Eagles sparkle

Steve Virgen

Estancia High junior Humberto Rojas and senior track and field

teammate Mike Casillas did more than just win at the Pacific Coast League

Finals Friday at Irvine High. Rojas and Casillas took part in helping

build a bit of a prodigy: Alex Cahuantzi.

Cahuantzi, an Estancia freshman, improved nine seconds from his

previous best and leaned forward to finish third in the 3,200 meters

(10:13.15), one-hundredth of a second ahead of Brendan Bowler of Laguna

Beach.

“I’m very surprised,” Cahuantzi said. “I didn’t think I would place in

the top three. Mike has helped me a lot.”

Cahuantzi and a handful of other Newport-Mesa District boys will

advance to the CIF Soutern Section Preliminaries next week.

Rojas said he was intent on taking over the PCL with Corona del Mar’s

Josh Yelsey graduated and he won PCL titles in the 800 (1:58.81) and the 1,600 (4:28.14), while Casillas won the 3,200 (10:07.29).

CdM senior Chris Carpenter shook off a sore throat and won the 110

high hurdles. In a thrilling 300 intermediate hurdles final, Costa Mesa

junior Zach Powell grabbed a PCL title with his 40.79 clocking ahead of

runner-up Carpenter (42.66).

CdM senior Joe Barber (153-1 in the discus) and Estancia freshman

Jason Johnston (20-1 1/2 in long jump) won PCL titles in field events.

Northwood won its first PCL title with 150 points, while CdM came in

second (106), followed by Estancia (91).

CdM sophomore Chris Ringstrom (second in 200 and third in 100) will

also advance to the CIF Prelims, while teammates Justin Wald (third in

discus and shot put), Barber (second in shot put), Andrew Wong (second in

pole vault), Andrew Norman (third in pole vault) will also move on.

For Estancia, junior Abdul Kaiyum (third in long jump), Abel Flores

(third in 800) and Johnston (110 hurdles) will join Casillas, Rojas and

Cahuantzi.

Costa Mesa senior Irwin Salas finished second in the 3,200 (10:11.0)

and also ran a CIF-qualifying time in the 1,600 (4:32.74), but finished

fourth.