Carson’s Gonzales, Banning’s Bryant Double Winners at Meet

Carson High’s Steve Gonzales won the mile and two mile at the Southern Pacific Conference track and field final Thursday afternoon at Crenshaw High.

Gonzales won the mile in 4 minutes, 30.69 seconds and the two mile in 9:49.4 to break his own meet record of 9:57.7 set last year.

The Banning girls’ team, led by Sonya Bryant’s victories in the long jump and 100 meters, finished second behind Dorsey. San Pedro was fourth. Washington won the boys’ team championship by edging Crenshaw, 93-87. Carson finished fourth and Banning was fifth.

Gonzales’ victories gave him six individual league championships, including four varsity titles. But the senior was not impressed with his efforts, especially in the two mile. His career-best time in the two mile is 9:15, set at this year’s Arcadia Invitational.

Banning senior Roman Rendon ran with Gonzales for the first 880 yards in the mile, but Gonzales pulled away during the third lap with a strong, steady pace. In the two mile, Gonzales went out fast and was never challenged.

“I’m not really that happy with the races,” Gonzales said. “The wind affected me, the first lane was really powdery and I wasn’t pushed. I hope to run around 4:15 in the mile and 9:15 at the City finals.”

Rendon usually provides good competition, but Thursday Gonzales beat him by 10 seconds in the mile and 20 seconds in the two mile.

Both runners qualified for the City Section quarterfinals, which begin Friday at Birmingham High.

Bryant set meet records in the 100 meters with a time of 12.2 seconds and the long jump with a jump of 18 feet, 10 inches, three inches farther than the record she set last year. The Southern Pacific Conference lists records only from 1989 on.

In the boys’ long jump, Steven Stanley of Gardena set a meet record with a jump of 23-2, nearly two feet farther than his closest competitor.

“The jump was OK, but the (dirt) runway here was slow,” Stanley said. “I expect to go at least 24 feet at Birmingham’s (synthetic) track.”

Banning sophomore Laura Figueroa was another two-event winner in the mile and two mile. She won the mile in 5:47.15 and the two mile in 12:11.

Other South Bay winners included Eric Battle of Banning in the shotput, who won the event with a throw of 48-7. Jerome Pope of San Pedro was second in the shot at 44-7.

Travis Davis of Banning won the triple jump with a 44-1 effort. Donald Royster of Narbonne held off Dorsey’s Mike Thomas to win the boys’ 330-yard low hurdles in 40 seconds flat and teammate Yolanda Wright won the girls’ shotput with a throw of 36-10.