Boys track and field: Title time for Tars

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - Apparently, there is a mandatory waiting period for

success among Newport Harbor High boys track and field coaches.

Bob Hailey, who coached the Sailors for 20 seasons (1960-79) didn’t

win his first Sunset League crown until his 13th year, before reeling off

six straight.

Now, Bim Barry, who worked 10 seasons before finishing atop the Sea

View League last year, the school’s first title since 1979, is building a

streak of his own.

“Maybe it just took me that long to figure out what I was doing,”

quipped Barry, following his Sailors’ hard-fought 70-66 Sea View League

dual meet over visiting Aliso Niguel Wednesday.

The victory completed an unbeaten regular season for the Tars (8-0,

4-0 in league), and gave them their second straight league dual-meet

crown.

But it was without tumult for Barry and his athletes, who won just

three of the 10 events contested on the track against a formidable band

of Wolverines.

Senior Chris McMillen, the reigning Sea View 1,600-meter champion,

topped the field in the 800 (1:59.9) and the 1,600 (4:27.3). He added to

a grueling day with a second-place showing in the 3,200, behind teammate

Jesus Santana.

“Chris was really huge for us,” Barry said. “That’s a really long day

for him, especially since his 1,600 and 800 were both quality times.”

McMillen, who had not run the three events in the same meet previously

this season, predicted a pedestrian 3,200, before that race began.

As it turned out, the one-two finish in the 3,200 by Santana and

McMillen, clinched the team victory.

The win, however, would not have been attainable without some strong

field-event performances by the hosts.

Morgan Curtis, a senior, and David Sprenger, a junior, combined to

earn 16 points in the long and triple jumps.

Curtis bounded 43-2 3/4 to win the triple jump, a Beamon-esque

improvement of nearly two feet over his previous best.

“He has good technique, but he’s been injured a lot,” Harbor jumps

coach Nowell Kay said. “The last two weeks off (the Tars had a Sea View

bye the week preceding spring recess) helped him get healthy.”

Sprenger was second in the triple (a personal-best 42-10 1/2), after

winning the long jump in 20-9 1/4. Curtis was second in the long jump

(20-3).

“Those guys were big time,” Barry said.

Reigning league shot put champion Rion McKinney won his specialty

(45-5 3/4), while John Peschelt (6-0 in the high jump) and David Marshall

(140-7 in the discus) were also winners for the Tars. Marshall was also

second in the shot.