thursday night after the Dons had romped to their first team title since 1999 in the City Section championships at Lake Balboa Birmingham.

Dorsey, led by its twin towers of 6-foot-4 junior David Gettis and 6-3 senior Kai Kelley, totaled a meet-record 126 points in winning its seventh title in the last 12 years and 10th overall.

“We’ve just been practicing hard all year long for this moment,” Kelley said after winning the 300-meter intermediate hurdles in a career-best 37.22 seconds, the second-best time in the state this year. “And now we’re just trying to get to the next level and this is a big step. This is like a warm-up for what we want to try to do at state.”

Dorsey and Union City Logan are expected to battle for the boys’ title in the state championships in Sacramento next Friday and Saturday, but the Dons were untouchable Thursday as they won nine of 15 events and finished 85 points ahead of runner-up Carson.

A Dorsey quartet of senior Joe Lewis, Gettis, Kelley and junior Marquis Charles won the 400-meter relay in 41.40, the second-fastest time in the state this year, in the first running event of the meet. The Dons then won four of the next five events as Dorsey junior Vannie Prudhomme won the high jump (6-10), Kelley won the 110 high hurdles (14.42), junior Justin Clark won the long jump (21-10 3/4) and Gettis won the 400 in a meet-record and state-best 46.39.

Only Danny Everett of L.A. Fairfax, who had a best of 45.76, and Fabian Cooper of L.A. Washington (46.38) have run faster 400s than Gettis among City athletes.

Gettis later was second in the 200 (21.50) and ran a 45.8-second anchor leg on the winning 1,600 relay team that clocked a nation-leading and meet-record time of 3:11.45, the second-best City mark of all-time.

In the girls’ meet, Gardena won its first team title since 1994 with a 119-108 1/2 victory over defending champion Birmingham.

The Panthers were led by senior sprinter Cristal Steen, senior hurdler Endurha Patten and sophomore Myra Hasson.

Steen won the 100 (12.06) and 200 (24.43), placed second in the long jump (16-11) and ran on the winning 400 relay team (47.98). Patten won the 100 high hurdles in 15.40 and the 300 low hurdles in a career-best 45.63.

Woodland Hills El Camino Real had a double winner in freshman Sarah Roth in the 800 and 1,600.