Primed for prelims

Mike Sciacca

The 2005 Sunset League track and field season came to an end Friday

at Huntington Beach High’s Cap Sheue Field and once again, Edison

High’s boys’ squad and the Fountain Valley girls won league

championships.

Next up for the local athletes who have qualifying marks is

Saturday’s CIF-Southern Section Divisional Track and Field

Preliminaries.

Below is a breakdown of highlights from Friday’s finals for each

of the three local schools:

Edison

Edison won its second consecutive boys’ league title as Joe Gatel

led the way for the Chargers, winning the 800 in a season-best

1:55.48 and the 1,600 in 4:20.17.

Other league champions from Edison include David Taff in the

300-meter intermediate hurdles (40.42), Chris Macke in the long jump

with a season-best jump of 21-10, and the Chargers’ 4x400 relay team

of Tyler Knox, Josh Herrera, Taff and Justin Christjaner (3:23.80).

Overall, Edison qualified nine boys in 14 events for Saturdays

CIF-SS prelims.

Edison’s girls’ squad finished second at league finals behind

Fountain Valley. Earning league individual titles for the Chargers

were juniors Nicole Alai in the 800 and Tori Pena in the pole vault.

Alai also qualified for CIF-SS prelims in the 1,600 relay and Pena

also qualified in the high jump and long jump.

Seven other Chargers have also qualified for Saturday’s CIF-SS

prelims.

Marina

For the Vikings, Ryan Turchi and Ashley Lampley each won

individual league titles, and the girls’ 4x400 relay team also ran to

a league crown.

Turchi won the triple jump competition at 43-7, and Lampley won

the 100 in 12.33 and the 200 in 25.91. Lampley also ran the anchor

leg on the girls’ winning 4x100 relay team that included Jane

Montague, Britney Horton and Danielle Coffman.

The Vikings also qualified three boys’ individual athletes, the

boys’ 4x400 relay team, and two girls’ individual athletes for

Saturday’s prelims.

Huntington Beach

The first year for head coach Gary Stenlund and a new coaching

staff ended on a high note for the Oilers, who won three individual

league titles and qualified nine for Saturday’s prelims.

League champions for Huntington include Bonnie Sorensen in the

long jump and Alani Faagi, won both the shot put and discus, and

Lauren Barnes took the 100 hurdles.

The arrival of Stenlund and staff arrival prior to the start of

the track and field season signaled a new start for a Huntington

program that was down in terms of turnout.

“Right from the beginning, I told both the parents and kids that

embracing change is the best way for our program to move forward,”

Stenlund said. “I can tell you that all of the feedback to date has

been positive. We are real proud that the kids and parents have

engaged our philosophy.

“This is what I would call a rebuilding year. The number of kids

coming out for track has increased by 35% from the previous year. The

program has a real positive flavor to it, and I credit that to our

coaching philosophy and staff.”

Stenlund said the Huntington program was on a definite upswing

heading into last Friday’s finals.