Boys’ Track and Field Preview: St. Francis’ Foster looks for another big year

A year ago, the area produced one its best seasons in recent track and field lore.

Flintridge Prep’s Gareth Weiss won a CIF Southern Section Division IV pole vaulting title, while St. Francis’ Jasher Foster was a surprise 110-meter hurdles champion in Division III.

At the state finals, Flintridge Prep senior Barrett Weiss skied above all when he took third in the pole vault competition.

It will be hard to top the exploits of last season, but if there’s one athlete capable of doing that, perhaps it’s Foster.

The two-sport star (wide receiver on the football team) turned in a banner 2015 track campaign in which he won the Mission League championship in the 110 hurdles in a then personal-best mark of 14.43 seconds and was second in the 300 hurdles (38.56) and 400-meter sprint (28.56).

While Foster had some disciplinary issues toward the tail end of the football season, track coach Mike Russell said those problems were in the past.

“Our staff had a great talk with him and he’s owned up to his mistakes, apologized and we’ve moved on,” Russell said. “I think he really wants to be a leader and role model and he’s capable of having a big year.”

Foster won a Division III 110-meter hurdles championship at Cerritos College in 14.30 and upset Gabrielino’s top-ranked Gary Hawkins in the process.

Foster took fourth at the next week’s Masters Meet in 14.27 and then hit his personal-record time of 14.22 at the CIF State Championships Preliminaries before finishing eighth in 14.50.

While there’s much excitement about what Foster can accomplish, there’s also an elevated sense of anticipation as the St. Francis program boasts 120 athletes, with perhaps another 20 more set to come in from soccer and basketball.

St. Francis senior Matt Tauer runs a 200-meter lap with the baton at track practice at St. Francis High School on Monday, Feb. 22, 2016. Tauer is expected to be a key contributor in the 400-meter and 1,600-meter relays.

(Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

Outside of Foster, the Golden Knights will expect senior Matt Tauer to be a solid force in the 400-meter and 1,600-meter relays, sophomore Blake Howard to make the big jump from frosh-soph to varsity in the pole vault, long jump and shot put and senior Leonardo Harrison to continue his development in the 400.

Russell is also hoping that sophomore Grant James will challenge Foster in the 110 and 300 hurdles.

Always a threat in the Pacific League, Crescenta Valley has similar numbers to St. Francis as the squad will consist of roughly 120 athletes.

The Falcons are looking to better their standing in the Pacific League and will pin their hopes on their distance runners.

“We finished fourth last year in league, but I think we can do better this season,” Crescenta Valley Coach Mark Evans said. “I think we have a pretty good group of kids returning even though we will lack a little depth.”

Sophomore Colin Fitzgerald is one such returner and is coming off a strong cross-country season in which he earned an All-Area nod, finished third (14:44.55) at the Pacific League finals and 11th (15:30.2) at the Southern Section Division I finals.

Last season, Fitzgerald finished fourth at the Pacific League finals in the 1,600 (4:28.40) and ninth in the 3,200 (9:51.11).

Crescenta Valley High sophomore Colin Fitzgerald, center, runs ahead of Burroughs High’s Justin Villagran, rear, in the boys’ varsity cross-country Pacific League Finals at Arcadia County Park on Thursday, November 5, 2015. Fitzgerald is one of several strong long-distance runners on the Falcons track and field team.

(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Fitzgerald will be joined in the distances by All-Area cross-country runner Philip Thomas, who took fifth at last year’s league finals in the 3,200 (9:43.67), and by senior Armin Cardenas as the middle-distance runner was second in league in the 800 (1:59.74).

Senior hurdlers Shawn Grinnell and Kenny Kang, senior long jumper Hye Kwang Kim and senior thrower Arthur Akopyan are expected to be key returners for Crescenta Valley.

At Flintridge Prep, the Rebels graduated perhaps two generational-type athletes in brothers Barrett and Gareth Weiss.

While it will be difficult for Flintridge Prep to produce four CIF Championships and back-to-back state appearances as the brothers did, the program isn’t exactly void of talent for new coach Jen Molebash.

“We have about 65 kids and a lot of younger athletes, mainly freshmen and sophomores,” Molebash said. “I think we’re going to get some more athletes once soccer and basketball finish and then we’ll have a nice team.”

Leadership won’t be an issue as Molebash can lean on a squad led by the CIF Southern Section and CIF State Division V cross-country championship team.

Two-time defending All-Area Cross-Country Runner of the Year Jack Van Scoter is back along with seniors Nikhil Poole and Rab Moran.

Van Scoter won both the Prep League 1,600 (4:34.11) and 3,200 (9:3745) titles, while finishing second at the Division IV championships in the 1,600 (4:17.04) and fifth in the 3,200 (9:27.89)

Poole is also expected to have a strong 2016 campaign after taking third in the 1,600 (4:39.45) and fourth in the 3,200 (10:16.60), while Moran is tabbed as a strong competitor in the 1,600.

Outside of the distances, the Rebels return a league champion in junior Warren Hosseinion, who captured the league shot put crown (43 feet, 00.50 inches). Hosseinion was also runner-up in the discus (118-5).

While Glendale has taken its bumps and bruises within the Pacific League, the Nitros have remained competitive and finished 3-4 last season. That’s a record, though, that coach Bob Bailey is hoping to break.

“Due to a heavy senior graduation in the short sprints last year,” Bailey wrote in an email, “our new 11th graders who are moving up will have to prove themselves early and often if we want to break through against one of the four teams above us (Arcadia, CV, Burroughs, Burbank).”

Glendale returns six key athletes, led by senior Haykaz Melkonyan, the Pacific League champion in both the shot put (46-3) and discus (148-6).

“Haykaz is having a good offseason,” Bailey wrote. “Throughout this season, the goal is to get his shot close to 50 feet and to throw the discus over 160 feet.”

The Glendale High track and field team will be looking to senior Paulo Vazques to put up strong performances in the 1,600 and 3,200 this season.

(Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)

Senior Paulo Vazquez is hoping to have a strong season in the 1,600 and 3,200 and finished seventh at last year’s league finals in the 1,600 (4:37.69). Senior sprinter Wade King is also back after finishing sixth in the 400-meter (52.76) at league finals.

Other Nitros to look out for include senior long and triple jumper Evan Hansen, senior 110-meter and 300-meter hurdler Max King and junior pole vaulter Galo Lopez.

For another season, low numbers is an issue at Hoover.

Tornadoes Coach Jack Sallakian said his team was still going to compete regardless of how many athletes are present.

Sallakian has a couple of prospects, led by senior Chris Chereque, who will compete in the 1,600 and 3,200. Chereque was the Tornadoes No. 2 finisher at last season’s Pacific League cross-country finals.

Senior 200-meter sprinter Shawn Onyedumekwy is also hoping for a top-three finish at the league finals.

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Andrew J. Campa, andrew.campa@latimes.com

Twitter: @campadresports

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