He’s Jumping to Get to College : Track and field: With basketball behind and a scholarship on his mind, University City’s Jerome Price sailed a creditable 23-feet-8 on his second long jump of the year at the Mustang Relays.

SAN DIEGO —  Jerome Price is hoping for a scholarship to play basketball. One problem--he might not be good enough to receive any offers.

So with just three months to go in his senior year, Price will concentrate on plan B. He’ll go to college on scholarship all right, but in track and field.

Price showed at Saturday’s Mustang Relays why he has already received letters of interest from Arizona State and Minnesota. He long jumped 23-feet-8, by far the best of the day, and helped University City’s three-man “relay” to first in Division IV at 62-7 1/4.

It was his second jump of the year and came just a week after Price finished basketball and began working with the track-and-field team.

The 23-8 is almost a foot shy of the 24-7 3/4 that placed him second at the state finals last year. It is also well shy of his goal, the state record of 26-4 3/4 set at last year’s state meet by Tulare’s James Stallworth.

If Price is to go that far, he will probably have to do something about his practice habits. He admits that track and field has always seemed more social event than athletic contest.

“Last year I’d show up and talk, it was more to meet people and stuff,” Price said. “I’d just run out there, jump, get a mark and say ‘all right.’ ”

If Price makes it all sound so easy, well, consider that maybe it is. He achieved last year’s marks with little practice. And he claims his biggest disadvantage was a less-than-adequate long jump pit at University City.

“But this year we’ve got a new runway, so I’ll be practicing more,” he said.

He might have to, not only to realize his goals but also to keep ahead of a new kid on the block.

His name is Roque Balina, and he jumped 22-3 1/2 Saturday on what he termed “an off day.”

Balina, who attends Mt. Carmel, is a junior transfer from De La Salle High in Concord. He hopes to reach 25 feet this year after setting a personal best of 23-10 1/4 in last year’s state final, in which he finished seventh.

Balina said competing in the same invitationals as Price will keep him sharp; Price said the competition will push him.

“I know he’s after me,” Price said. “But it wouldn’t be that much fun if I was jumping 24, 25 feet and everyone else was jumping 20.”

Milena Glusac, a freshman from Fallbrook, placed first in the girls’ invitational two-mile at 11:40.2 and came in second in the invitational mile at 5:37.4, behind San Pasqual’s Ann Hadley (5:32.3). Glusac was chosen the meet’s outstanding female athlete.

Chris Ruff of El Capitan was named the outstanding male athlete for his victory in the invitational 120-yard high hurdles (15.0), and also for helping El Cap to first-place finishes in three relays: the shuttle hurdles (1:02.7), 880 relay (1:36.6) and the mile relay (3:40.9).