A promising Class B 660 yards runner in 1964 who bypassed cross-country for football in the fall, Chula Vista junior Tim Danielson ran down defending state champion Mike Ryan and scored a stunning, 20-yard victory in the mile in the 47th state meet, defying the evening heat of Bakersfield.

Danielson’s time of 4:08 was a meet record and fastest ever by an 11^th grader in prep competition.  Tactically, Danielson was perfect.

Ryan, from Santa Clara Wilcox, forced the pace as most observers expected, running :58.4 in the first quarter, 2:01 at the half mile, and 3:04 for the 1320, but it became apparent that Danielson could win if he stayed close.

RYAN GASSED

“I could tell with about 220 yards to go he was getting tired,” Danielson said of Ryan. “I wasn’t really too tired, but that’s about the hardest race I’ve had.”

“I thought Tim had a better chance if the pace was fast like that; he could stay with him and outkick him,” coach Harry Taylor told me.

Danielson’s last lap was a comparatively slow :63, “but he wasn’t all out,” said Taylor.  “He was just following Ryan until the last 150 yards.”

Since late February, when Danielson set a school record of 4:25, he had cut an astonishing 17 seconds off his best time.

NEW EVENT

The two-mile, occasionally run in summer all-comers’ meets or other off-beat competitions, became a staple.

The difference between winning or losing in dual meets went from 52 and a fraction points to 57.

2/23/65

Silas Gross won the 120-yard high hurdles in :15.3, 180 lows in :19.3, and anchored his team to a 1:32.7 victory in Morse’s 78-35 dual meet win over Castle Park.

2/26/65

Lee Damron broke a 26-year-old San Diego High record of 1:59 in the 880-yard run with a 1:58.6 in the Cavers’ 74-51 win at El Capitan.

Jim Brewer broke two minutes for the Hilltoppers in the 1939 Southern Section finals.

–Tim Danielson set a Chula Vista record of 4:25 and Crawford’s Dave Colegrove hurled the shot a record 53-8 ½.  Crawford won, 79-35.

–Arnie Robinson’s 6-foot, 5 ½-inch high jump tied for the fifth highest in County history.  Hoover’s Eddy Hanks cleared 6-9 ¾ and Lyle Hull 6-6 in 1964, Hoover’s Jack Razzeto 6-5 ¾ in 1948, and San Diego’s Bob Logan 6-5 ½ in 1938.

Robinson, who topped 6-5 as a sophomore in 1964, also won the long jump at 22-9 ½ and Morse defeated Mar  Vista and Vista, 76-36-33.

–Pierre Frazier edged Kearny’s Bobby Johnson in a :09.8 100, :22.1 220, and  21-10 long jump, and Hoover won, 71-42.

3/2/65

Byron Olander of Helix ran the 100 in :09.7 and his brother Rick cleared 12-11 ¾ in the pole vault to break the school record of 12-7, set in 1956 by Jim Duea.

Byron also won the 440 in :51.4 as the Highlanders defeated Escondido, 81-32.

3/9/65

Mike Singletary came close to another vintage San Diego High record, racing the 440 in :49.5 as Singletary closed in on Norman Stocks’ record of :49.3 in 1946. San Diego beat Madison, 79-34.

3/12/65

Pierre Frazier won the 100 (:09.8), 180-yard low hurdles (:19.7), long jump (22-3 ½), and anchored Hoover’s 1:32.1 relay win that clinched a 61-52 victory over Point Loma.

Granite Hills’ sophomore George Brown heaved the shot 55 feet, 4 ¾ inches, in a 75-47 win over Monte Vista.  Grossmont’s Ed Speed had set a sophomore record of 56-5 in 1960.

—Hilltop’s Terry Rogers posted the fastest 880 of the season, 1:56.6 but the Lancers dropped an 80-33 decision to Sweetwater.

—Tim Danielson clipped 5 seconds off his Chula Vista mile record with a 4:20 in the Spartans’ 58-55 loss to Oceanside.

3/14/65

Point Loma’s Ron Hawkins hoisted the school record to 13-6 ¾ in the pole vault against Hoover, bettering Bruce Long’s 13-5 in 1962.

3/19/65

Pierre Frazier leaped 24 feet, 5 ½ inches in Hoover’s 94-22 win at St. Augustine, breaking Willie Steele’s school record of 24-3/4 in 1941.

3/20/65

Twenty-eight schools entered the 11^th annual South Bay Relays at Sweetwater.

Helix’ Byron Olander beat San Diego’s Rex Williams and Hoover’s Pierre Frazier in a :09.7 100.  Frazier won the large schools long jump at 23-9 ¾. Helix won that division with 50 points to San Diego’s 39.

–Granite Hills outscored Sweetwater, 41-37 ½, with Madison at 37 to win the medium schools competition.

The Eagles’ Tim Schraeder won the 100 in :10 and George Brown the shot put at 54-6 ½.

–Lincoln ran away with the small schools title with 61 points to La Jolla’s 30.

Mar Vista’s Mike Lemons pole vaulted 14-3 ½ to break the record of 13-5 ¼ by Lincoln’s Vic Montano in 1964.

4/5/65

The meet didn’t come down to the relay, which San Diego won in 1:31.2, and Hoover held on for a 57-56 victory over the Cavers.

Competition originally was scheduled at Hoover but wet grounds forced a postponement and a shift of sites to Balboa Stadium’s new, all-weather track.

A second delay of a couple days was necessary because Hoover did not have suitable shoe spikes for the asphalt (officially Grasstex) layout.

Hoover’s Pierre Frazier was the difference, winning the 100 in :09.8, 220 in :22, and long jump at 23-6.

A 4:29.9 victory in the mile by Don Walker and a first place and third place in that race got the Cardinals over the top. Hoover led, 49-48, entering the next-to-last event.

—Jay Elbel was second in the 220, won the 880 in 1:57.8, and anchored a 1:31.9 relay victory but Madison was short in another 57-56 battle against Mission Bay.

4/6/65

Mount Miguel edged Grossmont, 63-59, coming from a 58-50 deficit late in the day by going 1-2 in the mile and then a foursome of Tom Howard, Dain Demery, Mike Lybrand and John Trask won by 15 yards in a 880 relay school record 1:30.8.

4/17/65

Byron Olander won the 100 in :09.7, ran a :21.1 220 leg on Helix’ eight-man mile relay that set a record of 3:00.2, and a :50.3 anchor in a 3:23.9 four-man mile relay win.

Olander was selected athlete of the meet in the sixth annual San Diego Relays in Balboa Stadium. Lincoln dominated, winning seven events, including :42.9 and 1:28.6 in the 440 and 880 relays.

Chula Vista’s Tim Danielson stepped out of the mile and won the two-mile in 9:26.6.

Athletes vied in seeded (those with leading marks entering the meet) and rated competition.

UNOFFICIAL

Kearny’s Carl Giesser tied with three others at 13-6 in the relays’ pole vault.  Given an extra trial Giesser cleared the height and went on to negotiate 14 feet, 7 ½ inches, a record in the County but not considered because of the fourth attempt at the lower height.

4/20/65

Michael Singletary’s :48.3 quarter mile bettered the County record of :48.5 by Hoover’s Tom Agsten in 1963 but Lincoln won, 67-46.

4/27/65

Rudy Silas would represent Lincoln in the state meet long jump, but he was third to teammates Greg Stewart (23-5) and Barry Brinson (22-11) in the Hornets’ 82-31 win over Crawford.

Kearny’s Carl Giesser officially cleared 14 feet in the pole vault against Mission Bay, which won, 66-47.

4/30/65

Facing East with prevailing winds from the West, Morse’s layout for sprints, hurdles, and some jump competition invited outstanding results in those events, but with an asterisk or disclaimer.

San Diego’s 67-46 victory at the Skyline campus on the last day of the regular season included:

–A :09.9 100 and :21 flat 220 by the Cavers’ 440-yard dash ace Michael Singletary.

–:14.3 in the 120-yard high hurdles by Morse’s Harold Burt and :19.1 in the 180 lows by teammate Jerry Daniels.

–A 23-9 ½ long jump by San Diego’s Doyle Steel, for whom Steel’s 6-4 high jump couldn’t be attributed to the hefty breezes.

Most impressive, non-wind mark of the day probably was Morse’s 1:29.8 victory in the 880-yard relay.

5/7/65

LEAGUE TRIALS

And Finals would be held at the same sites.

EASTERN, @BALBOA STADIUM

Lincoln led all qualifiers with 28, followed by San Diego and Crawford, 17 each, Hoover (15), Morse (13), and St. Augustine (3).

AVOCADO, @SAN DIEGUITO

Vista’s Rick Fox ran his 880 heat in 1:58.8 breaking the record of 2:00.4 by Poage of Oceanside in 1963.

WESTERN, @KEARNY

Point Loma led with 21 qualifiers, followed by Mission Bay (17), Madison and Clairemont, 16 each, La Jolla (14) and Kearny (12).

Frank Heitman of Clairemont logged  the  mile in 4:28.9.

GROSSMONT, @GROSSMONT

Sophomore George Brown hurled the shot 57-10 ½ and El Capitan pole vaulter Andy Steben set a league record of 14 feet, 2 3/8 inches.

Brown’s teammate Arasmus Okware ran :49.7 in the 440.

Dual-meet champion Helix led with 18 qualifiers, with Mount Miguel and El Cajon Valley next at 14 each followed by Grossmont, 13, Granite Hills, 10, El Capitan, 5, and Monte Vista, 3.

METROPOLITAN, @SWEETWATER

The host Red Devils, backed by David Barajas’ 440 (:51.2), and 220 (:23.1) led with 26 qualifiers.

Chula Vista’s Tim Danielson set the pace with a 4:12.8 mile, almost 13 seconds faster than in the school-record 4:25 on Feb. 26.

Joe Brooks, the coach of sophomore star Armando Valencia at El Cajon Valley, said Danielson “can do anything.”

“He’ll make these guys look sick in the state meet,” said Brooks. a former distance runner at San Diego State. “If this kid Ryan (who has run 4:10.4) runs 4:06, Danielson will run 4:04.”

5/14/65

FINALS

WESTERN 

Four league records were set and one tied as Mission Bay outscored Point Loma, 56-53, for the team championship.  La Jolla had 28, Madison 25, Clairemont 18, and Kearny 11.

100—Rick Tauber, Mission Bay, :09.9.

Mile—Jeff Dragila, La Jolla, 4:27.5.

120HH—Dee Hayes, Mission Bay, :14.8.

180LH—Sam Fernandez, Mission Bay, :19.6 (tied).

Two-Mile—Lane Mason, La Jolla, 9:29.9.

EASTERN FINALS

Michael Singletary circled the Balboa Stadium track in :48.5 for one of three meet records.

Lincoln’s Otis Martin logged 9:41.3 in the first-time run two-mile and St. Augustine’s John Lewis turned 4:23 in the mile.

St. Augustine’s Tom Eklund clocked 1:55.6 in the 880 and San Diego overtook Lincoln in a 1:28.8 relay.

Lincoln scored 60 points, Hoover 35, Morse and San Diego 27 each, Crawford 23, and St. Augustine 12.

GROSSMONT 

Rick Heisel of Helix set a 180-yard low hurdles of :20.1 and also won the 120 highs (:15.1). With sprinter Brian Olander sidelined with a muscle pull, the Highlanders needed Heisel’s double.

Helix scored 52 points to 48 by Granite Hills, which emerged as a threat to the city schools in the big meets coming up.

The Eagles’ Tim Schraeder won the sprints in :10 and :21.7 and anchored a 1:30.5 victory in the relay. Arasmus Okware won the 440 in :50.3 and George Brown took the shot put at 57-9 ½.

METROPOLITAN 

Sweetwater ran away with the team title with 55 points to Hilltop’s 31.

David Barajas won the 440 in :50.3 and contributed to a 1:31.3 victory in the 880 relay.  Burte Jackson won the 180-yard low hurdles in :20.4 and long jump at 21-11.  Ward Ring’s :14.9 topped 120 high hurdlers.

Tim Danielson won the mile in 4:13.3 and Hilltop’s Terry Rogers set an 880-yard record of 1:55.2.

PALOMAR 

Carlsbad’s 68 points set the pace, almost doubling that of runner-up Ramona, which had 39.

AVOCADO 

Brent Rowlett’s 1:56.8 880 was the outstanding performance as Oceanside won the team title with 65 points to runner-up Vista’s 45.

Vista’s Dave Funderburk, defending Section champion,  hampered by shin splints and feet soreness late in the season, won the mile in 4:21.9.

5/20/65

SAN DIEGO SECTION TRIALS

Eastern, Grossmont, Avocado, and Southern League qualifiers met in Balboa Stadium, where sophomore Armando Valencia of El Cajon Valley ran a 4:14.7 mile and defeated Dave Funderburk, who ran 4:15.2.

Helix led with nine qualifiers, followed by Granite Hills, 7, Lincoln and Morse, 6 each, Hoover, 5, and San Diego, 3.

5/21/65

Tim Danielson was running to where no San Diego athlete had gone, leaving records smoldering beneath his rapid legs.

The Chula Vista junior qualified with a scorching 4:08.7 in the trials involving entries from the Metropolitan, Palomar, and Avocado League.

5/28/65

Tim Danielson won the mile in 4:09.9, temporarily surrendering the spotlight to Granite Hills, which made history and won the team championship before about 6,200 persons in Balboa Stadium.

The Eagles became the first team not identified as Lincoln or San Diego to win since the Section’s first championship in 1961.

Coach Rudy Friberg’s squad clinched with 26 points when anchorman Tim Schraeder brought the baton home in the 880-yard relay in 1:28.6. George Brown took the shot put at 56-11.

Helix’ Byron Olander was  idle with a muscle pull and out of title contention. Lincoln was second with 23 points, followed by Morse , 22, Helix, 16, Hoover, 12, Point Loma and San Diego, 10 each.

COMPETITION FIERCE

The 880 was the showcase event as the first five finishers ran with marks that had been bettered only five times in area history.

Terry Rogers of Hilltop was the winner in 1:53.2, followed by Joe Gerry, Point Loma, 1:54.7; Tom Eklund, St. Augustine, 1:54.9; Rick Fox, Vista, and Nelson Edwards, Helix, each 1:55.2.

Records:

440—Michael Singletary, San Diego, :48.

Two-Mile—Otis Martin, Lincoln, 9:17.7.

120HH—Harold Burt, Morse, :14.4 (tie).

180LH—Silas Gross, Morse, :19.2 (tie).

6/5/65

STATE TRACK TRIALS, @BAKERSFIELD

Tim Danielson led a group of eight San Diego Section qualifiers in trials of the 47^th CIF State track meet on a 90-degree afternoon at Bakersfield College.

Danielson took the lead on the last lap of his mile heat and won in 4:15.2.  Lincoln high jumper Phillip Shelley tied with 12 others at 6 feet, 4 inches.

Pole vaulters Mike Lemons of Mar Vista (13-3) and El Capitan’s Andy Steben, who took only one jump in four hours and cleared 13-0, also moved on.

Michael Singletary of San Diego was second in :48.9 in one heat of the 440 and El Cajon Valley’s Armando Valencia was second his mile test in 4:16.3.  Bobby Johnson of Kearny was second in a 220 in :21.6 and Lincoln long jumper Rudy Silas tied for fifth at 23-7.

NONQUALIFIERS

120 high hurdlers Harold Burt, Morse, fifth in heat, :14.7; Lincoln’s Ted Scales, seventh in heat, :14.7;

Granite Hills’ Tim Schraeder and John Silva of University, each eighth in 100-yard dash heats in :10.3, Schraeder ninth in :21.7 in 220;

Morse’s Silas Gross (:19.1) and Hoover’s Pierre Frazier (:19.5), fifth and fourth in 180-yard low hurdles;

Hilltop’s Terry Rogers (1:54.6), fourth and Joe Gerry (1:56.2), sixth in 880 heats;

Shot putters George Brown of Granite Hills’ (55-10 ¾) and Dave Helton of Mar Vista (53-4 ½) unplaced;

Lincoln (1:29), sixth and Granite Hills (1:29.4), fourth in 880-yard relay heats;

Discus throwers Johnson, Granite Hills (152-1) and Dave Helton, Mar Vista (144-3), ninth and 12^th.

6/6/65

STATE FINALS

Danielson’s star was soaring. See introduction. 

San Diego’s Mike Singletary struggled in the stretch but gutted up for a 440 second-place :47.6, to the :47.4 of Garden Grove Bolsa Grande’s Randy Julian.

Andy Steben of El Capitan tied for third with three others in the pole vault at 14-1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A  North County dustup was decided in Oceanside’s favor when the Pirates won the Avocado League championship-deciding dual meet at Vista, 61-52.

The event, scheduled at Vista, originally was rained out several weeks before.

The schools, approximately 11 ½ miles and about 20 minutes apart along the State 78 corridor, could not agree on an agreeable makeup date.

I had a Tuesday column in the Evening Tribune called Track Topics and wrote a mostly Oceanside view of what became a neighborhood spat.

“He pulled a big stall and got away with it,” Oceanside coach Tom Shields said of Vista mentor Pepper Lysaker.

“We proposed two different dates, but evidently he had some injuries and wanted to wait until everyone was healthy,” said Shields, who was replaced by Lysaker when Shields left Vista for Oceanside this year.

“We’re in league preliminaries Friday and there’s a CIF rule that states a boy can’t change exponents in the same week,” said Shields.  “If he runs varsity on a Tuesday, he has to run varsity on Friday.”

The Pirates’ coach said he would not ask his Class B boys  to compete on the varsity level when their best chance in the upcoming CIF meets would be in the lower class.

Shields added, “They didn’t call us.  They sent us a post card last week saying today (Tuesday) would be a good day to hold the meet.”

Oceanside athletic director Don Huffman notified Vista honchos that “they had waited too long” to reschedule and that the Pirates were not going to participate. Avocado League bosses overruled Oceanside and declared the meet had to take place on the date of Vista’s choosing.

PANTHERS ALL WET?

Lysaker responded.

“Here’s what happened:  Our track was under water for a month during the rain.  It’s one of the lowest points in the city and everything drains on it.  It was in terrible shape and we just couldn’t run on it.”

“We offered to use our track,” said Shields.

Oceanside and Vista both dropped players into Class B when the teams finally met.

“We were fortunate,” said Shields.  “I think we would have won by the same score anyway. We lost about eight points, but they had to give away points, too.”

San Diego High and Grossmont were kings of the majors and La Jolla ruled the smaller schools. Hal Norris, Charlie Powell, Jerry Wood and Darnes Johnson were names of note.

It was a solid if unspectacular season in the San Diego area, but Norris, the first of a generation of outstanding shot putters at Grossmont under coach Jack Mashin, won the state championship and had a best throw of 58 feet, 2 1/2 inches.

The canny Mashin, always looking for competitive venues for his athletes, agreed to a meet in Los Angeles with the UCLA freshmen and entered younger shot putter Clyde Wetter in the Fresno West Coast Relays.

San Diego High’s Powell was No. 2 to Norris in the weight event but easily was the area’s premier athlete.  He also played baseball, on occasion wearing his flannel uniform and thinclad gear on the same day.

2/24/50

Grossmont won all three divisions, A, B, and C, in the second annual City Relays, a meet in which all field events were scored in aggregate and individual competition was limited to the 120-yard high hurdles and 100-yard dash.

San Diego’s Darnes Johnson won the dash in :10.2 and Jerry Wood of La Jolla set one of five meet records with a :15.1 clocking in the 120 highs.

Grossmont’s Hal Norris, in leading his three-man team to first in the shot put, set a meet record of 56 feet, 8 inches.

Grossmont outscored San Diego, 47-45, in Class A, La Jolla, 54-39, in B, and San Diego 44-34, in Class C.

Eleven schools, from the Coast, Metropolitan, and Southern Prep leagues entered the Balboa Stadium competition.

3/1/50

Hoover and Point Loma each won six events but the Cardinals clinched the 54-50 thriller after taking first and second in the mile, next-to-last event, won by Don Bush in 4:48.9.

–Sweetwater won all but the 440-yard dash and swamped St. Augustine, 90-14.  The Red Devils’ Bill Handle high jumped 6 feet.

3/3/50

Chula Vista opened Metropolitan League dual-meet competition with a 74 ½-29 ½ victory over Coronado and Kenny White set a Spartans record with a shot put of 51-9 3/8.

–Sweetwater beat Escondido, 78 ¼-29 ¾, as Billy Howell cleared 12-3 ¼ for a school record in the pole vault.

–La Jolla whipped Kearny, 72-32, with Jerry Wood doubling in the hurdles (:15.6, :21.5) and Dick Blodgett taking the 880 (2:07).

3/8/50

Charlie Powell put the shot 53-7 ½ and Don (Blackie) Norsworthy ran the mile in 4:45.8 as San Diego won a non-league dual with Point Loma in Balboa Stadium,  71 ½-33 ½.

3/9/50

Chuck Embrey hurled the shot 49-4 ½ in La Jolla’s 67 ½-36 ½ win over Sweetwater. Kearny’s Danny Bain, competing in Class B against Escondido, cleared 6-2 in the high jump, compared to the varsity win at 5-8.

3/11/50

Grossmont’s  Hal Norris set a Long Beach Relays record of 56 feet, 8 inches in the shot put, bettering his 1949 record of 53-8; Chula Vista’s Kenny White was second (51-10 3/4), and Grossmont’s Clyde Wetter fourth (50-0).

Floyd Hanson of Grossmont tied for second in the pole vault at 12-3. Hoover’s Del Teter tied for second at 5-11 in the high jump.

3/15/50

Writer Gardner Morse of The San Diego Union predicted a 52-52 tie in the Metropolitan League showdown between Chula Vista and visiting La Jolla.

It wasn’t close.  Coach Sandy MacLaren’s Vikings won, 66 ½-37 ½, over Forrest Jamieson’s Spartans.

MacLaren surprised when he entered Bill Copnik, who had turned out for baseball, and Jim Ranglos, who was sitting out the spring after playing football and basketball.

Copnik won the high jump at 5-11 ¾ and Ranglos was second at 5-10.  La Jolla’s Ted Christman also was a surprising winner at :10.3 in the 100 and :22.4 in the 220 over favored Walt Bubel.

3/18/50

San Diego schools dominated the 29^th Southern Counties Invitational at Huntington Beach.

San Diego swept to an 18-point victory with 43 1/5 points in the large schools’ division. Grossmont was fourth with 21 1/2 and Hoover seventh with 10 3/5.

LARGE SCHOOLS

Darnes Johnson won a 220-yard dash heat in :22, and contributed a leg to the winning 880-yard relay team (1:31.6).

San Diego’s Herb McClister won a 440 heat in :52.7 and teammate Howard Simpson was first in the broad jump at 22-1/4.

Del Teter of Hoover took the high jump at 6-2 1/8. Floyd Hanson of Grossmont tied for first at 12 feet in the pole vault.

Hal Norris of Grossmont set a meet record of 56 feet ¾ inch in the shot put, topping the 54-8 1/2 by Anaheim’s Jerry Shipkey in 1943, and was followed by San Diego’s Charlie Powell and Norris’ teammate Clyde Wetter.

SMALL SCHOOLS

La Jolla (29), Kearny (28 1/4), and Chula Vista (28) were 1-2-3.  Coronado tied for 11th with 7.

Jerry Wood of La Jolla won the 120-yard high hurdles in :15 and was second in the 180 lows.

John Rushing of Kearny was first in the 180-yard low hurdles in :20.1 and second to a :10.2 100 by Keith Brownsberger of Bonita.

Goodwin of Chula Vista won one of the 880-yard races in 2:06.6.  Danny Bain of Kearny was first in the high jump (6-1 1/2).

La Jolla and Chula Vista tied for first in the 880-yard relay in 1:33.8.

3/23/50

Darnes Johnson won the 100 in :10.5, 220 in :22.8 and provided a leg on the winning relay squad (1:33) that decided the Coast League dual at Grossmont in the Hilltoppers’ favor, 55 ½-48 ½.

3/28/50

John Thomas set a San Diego school record of :20.1 in the 180-yard low hurdles and won the shotput at 48-9 ½, and Howard Simpson won the broad jump (20-9) and tied for first in the high jump (5-10) as San Diego won another Coast League dual on the road, 54-50, at Compton.

3/31/50

Grossmont edged Hoover, 52 1/2 -51 ½, and routed Pasadena Muir, 72 1/2-28 ½. in a triangular meet at Hoover, which beat Muir, 71-33.

Hal Norris set a Grossmont record of 57-10 ½, but the Foothillers clinched the meet when Alan Archard, Charles Miller, Clarence Hill, and Mike Martin won the 880-yard relay in 1:33.

–La Jolla set records and almost shut out visiting Escondido, 98-6.

Chuck Embrey’s 51-7 ½ shot put and Dick Blodgett’s 2:03.5 880 were Vikings varsity records, and Bert Rimmer’s 21-5 broad jump established a Class B standard.

–John Holcomb’s 22-3 ½ broad jump and John Benner’s 12-foot, ¼ inch pole vault set Kearny records in the Komets’ 59-45 loss to visiting Point Loma.

–Sammy Woldsdorf broke the Chula Vista record with his :20.5 in the 180 low hurdles.

4/6/50

Losing 83 ½-29 ½ in Los Angeles to the UCLA freshmen wasn’t unexpected, but Grossmont’s Hal Norris, who would go on to compete in football and track at California-Berkeley, was the day’s standout when he hurled the 16-pound, international-weight shot 49-2.

4/11/50

Hoover topped Compton, 63-41, on the Cardinals’ oval and Bill Heaton set a school record of 12 feet, 7 ½ inches in the pole vault.

Hoover’s Don Bush ran the mile in 4:39.6 and Ron Crotts won the broad jump at 21-9 and the 440 in a reported (later disputed) :50 flat.

4/12/50

Grossmont won 11 of 12 events and defeated visiting Pasadena, 93-11.  Hal Norris reached 55-7 in the shot put and Floyd Hanson cleared 12 feet in the pole vault.

4/14/50 

Hal Norris won the shot put in the Compton Gold Cup Invitational with a 56-foot, 5-inch toss and teammates Clyde Wetter and Ron Humphrey were second and fifth.

The Foothillers were sixth in team scoring with 16 points, behind Long Beach Wilson, the leader with 35 1/2.  Kearny and Point Loma tied for ninth with 8 points each.

Point Loma’s Bob Plant ran 4:36.9 in the mile for second and Hal Sweet ran 2:03.1 in the 880 and was third.

Floyd Hanson of Grossmont was second in the pole vault at 12-6, an event in which Kearny’s John Benner set a school record of 12-3 ¼ and tying for third.

4/19/50

Hoover and San Diego met on the same day, in track and baseball.

San Diego won the dual meet at Hoover, 63 2/3-40 1/3, as Darnes Johnson and John Thomas posted double wins in the 100 and 220 and 120-yard high hurdles and 180 lows, respectively.

Johnson ran a :10.3 100 and a not-timed 220, while Thomas was first in the highs in :15.7 and lows in :20.4.

The days’ best mark was by Hoover’s Ron Crotts, who broad jumped 22-10 ¾.

–No double winners but La Jolla routed Point Loma, 73-31, for the Metropolitan League dual meet championship and added B and C titles along the way.

Jerry Wood ran :15.2 in the 120 high hurdles and Burt Rimmer broad jumped 21-11 for the Vikings’. Connie Broome won the 100 for Point Loma in: :10.2.

4/21/50

The first annual Vista Relays featured athletes from Army-Navy, Brown Military, Fallbrook, Mountain Empire, Oceanside, Ramona, San Dieguito, and host Vista.

Escondido outscored Oceanside, 52-51, for the team championship before a gathering described as “800 shivering fans.”

Best individual mark in a meet that featured team aggregate results was the :10.1 100 by Vista’s Dave Pine.

4/22/50

Chula Vista’s Kenny White won the shot put with a throw of 53 feet, ½ inch, and teammate Tom Timmerman won one of two 440 races in :51.7 at the Chaffey Invitational in Ontario.

The Spartans’ Gerrel Prince reportedly was timed in :51.7 in finishing second in the second 440.

4/25/50

San Diego qualified 20 and Hoover and Grossmont 19 each in Coast League trials at Compton.

–La Jolla sent 17 entries forward and Point Loma and Chula Vista 11 each in

Metropolitan League trials at Balboa Stadium.

Dan Bain of Kearny set a Class B record in the high jump finals at 6 feet, 1 ¾ inches.  Bob Smerdon of La Jolla was notable with a 50-foot effort in the Class C shot put finals.

4/28/50

San Diego High scored 56 points to runner-up Hoover’s 40, followed by the 38 of Compton, and 26 of 1949 champion Grossmont in the Coast League finals, held on a chilly, rain-threatened afternoon in Balboa Stadium.

Pasadena Muir and Pasadena High brought up the rear with 18 and 1, respectively.

Hilltoppers Hal Espy, John Thomas, and the 880 relay team accounted for three of six meet records.

Espy toured the 440 in :51, Thomas the 180-yard low hurdles in :20, and the relay team of Darnes Johnson, Herb McClister, Frank Johnson, and Espy ran 1:30.4.

Other records were set by Grossmont’s Hal Norris, 56-10 shot put, and Floyd Hanson, 12-10 pole vault, and Muir’s Hank Warner :22 220.

–Kenny White bettered the Metropolitan League meet shot put record with a toss of 54-6 ½, eclipsing the 51-4 ½ in 1946 by George Pinnell of La Jolla.

Jerry Wood of La Jolla was timed in :14.7, breaking the mark of :14.8 by La Jolla’s Art Barnard in 1947 and Wood ran a leg on the winning 880-yard relay team that was timed in 1:31.8.

Chuck Engebretson of Oceanside was a double winner in the 100 (:10.1) and 220 (:22.5).

La Jolla won the team championship in the evening competition at Balboa Stadium with 56 ½ points.  Chula Vista had 40 ½, Point Loma 22, Kearny 18, Oceanside16, Coronado 12-1/2, Escondido 8, and Sweetwater 6.

4/29/50

Vista’s Mark Wilson set a Southern Prep League meet record of 4:57.2 in the mile in league finals at Vista.

San Dieguito won the team title with 79 3/4 points to Vista’s 79 and Army-navy’s 71 1/4. Mountain Empire had 19.

5/6/50

As in other CIF sports playoffs, track was in three groups, Northern, Central, and Southern.

Coast League thinclads were competing in the Central Group Divisional at Inglewood.

La Jolla and other Metropolitan League athletes, plus any qualifier from the Southern Prep, was part of the Southern contingent at San Diego State.

Darnes Johnson of San Diego posted career bests of :09.8 in the 100 and :21.4 in the 220 at Inglewood.

Johnson became the fourth Hilltopper to run :09.8, tying the school record jointly held by Jimmy Willson (1929), Mushy Pollock (1933), Glenn Willis (1941) and the third behind Willson and Pollock to run :21.4.

Grossmont shot putter Hal Norris (57-1), San Diego low hurdler John Thomas and quartermiler Hal Espy, and Hoover half milers Milt Hatchell and Phil Selter also won their heats at Inglewood.

Jerry Wood was a double winner at San Diego State, winning his hurdle heats in :14.9 and :20.1 and running a leg as La Jolla won the 880 relay in 1:32.2.

Kenny White of Chula Vista was first with a school record 56 feet, 1 ¾ inches in the shot put.

5/12/50

Grossmont junior Clyde Wetter won the high school shot put in the West Coast Relays at Fresno with a toss of 53 feet, 1 inch.

5/13/50

Glendale outscored San Diego, 34-25, and had 6 qualifiers to the Hilltoppers’ 5 in the Divisional semifinals at Compton.

Darnes Johnson was third to a :09.9 100 by Pasadena Muir’s Hank Warner but Johnson won the 220 in :21.4.

Hal Espy’s :50.7 440 was his best time of the season.

The Hillers’ John Thomas was not listed as qualifying but credited by San Diego High coach Bill Patten with a non-winning :19.5 in the 180 low hurdles. Glendale’s Steve turner set a Southern Section record of :19 flat in the lows.

–La Jolla’s Jerry Wood set the pace with :14.6 in the 120-yard high hurdles and :19.7 in the Southern Group divisional at Riverside Poly. Kenny White of Chula Vista won the shot put at 55-7.

5/20/50

San Diego-area athletes won  only two of 12 events but scored in 11 and their 57 points were almost half the possible 121 in the Southern Section finals at Long Beach Wilson.

Hal Norris of Grossmont won the shot put with a school-record throw of 58-2 ½ and the San Diego relay team of Darnes Johnson, Herb McClister, Frank Johnson, and Hal Espy was first in 1:30.8.

Norris led a 1-2-3 finish by area heavyweights. He was followed by Charlie Powell of San Diego, who was second, and Kenny White of Chula Vista, third.

Espy was second in the 440, won in :51.2, and Ron Crotts of Hoover was second in the broad jump, won by Glendale’s Steve Turner, who had a record jump of 24-6 ¼.  Darnes Johnson was third in the 100-yard dash and 220, which were won in :10 and :22.3.

Jerry Wood of La Jolla was fourth and fifth in both hurdle races.  Malcolm Lewis of Point Loma was fifth and fourth in the hurdles.

Glendale won the team championship with 28 points.  San Diego was second with 20. La Jolla had eight, Grossmont 7, Chula Vista 6, Point Loma 5 ½, Hoover 4, Oceanside 3, Coronado 2, and Kearny 1 ½.

5/28/50

Hal Norris of Grossmont was first in the shot put, with Charlie Powell of San Diego second and Kenny White of Chula Vista fourth in 32^nd state track meet at Hughes Stadium, Sacramento.

Norris’ winning put was 56 feet, 5 ½ inches, below his best of 58-2 1/2, and was followed by the 55-4 of Powell, and 53-8 of White, who was nosed out for third by the 53-11 of Taft’s Leon Patterson.

A San Diego relay quartet of Darnes Johnson, Frank Johnson, Herb McAlister, and Hal Espy was second in the 880-yard relay in 1:29.8.

Los Angeles Jefferson won the relay in 1:28.6 and ran off with the team title with 40 points.  San Diego was fifth with 8.

Dewey (Mike) Morrow ended a remarkable, 20-season run at San Diego High that included 15 Coast League championships and 10 Southern California titles from 1927, excluding the World War II, 1942-45 seasons.

Morrow’s final Hillers team was 17-10 and its .630 winning percentage, excellent by almost any measure, his lowest. Morrow’s overall record against high school teams was 281-49 (.852) and 367-97 (.788) versus all opponents, according to Don King’s Caver Conquest history of San Diego athletics.

Morrow was switching jobs with Les Cassie and figuratively passed Cassie on the way, Cassie becoming coach at the high school and Morrow succeeding Cassie at San Diego Junior College, across Russ Boulevard from the Hillers’ campus.

2/28/50

Frank Sanfillipo and Charlie Powell hit home runs in San Diego’s 7-6 win over La Jolla. SanFillipo’s three-run, 340-foot blast landed in the left-centerfield seats on the East side of Balboa Stadium. Powell’s two-run shot, estimated at 350 feet, came with one man aboard.

3/4/50

Hoover opened the season with a doubleheader sweep at La Jolla, 9-5, and 2-0. Ralph Buckingham allowed one hit in the nine-inning opener; Bert Grigsby scattered eight hits in the seven-inning nightcap.

3/5/50

John Nelson, Bob Stipp, and Dan Baker hit home runs and Kearny essentially took batting practice, bombing visiting Escondido, 21-2. Kearny’s junior varsity beat the Cougars’ JV, 20-0, at Escondido.

–No published score, but word reached that St. Augustine defeated its faculty by one run.

3/9/50

Ray Preston, Dick Priest, and Blain Thomas combined to pitch Grossmont’s 12-0 win over St. Augustine at Golden Hill Playground.

3/11/50

Ralph Buckingham hurled a no-hitter and struck out 13 Chula Vista batters in Hoover’s 5-0 victory. Dick Hartley had two hits, scored two runs, and drove in another.

–La Jolla, backed by Warner Benjamin’s and Tom Tomaiko’s home runs and seven San Diego errors, handed the Hillers their first defeat after five victories, 10-5.

–Mike De Scisciolo’s pinch hit, grand slam home run was the difference in Sweetwater’s 6-2 triumph against visiting St. Augustine.

3/14/50

Grossmont’s Blain Thomas, who transferred in from Norfolk, Virginia, gave up home runs to Bob Stipp and Tom Eggert, but stuck around for a 12-10, complete-game win over Kearny.

—Bert Grigsby struck out 15 and spaced eight hits in Hoover’s 8-5 victory over Point Loma. First baseman Art Bunge got the Cardinals off with a three-run home run in the first inning.

–Four-hit pitching by Clyde Thomas and a 14-hit attack was too much for Chula Vista as San Diego routed the Spartans, 19-2.

3/17/50

A crowd estimated at 4,500 at Lane Field saw the South defeat the North, 5-4, in the second annual Metropolitan League carnival.

The matchups (South teams first) were Chula Vista versus Sweetwater, Escondido versus Oceanside, Kearny versus San Dieguito, and Point Loma versus La Jolla.

The Southern Prep League’s San Dieguito filled in for Coronado, which again did not field a team because there was a lack of a suitable playing facility on the peninsula.

The South’s winning run came in the seventh inning, when Point Loma’s Nat Jones singled and Manny Gomes was safe on an error, Jones advancing to third.

Jones scored when the La Jolla’s third baseman threw wildly to home after fielding Izzy Luz’s grounder.

–Hoover first baseman Chuck Kennedy was 4 for 4 with three singles and a double but it was 10 St. Augustine errors that doomed the Saints to a 12-8 loss.

3/18/50

Point Loma pounded Grossmont, 8-5, and 12-1 in a nonleague doubleheader. Jim Poole scattered seven hits in the opener and Tim Feller and Manny Gomes handcuffed the Foothillers on two hits in the nightcap.

–Bonita High from the Los Angeles area was a stunned guest as Hoover won both ends of a double header at, 22-1, and 12-1.

Ralph Buckingham pitched a two-hitter in the opener. Buckingham was 5 for 9 on the day and Hoover batters had a total of 26 base hits in the two games.

3/20/50

Bob Petty socked two home runs and Hoover bombed Kearny, 13-5.

–La Jolla, backed by 12 Grossmont errors, outscored the Foothillers, 23-8. Vista whacked Fallbrook, 22-1, and San Diego got to Point Loma’s Eddie Serrano and Izzy Luz for a pair of four-run innings in a 12-7 win.

3/21/50

Bob Thorpe wild-pitched in a run in the eighth inning and the Naval Training Center squad defeated San Diego, 3-2, on the sailors’ diamond.

3/24/50

Freshmen Dick Flores and Jim Fletsch homered as St. Augustine won its first game 18-8, at San Dieguito.

–Lou Stills and the so-named Gunner Gundry hit home runs, offsetting Huddy McDowell’s 3-for-4 in Sweetwater’s 9-5 win at Kearny as the Metropolitan League season began.

–Eddie Serrano was 2 for 4, struck out 10, and allowed host Chula Vista four hits in Point Loma’s 7-2 win.

–Escondido topped Oceanside, 8-7, in 10 innings. Cougars pitcher Ben Linares had a no-hitter for seven innings.

3/25/50

Charlie Powell’s two-run home run in the ninth inning won the first game of a doubleheader at Pasadena Muir, 8-6. Powell stole home in the ninth inning of the nightcap and the Hillers completed a sweep, winning, 4-3, at Muir’s neighbor, Pasadena.

3/28/50

Grossmont put a resounding end to San Diego’s 16-game Coast League winning streak, knocking down the Hillers, 14-5, in Balboa Stadium.

The loss, San Diego’s first in Coast League play since 1948, was triggered by a three-run first inning followed by a five-run outburst in the second.

Jay Harris led the Foothillers’ 17-hit attack with a double and three singles. Bob Rand added four singles and Don Lenardi a pair of doubles.

— Warren Goodridge punched five singles in six at-bats as La Jolla ripped Hoover, 8-3.

–Tom Eggert homered and tripled and John Nelson hit for the circuit as Kearny topped St. Augustine, 13-2.

–Kenny Meyers pitched a no-hitter, allowing three base runners and getting support from Tom Oxley (three-run double) and Jack Rosenquist (two-run double) as Vista beat Oceanside, 5-0.

3/30/50

Charlie Powell homered and Frank San Fillipo doubled, driving in four runs, as San Diego took a 5-1 lead. The Cardinals came back to eventually take a 7-5 lead but the Hillers scored two runs in the seventh and one in the top of the ninth to beat Hoover, 8-7.

Ralph Buckingham homered for the Cardinals.

3/31/50

San Diego High was positioned to defend its Pomona 2030 Club championship, which it had won six times since 1935.

(The Hillers won a seventh title in 1933 but forfeited after reports that two Hillers brothers had competed under aliases at a semipro game in El Centro the previous summer.

(CIF honcho Seth Van Patten had brought down the hammer, also taking away the Hilltoppers’ Coast League championship and two playoff wins, plus the opportunity to play Santa Maria for the Southern Section title).

San Diego’s success in the tournament is such that the Hillers twice had retired perpetual trophies, the Carnation Milk bauble in 1938 and the Hollywood Stars’ trophy in 1949.

FIVE OTHER HOPEFULS

Point Loma, Grossmont, La Jolla, Hoover, and Escondido also were in the 32-team field, including Roosevelt and Washington, representing the Los Angeles City Section, which entered for the first time.

4/3/50

Pete Bechtol and Bill Whitson combined to pitch a five-hitter and La Jolla bested Ben Linares and Escondido, 3-2.

Dick Simmons’ infield single in the eighth inning scored Warren Goodridge with the Vikings’ winning run.

–The line for St. Augustine was 1 run, 0 hits, and 8 errors. Grossmont’s Ray Preston hurled the no-hitter but three errors in the seventh inning led to a run for the Saints.

Not to worry.  Grossmont defeated the Saints, 20-1.

–Eddie Serrano struck out 14 and outdueled John Tracy in Point Loma’s 1-0 win at Kearny.

4/4/50

San Diego beat Corona, 13-2, in its first-round game at Pomona and then followed the path of two other San Diego squads.

The Hillers lost their second-round game, 5-3, to Covina and joined Hoover and La Jolla with early trips home.

Hoover beat Anaheim, 12-3, and lost to L.A. Roosevelt, 2-1. La Jolla defeated Santa Ana, 9-4, and lost to Metro League rival Point Loma, 12-10.

The Pointers moved into the championship bracket quarterfinals, while Grossmont and Escondido, losers of first-round games (Grossmont to Santa Barbara, 7-0, and Escondido to Newport Beach Newport Harbor, 5-4) were bounced to the consolation bracket.

4/5/50

Point Loma was ousted by Compton, 6-5, and Escondido by Colton, 10-4, but Grossmont remained alive in the Pomona 2030 Club tournament after beating Corona, 3-2, and Santa Monica, 10-1.

4/6/50

Grossmont outslugged Colton, 9-6, for the consolation bracket title of the Pomona 2030 Club event. Santa Barbara outlasted Compton, 12-11, for the championship.

4/11/50

Tee Bennis had a 5 for 5 day at the plate with a home run, double, and three singles and Charlie Powell homered and tripled. San Diego’s Clyde Thomas took advantage, stopping host Compton, 8-1. Hillers outfielder Bob Stratton completed two double plays by throwing out Compton runners at the plate.

–Home runs by Raul Garcia and Dave Brennan propelled Sweetwater to a victory in the Imperial Valley, 9-7, at El Centro Central.

4/17/50

Hoover evened its Coast League record at 1-1 with a 14-1 rout of Grossmont. Joe Duke and Bob Petty homered for the Cardinals.Ralph Buckingham held the Foothillers to three hits and got a boost when his team scored seven runs in the ninth inning.

4/18/50

Ernest Robles drove in three runs with a home run and two singles and struck out 12 in leading Brown Military to a 5-4, Southern Prep League victory over Ramona.

4/19/50

Charlie Powell’s three-run triple in the first inning wiped out a 2-0 lead, but Hoover stormed back with four runs in the fourth and took a 7-4 victory over San Diego in Balboa Stadium.

Powell arrived in time to start the game in right field after attempting two throws and winning the shot put at 54 feet, 5 inches earlier in the afternoon in the Hillers’ track meet at Hoover.

Bert Grigsby kept the Hillers at a distance and Joe Duke singled twice and Bob Petty and Dick Roberts each had two hits for the Cardinals.

4/20/50

Tony Roe allowed three hits, struck out eight, and the San Diego State Frosh scored a 12-1 victory over San Diego in Balboa Stadium.

–Jerry Mayer had three hits and La Jolla, aided by five Point Loma errors, outlasted the Pointers, 9-7, for its fourth consecutive Metropolitan League win.

–Bob Schertzer’s home runs and three singles by Ron Stewart were pivotal in Chula Vista’s 4-2 win over Escondido.

–Sweetwater, limited to five hits by Ken Meyers, profited from 10 errors to score seven unearned runs and top Oceanside, 11-6.

4/21/50

Grossmont split a doubleheader in Pasadena, defeating Pasadena with a 17-hit attack, 16-7, after losing a Friday game to Muir, 6-5.

Three hits, a walk and error led to three runs by the Mustangs in the bottom of the ninth.

The Foothillers trailed, 2-1, after five innings in the second game but scored three runs each in the sixth and ninth innings and four runs each in the seventh and eighth.

–Bob Warner gave up two hits in the seventh inning but outpitched Jim Poole in San Diego’s 3-0, seven-inning, nonleague victory over Point Loma.

–Hoover won a road doubleheader, shutting out Pasadena Muir, 2-0, and Pasadena, 14-6.

Jerry Woods blanked the Mustangs on five hits in the opener and Jerry Newark and Joe Duke each had two hits to lead a 11-hit attack in the second game.

–San Dieguito topped St. Augustine, 9-8, at Golden Hill Playground as the teams combined for 25 base hits.

4/24/50

Tony Roe was too much again for San Diego High. The San Diego State freshman drove in three runs with a pair of two-base hits and the Aztec’ Frosh scored their second victory over the Hillers, 7-4.

4/25/50

Hoover and Compton each improved to 5-1 and remained tied for first in the Coast League. The Cardinals shellacked Grossmont, 16-2, and the Tarbabes blanked Pasadena Muir, 11-0.

Jack MacKay’s three-run home run and a two-run shot by Bob Petty provided offense for Hoover.

–San Diego defeated Chula Vista, 10-6. Frank San Fillipo homered for the Hillers and Ron Stewart for the Spartans.

4/26/50

Escondido pitchers issued 14 bases on balls, including seven in a five-run second inning, delivering a 12-8 victory to Oceanside.

–George Sullivan’s third hit, a single in the bottom of the ninth, gave Sweetwater a second win over Hoover, 7-6.

4/28/50

San Diego’s 13-1 win over Grossmont elevated the Hillers into second place in the Coast League, thanks to a Hoover doubleheader sweep at Compton.

Ralph Buckingham pitched a 9-2 victory in the opener and singled twice and drove in two runs, abetting Jack MacKay’s two singles and three RBI.

Bob Berry slugged two triples and MacKay and Don Bonatus added a pair of doubles as Bert Grigsby hurled the 10-3 win in the nightcap.

Frank Sanfillipo, Marco Bennis, and Bob Jordan each hit home runs and Jordan scattered nine hits in San Diego’s win at Grossmont.

5/3/50

Vista swamped Ramona, 15-0. Grossmont beat Point Loma, 10-5, and Hoover won a wild, 16-13 victory over Kearny at Linda Vista Recreation center.

Twenty-four hits and 13 errors were part of the Hoover-Kearny contest, in which five pitchers and four catchers participated.

5/5/50

La Jolla held on to first place in the Metropolitan League with a 10-inning, 5-4 win over Sweetwater.

The Vikings’ Warner Benjamin tied the game with a two-run homer run in the bottom of the ninth.

Jerry Meyers walked in the 10^th, advanced to third on Bill Simmons’ double, and scored the winning run on Frank Chalupenik’s single.

–Hoover (8-1) clinched a tie for the Coast League’s final championship, 8-0 over visiting Muir as Ralph Buckingham struck out 17 and shut down the Mustangs on one hit, a single in the ninth inning.

–Charlie Powell’s grand slam home run was the big blow as San Diego (7-2) beat Pasadena, 11-7.

–Jay Harris homered, tripled, and singled, but it wasn’t enough for Grossmont as Compton became the only Coast League visitor to win, 7-6.

5/6/50

Bert Grigsby gave up seven runs, three earned, but Hoover scored a 17-7 win over Pasadena that clinched the Coast League championship for the Cardinals.

Hoover (9-1) finished ahead of San Diego (8-2), which defeated Compton, 4-1, as Bernie Hernandez collected three hits and Clyde Thomas two extra base hits while winning a pitching matchup against future major leaguer Bennie Daniels.

5/13/50

Bill Whitson’s three-hit pitching and Bill Simmons’ three hits paved La Jolla’s 5-0 victory over Chula Vista. The Vikings concluded the Metropolitan League campaign with a 6-0 record.

–Eddie Serrano held Escondido to two hits in Point Loma’s 10-2 victory which clinched second place for the 5-1 Pointers.

5/15/50

A two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning by Santa Ana’s Tom Miller brought the Saints from behind and eliminated Hoover, 2-1, in the CIF Central Group playoffs.

Hoover was the only team from the area to participate in the playoffs. Metropolitan League squads maintained a policy of usually declining.

Bill Sandback had just coached Crawford to its second San Diego Section baseball championship in three seasons and he was hesitant when Harlon Bartlett of the Evening Tribune asked for a comparison of the team and the winning 1962 club.

“This year’s team had a better attitude,” Sandback finally allowed after the taut, eight-inning victory over Point Loma.  “These kids hustled from start to finish. They never gave up all year.”

Sandback pointed to the team’s battery, a core strength of leadership and experience.

Starting pitcher, Bob Boone, went on to play 19 seasons as a catcher and several more as a manager in the major leagues. Usual catcher and sometime pitcher Eddie Hermann played nine seasons behind the plate in the majors.

Catcher whisperer perhaps was Sandback.  Five of his eventually would make the big leagues.

2/28/64

Sophomore Bob Forrester of Monte Vista and Crawford’s Eddie Herrmann hurled no-hitters on the first full day of action.

Forrester struck out eight and blanked Morse, 7-0.

Herrmann collected three hits including a home run and drove in four runs in the 10-0 win over visiting Alhambra Mark Keppel.

3/4/64

Tom Lean of Helix came within one out of a no-hitter.  An infield roller and single to right field after two were out in the seventh inning were the only hits off Lean in the Scots’ 5-0, Grossmont League-opening win over Escondido.

Ray Homesley hit a two-run home run and pitched El Capitan to a 7-4 win over the San Diego State freshmen.

3/5/64

–Larry Bradford accounted for 6 runs with two homers and a single in Kearny’s 16-3, Western League-opening victory over La Jolla.

Charles Wilker and pitcher John Fletcher each added three-run homers for the Komets.

–“Thirteen of the last 18 runs scored against us have been unearned,” Madison coach Bob Bacon complained about his defense after a 5-4 loss to Mission Bay.

“I don’t understand it,” Bacon told Joe Hughes of the Evening Tribune.  “With the same kids last year we had no trouble in the field.”

Two errors led to two unearned runs and made future major leaguer Al Fitzmorris a losing pitcher, 5-4.

3/10/64

Jake Lovejoy and Bob Heathman combined to pitch a no-hitter in Clairemont’s 2-1 victory over Vista.

–Seven errors behind him didn’t stop Escondido’s Jerry Montiel, who struck out 11 and stopped Point Loma on four hits, 3-2.

3/13/64

“We won the game on luck,” El Capitan coach Art Preston told the Evening Tribune’s Joe Hughes. “We didn’t deserve to win because of our defense, but Homesley, luckily, got hold of a good pitch.”

Ray Homesley’s seventh-inning, two-run, 314-foot home run, an inch or two beyond John Quiggle’s outstretched glove gave the Vaqueros a 4-3 win over Helix.

Errors had led to Helix’ taking a 3-1 lead on winning pitcher Dave Duncan, who beat out an infield roller that preceded Homesley’s home run.

—Second baseman Jerry Watson tripled, doubled, and added two singles as San Diego defeated Hoover, 11-4. Jim Perkins and Loren Dantzler also homered for the Cavers.

The win left the Bernie Flaherty-coached Cavers 2-0 in the Eastern League and 5-2 overall.  Hoover fell to 1-1 and 1-2-1.

–Darkness called a halt to Oceanside and University, which battled through 11 scoreless innings.  The Pirates’ Mark Oddy held the Dons to two hits.  Uni’s Dave Timms gave up seven.

3/17/64

Escondido’s Jerry Montiel struck out 10 and permitted two balls hit to the outfield, but the second was a single in the bottom of the eighth inning by Gene Guerra that scored pinch runner Greg Burton and gave Chula Vista a 1-0 victory.

—El Cajon Valley’s Dwight Stanley singled home two runs in the last of the seventh inning to beat Granite Hills, 3-1, and move the Braves a half game in front of El Capitan in the Grossmont League.

—Crawford took first place in the Eastern League, 4-2 over San Diego, which couldn’t capitalize on 11 hits and Doug Hunt’s home run.

—Lloyd Hutchinson tripled with the bases loaded and Pat Harrison homered in Hoover’s 6-1 win over Morse.

3/20/64

“Let’s face it, our pitching isn’t that good,” said Hoover’s Jerry Bartow.  “Buddy (Schraeder) is an outfielder, but I’ve got to pitch him.  We’ll probably end up playing .500 ball.”

Despite the coach’s protestations, Hoover gained a share of first place in the Eastern League after a 6-3 win over Crawford.

“We gave it to them,” said Colts boss Bill Sandback.  “I counted seven errors.”

Hoover finished 10-5 and third in the league and 11-7 overall.

3/23-25/64

Fierce Winter storms that led to rain and wet grounds postponed the first day of the 14th annual Lions Tournament.  The delay because of weather was the first since 1958.

The postponement was repeated the next day and the event finally was canceled the third  day.

It wasn’t practical, said tournament boss Carroll Wilson, citing “the weather forecast for the rest of the week isn’t very good and we would be tying up players, coaches, and umpires, and the coaches didn’t want to play (as late into the week) on Saturday.”

3/31/64

Hilltop romped to a 12-0, first-inning lead, got a break when rain did not wash out the game, and beat Chula Vista, 18-7.

Bob Childers hit a grand slam home run, followed by Rudy Castro’s three-run shot, and a two-run home run by Bob Litchfield off Chula Vista starter Bart Miller.

Hilltop even scored two runs in the second inning on three punch singles after coach Vic Long issued a mandate to make outs and get on with the game because of the weather.

—Six of 17 games in the County were rained out or called before the required five innings.

4/3/64

Mike Adamson, backed by a 6-1 lead and contributing a home run, held on and Point Loma defeated Kearny, 7-5.

Singles by Pat Harrison and Buddy Schraeder, two errors, and Lance Richard Shaw’s sacrifice fly paved the way for Hoover’s 5-0, 10-inning win over St. Augustine

Al Layton, one of the few seniors for Granite Hills, struck out 14 and gave up only a fourth-inning single to Gary Mattinson as the Eagles downed Grossmont, 2-0.

Al Salmon’s single in the 10^th inning gave Helix a 1-0 win over Hilltop.

4/7/64

Sweetwater, 0-10, won its first game, 8-0, over Castle Park on a two-hitter by Ted Williams.  No, not that Ted Williams.

4/10/64

With Al Layton running with the pitch, Jim McKenna ripped a pitch  to right field at Granite Hills, where there is no wall, according to Harlon Bartlett of the Evening Tribune.

The ball rolled toward downtown El Cajon and McKenna won the race after the outfielder’s recovery and throw to home for an apparent home run, but…

…El Capitan first baseman Mike Arnke alertly told pitcher Dave Duncan that McKenna had not touched second base.

Duncan stepped on the pitching rubber, stepped off again, and threw to second base for an out, then struck out the next batter.

Ball game. The Vaqueros won, 3-2, for their fifth victory in a row.

–University defeated San Dieguito, 1-0, on a forfeit in the 14^th inning, when Mustangs coach Larry Hampshire argued that it was too dark for his team to hit in the bottom of the inning.

Dave Timms went all the way for Uni, striking out 19.

—Eddie Herrmann hit 2 home runs, including a grand slam, and Crawford beat Lincoln, 7-5.

4/17/64

“This is the greatest comeback we’ve had here in six years,” said El Cajon Valley sixth-year coach Harry Elliott after the Braves overcame a 1-0 deficit in the sixth inning and won with two runs in the last of the eighth against Helix.

Al Hamilton’s home run tied the game in the sixth inning and run-scoring singles by Tom Thompson and Ralph Hays were the difference.

The 3-2 victory improved Elliott’s club to 6-1 in the Grossmont League.

Elliott played the 1955 season with the St. Louis Cardinals after leading the Pacific Coast League with 224 hits and a .350 average as the San Diego Padres won the pennant in 1954.

–Charlie Duke’s home run with two on in the seventh inning meant a 3-0 victory for University and the reported end of a string of 43 1/3 scoreless innings by Vista pitcher Matt Taylor.

4/21/64

Dennis Webb’s one-hit pitching stopped San Diego, 3-1, dropping the Cavers (7-3) two games behind Eastern League-leading Crawford (9-1), which rode catcher-sometimes-pitcher Eddie Herrmann’s three-hit pitching for a 2-0 win over Morse.

—Kenny Henderson doubled home two runs, tripled, and stole home for another in Clairemont’s 4-2 win over Madison.

4/25/64

Bob Boone pitched a two-hitter and Greg Werdick hit a third-inning home run for a 1-0 Crawford victory over St. Augustine.

–Sophomore Jake Molina led off the last of the first inning with a home run and Clairemont proceeded to a 6-1 win over Point Loma.

–Hilltop clinched its first Metropolitan League championship in the school’s five years, on the road, at Chula Vista, 3-2, behind Dirk Van Dyke’s two-hitter.

4/28/64

Hilltop (9-0) stayed unbeaten in the Metropolitan League with a disputed, 3-2 win over Castle Park.

Disputed play: The plate umpire ruled foul.  The base umpire said fair.

After several minutes of shouts and arm-waving by representatives of both teams, the arbiters came to agreement that Frank Fernandez was safe with a single. Fernandez eventually scored the decisive run.

—Ray Homesley retired 16 of the last 17 batters including the final 12 in a row and El Capitan won at El Cajon Valley, 4-2, and led the Grossmont League with a 7-2 record. El Cajon Valley and Helix were next at 7-3 each.

5/1/64

Dave Duncan pitched a no-hitter and his two-run home run in the first inning was enough as El Capitan turned back Mount Miguel, 4-0.

Duncan struck out 14 and walked four and got an assist from Ray Homesley, who homered with one on.

—San Dieguito’s Tom Fleming gave up one hit and the Mustangs stifled Oceanside, 2-0.

–Mike Hill of El Cajon Valley, Jerry Montiel of Escondido, and Al Layton of Granite Hills each pitched two-hit shutouts.

—Dirk Van Dyke and Tom Segren combined for a one-hitter as Hilltop topped Helix, 8-0.

—Kearny erred six times behind pitcher John Fletcher, but fueled by Steve Jones’ three-run home run and Larry Bradford’s two run triple in the first inning, beat Clairemont, 7-5.

—Three walks forced in the tying and winning runs and San Diego came away with a 5-4, Eastern League victory over Crawford.

Dennis Maley, Doug Hunt, and Michael Marrs each had two hits for the Cavers.  Ron Layton tripled in two runs for Crawford.

—Tom Fleming allowed one hit and San Dieguito blanked Oceanside, 2-0.

5/5/64

Kearny won the Western League and Marian won the Southern Prep.

The Komets backed in after a 11-5 loss to Mission Bay was mitigated by Point Loma’s 9-1 loss to Madison.

Marian won its 31^st consecutive league game, compliments of a Julian forfeit which gave the Crusaders, who lost their first four games, a 12-4 overall record and 7-0 league standing.

—Ray Homesley’s one-hitter stopped Granite Hills, 4-1, and kept the Vaqueros a half game ahead of El Cajon Valley with one to play in the Grossmont circuit.

–Dave Braswell and Carl Ramsey homered and Hilltop won its 11^th in a row in the Metropolitan League, 6-2 over Coronado.  Carlsbad’s 9-0 win over Army-Navy was its ninth in a row in the Palomar League.

A two-hit shutout by Tony Pisciotta and 6-0 win over Lincoln (7-13 overall) allowed San Diego to catch Crawford and tie for the Eastern League championship.

The Cavers and Colts, each 12-3, would meet at Beeson Field at the Marine Corps Depot to determine playoff seeding.

Point Loma and Madison will play for the Western League’s No. 2 seed at Mission Bay and Escondido and Sweetwater will meet at Morse with the Metro’s No. 2 at stake.

5/12/64

Field for the San Diego Section AA playoffs was complete.

Crawford topped San Diego, 5-2. Point Loma beat Clairemont (10-9), 2-1, and Sweetwater edged Escondido (12-6), 5-4.

—Walks scored two runs and Bob Boone’s two-run single gave Crawford four runs in the fourth inning.

—Mike Adamson outdueled Jake Lovejoy in Point Loma’s victory, clinched on a triple by Glenn Holmes and a sacrifice fly.

5/15/64

Almost the entire Marian (13-6) student body was in the crowd of about 400, but visiting Carlsbad, behind the one-hit pitching of Arne Larsen scored a 4-2, eight-inning victory in a Class A playoff.

—“You can’t say we wasted our hits,” said San Diego coach Bernie Flaherty.

The Cavers got to Hilltop pitcher Dirk Van Dyke for only three safeties but one was a three-run triple by Tony Pisciotta, enough for a 4-1, Class AA playoff victory.

Hilltop finished with a 16-5 record, best in the school’s five-year history.

—Point Loma scored three runs in the seventh inning to eliminate El Capitan (15-4), 3-2.

The Vaqueros’ Ray Homesley was working on a one-hitter with a 1-0 lead when John Gelb led off the inning with a home run.

Homesley was relieved later in the seventh by Dave Duncan, who wild-pitched in one run and balked in another.

—Bob Boone allowed one hit, a three-run home run by Kile Morgan, but Crawford topped Sweetwater (9-12), 12-3, as Dennis Isom, Greg Werdick, and Eddie Herrmann homered.

–Charles Wilker’s three-run triple and two-run double were  essential for Kearny in its 8-5 win over El Cajon Valley (14-7).

5/19/64

Paul Ehrich, with relief in the seventh inning from Mike Adamson and aided by five San Diego (16-7) errors, pitched Point Loma to a 3-2, semifinals victory.

—Crawford advanced to a championship game against Point Loma with a 9-4 win over Kearny (15-7).  Wayne Morgan improved his record to 5-0 and drove in three runs with a triple and single.

5/22/64

There were seventeen strikeouts and 17 bases on balls, plus seven errors by both teams. And not a one of the 600 or so fans, often on the edge of their seats, left early according to Harlon Bartlett of the Evening Tribune.

Crawford persevered to win the CIF championship, 4-3, over Point Loma in eight innings at Beeson Field on the Marine Corps Recruit Depot base.

Trailing, 2-1, in the top of the seventh, the Colts took a 3-2 lead on Charlie Tate’s sacrifice fly and single by Ken Henderson.

John Gelb tied the score with a 330-foot home run over the leftfield wall in the bottom of the seventh but the Colts’ Greg Werdick, playing with a broken nose sustained in the semifinals, walked, stole second and scored on an error.

Crawford’s Bob Boone (7-1) had no-hitter through six innings but trailed, 2-1.  The Colts’ managed only three hits off Mike Adamson (9-5), singles by Eddie Hermann, Dennis Isom, and Ken Henderson.

Crawford, winning its second title in three years, concluded the season with an 18-4 record.  Point Loma was 13-10.

5/25/64

San Dieguito (14-4) made best use of two hits with walks, bunts and Carlsbad (17-4) errors to win the CIF Class A championship, 3-1, at Palomar College.

The Mustangs also received run-producing hits from Tom Hernandez and Jim Bryant.

Bob Hose gave a glimpse as a sophomore at Clairemont in the San Diego Section finals in 1962, when Hose finished fifth in the 880 in 1:58.

It was a promising if overlooked run by Hose, as attention was focused on Hoover’s John Garrison, who would finish second in the state meet and tie the County record of 1:52.7 by Jim Cerveny of Mission Bay in 1957.

Hose was not at Clairemont the following school year, having transferred to Madison, which opened its doors for the first time in Northeast Clairemont.

Coaches Gordon Carter and George Hoagland, with a typically undeveloped first-year group, worked Hose in a variety of events, including the long jump and hurdles, but eventually Hose settled on the 880.

Sparks began to fly.

An out-of-nowhere, second-place finish in the state meet (1963: Sensational Finishes by Cavers’ Relay, Madison’s Hose), in which Hose lowered his time by six seconds from the league finals three weeks before, was followed by more sensational runs this year.

3/6/64

Richard Grise won the shot put at 54 feet, 1 inch, and the discus at 169-6 in Grossmont’s 83-39 rout of El Capitan.

—Hoover’s Eddy Hanks high jumped 6-5 ¼ in an 87-16 win over Clairemont, while Morse’s Arnie Robinson cleared 6-5 in a triangular meet that Oceanside won, 49 to Madison’s 42, and Morse’s 38.

3/10/64

Coronado’s Carl Giesser, whose pole broke a couple days before, recovered with a new implement in a meet with Crawford and Oceanside, clearing 12-6 in the vault and breaking the school record of 12 feet, set in 1946.

—St. Augustine’s John Wayne Wheeler also set a pole vault standard, 12-3 ¾, as the Saints beat their so-called little brothers from University, 67-37.

3/12/64

Coronado’s Carl Giesser went over the bar at 13 feet in the pole vault but Vista won the Avocado League dual, 58-46.

—Jack Evans set a Castle Park record of :19.4 in the 180-yard low hurdles, but Morse, winning its first meet ever, captured the triangular, 55 points to 47 for Castle Park, and 26 for University.

3/14/64

Grossmont (large), Hilltop (medium), and Lincoln (small) won their respective divisions in the 10th annual South Bay Relays at Sweetwater.

Records went to Lincoln’s Jimmy Fox, timed in :14.6 in the 120-yard high hurdles, and pole vaulter Vic Montano, 13-5 7/8 in the vault.

La Jolla’s Bob Millar, aided by a wind estimated at six to 10 miles an hour, over the allowable 4.473, beat favored Bill Massey of Chula Vista in a :09.6 100.

Millar ran :10.1 and :22 in the sprints and 1:23.8 in the 660 as a Class B performer in 1963.

3/30/64

The San Diego Relays in Balboa Stadium were highlighted by a long jump aggregate, high hurdles, four-mile relay, and shot put.

Lincoln’s Art Cooper (23-¾), Greg Stewart (22-9 ¾), and Barry Brinson (21-4 1/2) set a record of 67 feet, 3 inches, to win the Dean C.E. Peterson award for the outstanding team performance.

Helix’ Doug Nelson was chosen the day’s outstanding individual with a shot put of 58 feet, ¾ inch.

Grossmont’s Jim Kerr cleared the 120 high hurdles in :14.5 and Hilltop’s four-man, four-mile relay team ran 18:33.7 for other records.

4/4/64

Eddy Hanks of Hoover high jumped 6 feet, 8 inches, and had a good try at 6-10 in Hoover’s 62-42 win against Point Loma.

“It’s fantastic that he can jump almost one foot above his height,” said Cardinals coach Jack Murphy of the 5-10 Hanks.

—Bill Massey set Chula Vista records of :09.7 in the 100 and :21.4 in the 220 and anchored an 880-yard, 1:30.7 relay effort that won the meet, 53-51, over Hilltop.

4/7/64

El Capitan’s Tad Hendrickson ran the 880 in 1:55.9, best time in the County.

Mission Bay’s Bob Hallmark took a 440 duel from Lincoln’s Harold Moore in :50.1 and the Lincoln relay team, with Moore holding off Stan Morgan, ran a season-best 1:29.8.

4/9/64

Chula Vista won a 53-51 dual meet for the second week in a row, edging Sweetwater as Bill Massey brought the Spartans home again in a 1:30.3 relay, which followed Massey’s wins of :09.7 and :22.1 in the 100 and 220.

—Mission Bay clocked a school-record 1:30 in the relay and Bob Hallmark chased the 440 to a :49.7 finish.  Sweetwater’s David Barajas ran :49.6 and San Diego’s Howard Butler long jumped 23-2 ½.

4/10/64

Bob Hose, scholastically ineligible since the semester break, prepared for his first race by running a 1:54.9 880 in a solo, 6:30 a.m. time trial before school.

Grossmont beat Helix, 67-55, dealing the Highlanders their first league dual meet loss since 1960.

Rocky Collins (22-7 ¼) and  Jim Hammer (22-7 ¼), who tied for first, and Jim Newman (22-6) all bettered the 17-year-old school record of 22-4 ¼ in the long jump.

4/17/64

Bob Hose left his competition after 220 yards, clocked a :53 first quarter, and breezed to a 1:53.5 880 in his first competitive race since the 1963 state meet.

Mission Bay won the Western League dual, 71-33, but all eyes were on Hose, who said, “I was a little disappointed.  I was aiming for a 1:52, but I didn’t have a good finish.”

Mission Bay’s Stan Morgan ran :09.9 in the 100 and :21.2 in the 220 and Bob Hallmark’s :49.4 in the 440 broke the school record of 49.6 by Jim Cerveny in 1957.

—Vista’s Dave Funderburk took the County lead with a 4:23.6 mile in a 73-31 win over University.

4/24/64

Lincoln and Hoover battled to a 54-50 Lincoln win in a rousing Eastern League showdown.

The Hornets’ Harold Moore held off Hoover’s Pierre Frazier as Lincoln won the relay in a season-best 1:29.1 to Hoover’s 1:30.1.

Frazier, unheralded and figuratively coming out of the weeds, stunned the Lincoln sprinters with a :09.7 100, won the 180 lows in :20.1, and was second in the long jump at 22-11 ¾.  Lincoln’s Greg Stewart went 23-1.

But as the afternoon waned all attention switched to the high jump, where Eddy Hanks cleared a measured 6-9 7/8, better than the accepted national record of 6-9 ¾ by Walt Mangham of New Castle, Pa.

National records are not recognized in dual meets and heights and distances are automatically reduced from eighths to fourths. Still, Hanks went as high as any high school jumper before him.

Lincoln’s Art Cooper and Hoover’s Lyle Hull stayed with Hanks jump for jump but each went out at 6-6 after clearing 6-4.

“My 6-8 jump was probably the best of the day,” Hanks told Joe Hughes of the Evening Tribune.  “It felt like I cleared the bar by three inches.”

4/30/64

Lincoln (Eastern), Mission Bay (Western), Grossmont (Grossmont), Escondido (Metropolitan), and Vista and San Dieguito (Avocado) clinched dual meet championships

After Lincoln’s dramatic victory over Hoover, the annual Eastern League showdown with San Diego, in comparison or expectation, was small potatoes.

The host Hornets scored a 64-40 victory, the most decisive loss for the Cavemen since they dropped a 69-35 decision to Point Loma in 1953.

San Diego’s Ronald Ivory took the County lead with a long jump of 23-3 ¾ and Lincoln’s Harold Moore doubled, :22.5 in the 220 and school-record :49.7 in the 440.

Moore, trailing San Diego’s Rex Williams on the anchor leg of the 880-yard relay, pulled up midway and the Cavers won in 1:29.2.

5/1/64

Bob Hose of Madison ran the 880 in 1:54.6, but Point Loma won the dual meet, 68 ½-35 ½, and John Bishop set a Pointers school record of 56 feet, 8 inches, in the shot put.

—John Link established a Hilltop record of 1:55.7 in the 880 but Escondido won the dual meet, 64-40, as Dan Starr doubled with a :10 100 and :21.8 220.

—Richard Pegler won the 100 in :09.9 and broke Lee Buchanan’s 10-year-old school 440 record (:50.7) with a :50.3 as Kearny swamped Clairemont, 79-25.

—Hoover high jumpers Eddy Hanks and Lyle Hull cleared 6-6 and 6-4, respectively, as the Cardinals took St. Augustine, 76-28.

5/2/64

Russ DuPont long jumped 22-2 1/8 for La Jolla Country Day in the school’s invitational, marking the first time since 1961 that a Southern Prep League tracker had made the Evening Tribune’s Best Marks list.

5/8/64

Bill Massey ran the season’s fastest 220, :21.1 and added a :09.8 100 in Metropolitan League trials at Chula Vista that saw Massey’s Spartans and Hilltop each qualify 10.

—Mission Bay’s Bob Hallmark, recovered from measles, ran the 440 in :50.4 as his team qualified 17 in Western League trials at Madison.

—“I didn’t think I’d be running today,” said Grossmont’s Gary Guglielmetti at the Grossmont League trials on his home track.

“At least I’ll be running with a hole in my foot instead of a wart,” said Guglielmetti after a :10.1, 100 qualifier, two days after surgery to remove a growth.

The Foothillers led by Donn Renwick’s :49.6 440, set the pace with 25 qualifiers.

5/12/64

Hoover, Lincoln, and San Diego each qualified 20 entries in Eastern League trials at Crawford.

Crawford’s Bob (Snortin’) Fortin surprised Lincoln’s Jimmy Fox with a :14.7 in the 120-yard high hurdles, better than Fortin’s career best of :15.1.

Hoover’s Richard Gauthier set a meet record of 54 feet, ½ inch, bettering the mark of 53-1 by Lincoln’s Richard (Stein) Howell in 1960.

Future Olympian and Morse sophomore Arnie Robinson won the Class B long jump at 22-5 5/8 and set a league record of 6-2 3/4 in the high jump.

5/15/64

WESTERN LEAGUE FINALS, @Madison

Bob Hose, running almost alone, blazed a 1:52.1 880, fastest in the state this season.

Hose’s performance  also moved him past Compton’s Devone Smith, who had led the state with a 1:53.1.

Richard Pegler won the 100 (:10.1) and 220 (:22) and anchored a Kearny foursome that also included Bobby Johnson, Robert Odom, and Carl Wright to a 1:28.7 relay victory, fastest in the area this year and fastest ever by a team not from San Diego or Lincoln.

GROSSMONT LEAGUE, @El Cajon Valley

Donn Renwick’s :48.9 440 and Grossmont’s 1:29.3 relay victory highlighted the Foothillers’ 63-point team championship total.

Helix’ Byron Olander won the 100 in :10 and 220 in :21.6 and Doug Nelson took the shot put at 55-7.  Richard Grise of Grossmont, who had a best of 55-10 ½ earlier against Helix, won the discus at 160-8.

EASTERN LEAGUE, @Balboa Stadium

Jimmy Fox led a Lincoln sweep in the high hurdles, set a meet record of :14.3 and returned to take the low hurdles in :19.6. Pole vaulter Vic Montano cleared a record 14 feet, 3 1/4 inches.

Harold Moore of Lincoln won the 440 in :49.9 and John Colson of Hoover the 880 in 1:56.6.  Richard Cota of St. Augustine set a meet record of 4:26.8 in the mile.

The 9-0 score in the highs and 8-1 in the lows pushed Lincoln to 58 points and the team title.  San Diego followed with 47 and Hoover with 42.

METROPOLITAN LEAGUE, @Chula Vista

The host Spartans, riding Bill Massey’s :09.8 100 and :21.5 220, clinched the team championship when Massey anchored a meet and school-record, 1:30.1 victory in the relay.

The Spartans had 34 points to 32 for Hilltop and 31 for Escondido.

Coronado’s Bill Corlett ran a :50.1 440 and Hilltop’s John Link, one of the leaders in the 880, moved to the mile and won in 4:24.5.

Four meet records were set in the Avocado League as San Dieguito outscored University, 44 ½-36, for the team title.  Carlsbad scored 70 points to Poway’s 44 in the Palomar League meet.

DISCUS FINALS

5/20/64

Competition in the discus, 3 pounds, 9 ounces, had been resurrected in San Diego in 1962, but only by the Grossmont League.

The event, won by San Diego’s Eddie Moeller at the state meet in 1925 and ’26, was dropped by the CIF in 1931 and not included in the state meet again until 1949.

Point Loma’s John Bishop was a rare contestant outside the Grossmont loop.

Pointers coach Ed Thomas would review discus performances in the newspaper on Saturday and Bishop would compete against those marks on Monday.

“It’s the only way he can get any competition if you can call it that,” said Thomas.

Bishop, who would reach a career-best 56-10 in the shot put the next day in the finals, was second at 158-8 1/2 to Grossmont’s Richard Grise, the winner in competition at San Diego State, with a toss of 170 feet, 5 inches.

5/21/64

Doug Nelson of Helix set a San Diego Section meet record of 60 feet, 6 inches in the shot put, but the trials were mostly about the relay.

A Kearny team of Bobby Johnson, Mike Scanlan, Jim Hayes, and Richard Pegler ran 1:28 flat.  Grossmont and Chula Vista each logged 1:28.4.  San Diego clocked 1:29.1.

Kearny’s time was fifth fastest in County history.  Grossmont’s and Chula Vista’s were sixth and seventh.

5/28/64

Kearny won the 880 relay, edging Chula Vista and surprising Lincoln in 1:28.2 in the San Diego Section finals at Balboa Stadium

Lincoln’s time in third was 1:28.5 and the Hornets won the team title with 36 points, followed by Kearny with 22, and Grossmont, 18 ½.

The Friday evening at Balboa Stadium included four meet records.

Bob Hose continued his half-mile rampage, blistering the 880 in 1:51.1, better than Hose’s 1:53.4 a week before.

Doug Nelson upped the shot put record to 60 feet, 9 inches.

Vista’s Dave Funderburk lowered the mile record to 4:14.4, a whopping 6.4 seconds better than the 4:20.8 by Funderburk the previous week.

Eddy Hanks of Hoover cleared 6-8 in the high jump, bettering the 6-5 record in 1963 that was shared by Hanks, San Diego’s Tom Maloy, and Grossmont’s Phil Napierski.

6/5/65

Twenty-six qualifiers, two per event, comprised the San Diego Section contingent in trials in the 46^th state track meet at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

A crowd of more than 14,000 persons witnessed as 16 of the 26 moved on to the next day’s finals.

Bob Hose won his heat in the 880 in 1:53, third fastest of the day behind the 1:52.1 of Bakersfield’s Clark Mitchell and 1:52.7 of Compton’s Devone Smith.

Eddy Hanks tied with 11 other qualifiers at 6 feet 3 ¾ inches in the high jump.  Kearny’s Bobby Johnson, Mike Scanlan, Jim Hayes, and Richard Pegler qualified third in their heat in 1:27.7, fourth fastest in area history.

Vista’s Dave Funderburk, one of the expected leaders with a best of 4:14.4 in the mile, was outrun in the stretch and finished a non-qualifying fourth in 4:18. Mike Schwaebe of Granite Hills also did not make the cut but ran his fastest ever, 4:19.3. El Capitan’s Tad Hendrickson ran 1:55.9 in the 880 but did not qualify.

Neighbors Larry Turner (El Cajon Valley) and Glen Richardson (Granite Hills) were among the survivors in the long jump.  Turner went 23-9 ¾ and Richardson 23-5 ¼.

6/6/64

Bob Hose, lagging in sixth place and in traffic for much of the race, made a stunning move heading into the final curve.

Hose suddenly swung wide of the pack and bolted down the stretch to win going away in 1:51.7.  Clark Mitchell of Bakersfield was second in 1:52.8.

Eddy Hanks tied with three others in the high jump at 6-7 3/4 but was second on  misses.  He had two at 6-5 3/4 and winner Greg Heet of La Habra Lowell did not miss until 6-8.

Kearny ran fourth in 1:27.5 in the 880-yard relay but was disqualified because of a lane violation.  El Cajon Valley’s Larry Turner was fifth in the long jump at 23-9 3/4 (jumps in the trials were forwarded).  Grossmont’s Richard Grise was third in the discus at 174-6, and Vic Montano of Lincoln was fifth in the pole vault at 14-1.

6/13/64

Hose was entered in the 880 in the first San Diego Pre-Olympic Invitational, an event in Balboa Stadium involving world-class competitors and a prelude to the 1965 National AAU championships.

Also entered was Kansas high schooler Jim Ryun, who had become an overnight sensation the previous week as the first prep to run a sub-4:00 mile in the Compton Invitational.

Bob Timmons, Ryun’s coach, disappointed meet officials when Timmons slotted Ryun into the 880.

The Wichita East runner finished fifth in 1:50.3, but Hose was fourth and his blazing 1:49.2 tied the fastest ever run by a prep.

Fifty years later promoter Al Franken invited Ryun to to the new Balboa Stadium at the anniversary of Ryun’s 1965 mile victory in the National AAU championships.

I asked Ryun, who had upset New Zealand’s Peter Snell in ’65 and set the American record of 3:55.3, if he would re-visit his first race here in 1964 and that 880.

Ryun, reserved and diffident as a teenager in 1964, was friendly and jovial (as a now retired Kansas Congressman) but Ryun said he didn’t remember much about the race or the meet, other than “there was a guy named Bob Hose“ in the field.