Far Ahead of the Track Pack

David Gettis of Dorsey and Myra Hasson of Gardena should be treated like royalty, complete with a red carpet, a gold carriage and shouting paparazzi.

They have become the king and queen of City Section track and field, turning the grueling 400-meter race into a Secretariat-like romp.

At Thursday’s City championships at Lake Balboa Birmingham, Gettis broke a 15-year-old record by winning the 400 boys’ race in 46.39 seconds, the swiftest time in the state. He’s the defending state champion.

Hasson won the 400 girls’ race in 53.90, her best time of the year. She finished second in the state last year as a freshman.

They have come to admire each other’s running skills while leaving opponents far behind in their pursuit to be the best.

Gettis, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound standout receiver and defensive back for Dorsey’s football team, is one of those rare teenagers born to excel in any sport he tries. Last year as a sophomore, with no track experience, he emerged as a state champion.

“I was running on pure talent,” he said. “This year, I’ve trained hard. I never want to lose.”

Gettis, 16, enjoys the attention and is never at a loss for words.

Asked how fast he can run, Gettis said, “You know what, you have to wait until the end of the season. Whatever I have to run, I’ll run. I keep on surprising myself.”

The old 400 record of 46.63 was set by former Dorsey football standout Beno Bryant in 1989. Gettis’ accomplishment Thursday was something he wanted badly.

“It feels great,” he said. “Last year, I went out slower and wasn’t really training through the race. This year, my training enabled me to go faster, and I felt stronger.”

Gettis finished second in the 200, ran on two first-place relay teams and helped Dorsey win the boys’ title.

Hasson is a 5-9 sophomore who runs with the posture of a statue, never deviating and always giving off the impression she’s accelerating with perfect balance. Her stride is so smooth that fans in the bleachers watch in awe.

Hasson helped Gardena defeat Birmingham, 119-108 1/2, for the City title Thursday.

Hasson, a straight-A student, is considered the City Section’s best 400-meter female prospect since City finals record-holder Chewauki Knighten of Locke in 1984 and Olympian Denean Howard of Granada Hills Kennedy in 1982.

She has been slowed this season by a strained hip, but if she’s healthy, she should have a showdown next weekend in Sacramento with Long Beach Poly’s Jasmine Lee, the Southern Section Division I champion and defending state champion.

“It’s getting better,” she said of the injury. “It got me mentally, but I have to overcome it.”

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Travis Bradford of Fremont had a tough task Thursday night. His older brother, Mark, was an All-City basketball and football player at Fremont and received a football scholarship to Stanford. How do you top that?

Bradford, a junior, did something that his brother never accomplished. He won the City championship in the 800 meters in a career-best 1:53.51.

Last year, he competed in the freshman-sophomore division because it was best for his team although he easily could have been a varsity athlete. That kind of unselfishness is part of the Bradford family creed, along with getting good grades in school.

Unlike Mark, a multisport athlete, Travis has focused on running.

“I’m trying to do one thing to the best of my ability,” he said.

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The Southern Section baseball playoffs resume today, and it’s becoming clear that top-seeded Villa Park (26-2) isn’t going to lose in Division II.

Teams will threaten Villa Park and play them tough, but the Spartans don’t break down in pressure situations. Pitchers Mark Trumbo, Dane Ferguson and Alex Curry have given up two runs in 23 playoff innings. The defense has committed one error.

“Our pitching, one through eight, is the best in the country,” Coach Scott Luke said.

Trumbo is showing he deserves to be a first-round draft choice, putting together a 23-game hitting streak to go with his exceptional pitching.

Of course, in Division II, there are so many quality pitchers that anything can happen.

“There are no easy games,” Luke said. “We had our easy game [in the first round], and we almost got kicked in the pants.”

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.