On the able legs of its sprinters and jumpers, the Scotts Valley High boys track and field team ran away with its first Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League championship Saturday, May 9.
“I am so proud of everyone,” senior captain Mike Pond said. “It really has taken a great effort from everyone on the team.”
Scotts Valley swept away the competition, scoring 146 points in the win at San Lorenzo Valley High. Aptos was second with 118, followed by Santa Cruz (110) and San Lorenzo Valley (49).
The victory over the highly regarded Mariners holds historic significance. Not only is it the first track and field championship for the Falcons, it ended the Mariners’ 10-year run as league titleholders. The Aptos boys finished second to Soquel High in 1998 and had not lost since.
“We’ve talked about it all year, showing our best at the end of the season” head coach Orion Latin said. “And they came out here and showed it.”
The Scotts Valley boys also defeated Aptos during the league season, setting the stage for the league finals. But, it wasn’t close thanks to finals performances by Pond and first-year track athlete Brad Hartman.
Pond garnered male athlete of the meet honors, winning the long jump (20 feet, 9 inches) and high jump (6-0) while taking second in the triple jump (42-06) and 300-meter hurdles (43.06).
Hartman may have been the surprise of the meet, finishing second to Santa Cruz’s Zeke Sanders in the 100 and 200 meters and solidifying Scotts Valley’s first-place 4-by-100-meter relay team.
Stephen Haas also stood out, winning the 400 in 51.25.
“That was good,” Haas said. “Lately, I’ve been in a slump, and it was nice to run well.”
Haas also anchored the Falcons 4-by-400-relay team to a six-second win in a time of 3:28.04.
Aldin Barrett finished third in the 200 and fourth in the 100 to also contribute valuable points toward the team title.
The Falcon girls finished fourth, led by Brittany Kuo, who won the 100-meter dash (13.32) and took second in the long jump (16-08).
Abby Imboden took second in the 300 hurdles (51.44), and the 4-by-100 team took second (51.52).
SLV girls second, boys fourth
Sarah Edwards won the girls 200-meter and 400-meter races in 25.75 and 58.89, respectively. Edwards broke her school record in the 200 for the second time and is looking to topple the 400 record set by Kelly Long in 2003.
“She’s definitely the most improved runner in the league,” coach Rob Collins said.
Sierra Clark won the girls shot put by more than 2 feet with a heave of 32-11.50, and Chelsea Gilbert won the 300 hurdles (50.33) and took second in the 100 hurdles (17.51).
“We have a very small girls team,” Collins said. “I am proud of every single girl that competed today.”
The SLV boys were highlighted by the 4-by-400-meter team, which finished second and qualified for sections, running a time of 3:34.33.
Kyle Todd also finished third in the discus (123-01) and second in shot put (45-05). Nolan Pfyl placed third in the shot put (43-03).
The top two finishers in each event qualified for the Central Coast Section semifinals at 2 p.m. May 23 at Gilroy High School.
