Howard Shines, but Dorsey Steals Show

Kevin Howard describes himself as a high school senior with freshman legs.

In his first track and field season as a sprinter, Howard of Crenshaw won the 100- and 200-meter dashes at the City Section finals Thursday night at Birmingham High in Van Nuys.

Howard wasn’t seriously challenged in either race, winning the 100 in 10.83 seconds and the 200 in 21.60. Junior Demetrus Patterson of Birmingham finished second in both races.

Although Howard’s times weren’t section records, they were impressive considering he hadn’t run an organized race until this spring. He went out for track for the first time last spring, but he only participated in the long jump and triple jump.

“My coach saw that I had speed, and there were plans for me to do more this season,” said Howard, who said he plans to continue his newfound athletic career at Santa Monica College.

Aided by Howard’s victories, Crenshaw finished second in the team race with 52 points. The school has never won a team title in track.

The team titles were swept by Dorsey for the second year in a row. The boys finished with 66 points in winning for the fourth time in five years, and the girls edged Woodland Hills Taft, 79-71, to win their third consecutive title.

The top three finishers in each event qualified for the state meet, which will be June 6-7 at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento.

Taft junior Eboni Grayson joined Howard as a double winner in the sprints. She won the 100 in 12.00 and the 200 in 24.42.