The warm days of spring aren’t here, but San Diego Section girls and boys performed above the temperature last Saturday in the season’s first major meet, Dennis McClanahan’s Mt. Carmel Invitational.

McClanahan, the 35-years-plus coach at Mt. Carmel and former Helix shot putter and discus twirler, has built his late-March event into one of the top early-season meets in Southern California.

The Arcadia Invitational is in two weeks, promising more good performances.

Karson Lippert, the state runner-up in the 400 at :46.98 last season and No. 2 all-time in San Diego, likely will run in the evening at Arcadia and his :48.03, second-in-the-state race at Mt. Carmel seems to indicate Lippert has recovered from an injury during football season.

Kenan Christon of Madison, whose :10.58 at Mt. Carmel ranks No. 11 all-time in the San Diego Section, also is a possibility for the evening invitational.

Arcadia meet director Rich Gonzalez was at Mt. Carmel and likely will give consideration to several others.

Coronado’s Alysah Hickey is third in three state Top 10 categories.

Hickey is seventh at :11.87 in the 100 meters, tied for second at 5 feet, 8 inches, in the high jump, and leads in the long jump, although her 19-5 ¼ had a tailwind of 2.2 miles per hour, above the limit of 2.0.

Eastlake’s Jalyn Jackson is the state leader at 24-5 ½ in the long jump and third at 49-3 ½ in the triple jump. Kevin Ward of San Dieguito is second at 16-1 in the pole vault.

Almost all marks came at the Mt. Carmel Invitational.

San Diego Section versus the state:

GIRLS

*Second place.

W–Wind-aided.

BOYS

David Grayson, who retired before the 1971 NFL season as one of the pro game’s all-time defensive backs, passed away recently at age 78.

Grayson intercepted 48 passes from 1961-70 in the American Football League and NFL as a member of the Dallas Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, and Oakland Raiders.

The 5-foot, 10-inch, 187-pounder with sprinter speed  was named to the all-time all-AFL team, the high point of a great career that began in the San Diego City Prep League.

Grayson was a starting defensive back and played fullback on the 11-0-1, 1955 San Diego High team that won the Southern California championship and was acclaimed the national high school team of the year.

Grayson and teammate Luther Hayes transferred to Lincoln after their junior football seasons at San Diego and they put the fledgling program of coach Walt Harvey’s on the map the following year.

Lincoln posted a 5-2-1 record in 1956 and came within a few feet of tying San Diego and Hoover for first place in the City Prep League.

Grayson’s  45-yard pass interception return set up one touchdown in the season-ending, 26-19 loss to San Diego and his 36-yard option pass to a diving Leonard Burnett put the Hornets on San Diego’s eight-yard line with time running out in the fourth quarter.

Hayes gained five yards but then was stopped short of the goal line  as the game ended.

“I should have given the ball to Grayson,” Harvey said of the last play years later.

The coach’s reasoning was that the quicker Grayson, shorter and more compact than the lanky Hayes, would have been able to find space in the Cavers’ defensive line and get the Hornets into position to tie the favored Cavemen.

The 170-pound Grayson made the all-City League team on offense and was one of the premier sprinters in the County during the spring track season with a best time of 10 seconds in the 100-yard dash.

Grayson and Lincoln also posted a time of 1:29.2 in the 880-yard relay and qualified for the CIF Southern Section finals.

Grayson was a member of San Diego Junior College’s 1957 Metropolitan Conference football championship squad and teamed with Roscoe Cook, Bobby Staten, and Fred Lucas as the Knights set a national JC record of 1:25.6 in the 880-yard relay in 1958 at the West Coast Relays in Fresno.

Grayson then moved onto to the University of Oregon, competed in football and track, and was co-captain of the Ducks’ 1960 football squad.

AL WAIBEL, 91

Waibel was a passing quarterback for the 1943 Oceanside Pirates, who were unbeaten with a 6-0 record in the World War II-shortened Southern Prep League campaign.

Waibel was head coach at Fallbrook from 1959-64.

The often undermanned Warriors did not join the newly formed San Diego Section in 1960 and competed in the Riverside County De Anza League, winning the league title and posting as 6-3 record.

VINCE KILPELA, 80, EARLY HORNETS STAR

The most-valuable player in the 1955 Lions Club Baseball Tournament was lefthanded pitcher Vince Kilpela of the emerging Lincoln High program.

Kilpela signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals and led the Sooner State League with 272 strikeouts in 1956.

Kilpela posted a 14-9 record for Ardmore, Oklahoma, pitching a whopping 231 innings and completing 25 starting assignments.

He also pitched at Fresno, Winston-Salem, and Billings, but a sore arm ended Kilpela’s career in 1957.

A decidedly thin year in San Diego Section track and field ended on a promising note in the 99^th state meet at Clovis over the weekend.

Sophomore Karson Lippert, who came into the season with a best of: 49.77 as a freshman in the 400, crashed the big stage and will be billed as one of the state’s premier runners entering 2018.

Lippert caught fire into the second turn Saturday night at Clovis, ran down a couple rivals and his strong finish earned Lippert second place behind Zach Shinnick of Pomona Damien.

Startling was Lippert’s :46.91 clocking, second fastest in County history.

Junior Jalyn Jackson of Eastlake quietly posted a solid double, fourth in the long jump at 23 feet, 4 inches, and second in the triple jump at 48-5 1/4.

Junior McKenna Brown of La Costa Canyon was fifth in the 1600 meters and did not approach her Friday career best of 4:51.72, but Brown showed that she is a tough, savvy runner.

SPIKE MARKS

It was a sweltering 100 degrees with winds gusting to 20 miles an hour when the gun for the first race was heard at 6 p.m…Veterans Stadium at Buchanan  High was close to full, with hundreds more spectators lined in the end zones, bringing the crowd  total to almost 10,000…the Clovis school will be host again for the next three years…Vista’s Alia Scott (300 hurdles), LCC’s Jessica Riedman and Kristin Fahy (distances), San Dieguito’s  Kevin Ward (pole vault), and El Camino’s Nu’u Tuilefano (weights) all have another year….

Allowable wind, 2.04 meters per second.

BOYS

100—Guidry, Vista Murrieta, 10.13w.  Wind, 3.8 m.p.s.

200—Cunningham, Moreno Valley Rancho Verde, 21.07w. 3. Ellis, Mt. Carmel, 21.25w. Wind, 2.7 m.p.s.

400—Shinnick, Pomona Damien, 46.12.   2. Lippert, LCC, 46.91, San Diego Section No. 2 all-time to 46.85, Lydell Burston, Morse, 1996.

800— Charvet, Heritage, 1:51.07

1600—Grijalva, Fairfield Armijo, 4:08.62.  10. Chinn, Poway, 4:19.42.

3200–Bolger , San Luis Obispo, 8:53.91.  13. Prince, Sage Creek, 9:18.90.  15. Suzara, Otay Ranch, 9:22.85. 27. Paul, Mt. Carmel, 10:14.66.

110HH—Anderson, Upland, 13.33, fastest in U.S. this year, betters state record 13.39, Craddock Union City Logan, 2004.

300IH—Anderson, Upland, 36.02.

4×100 RELAY—Westlake Village Oaks Christian, 40.95.

4×400 RELAY—Moreno Valley Rancho Verde, 3:14.46.

HJ—Lee, Trabuco Hills, 6-11.  9T. Marquez, El Centro Central, 6-3.

LJ—Kettels, Berkeley St. Mary’s, 24-3 ¾.  2. DeRoos (Tri City), 24-2w.  4. Jackson, Eastlake, 23-4.

SP—Wilson, Clovis, 66-2 3/4. 11. Harris, San Diego, 53-2 1/4.

TJ—Stevenson, Temecula Great Oak, 49-7 ¾.  2. Jackson, Eastlake, 48-5 ¼. (Section No. 15 all-time).

PV—Curran, Redondo Beach Redondo, 16-10.  9. Ward, San Dieguito, 14-10.  11T. Winters, RB, no height..

DISCUS—Joyner, Pittsburg, 203-8.

GIRLS

100—Augustine, L.B. Poly, 11.58.

200—Augustine, L.B. Poly, 23.41w.

400—Anderson, Norco, 52.91.

800—Brewer, San Ramon California, 2:07.07.  5. Sa. Roberson, La Jolla, 2:09.38 (Section No. 8 all-time). 9. McCarthy, Carlsbad,  2:12.43.

1600—Denner, El Dorado Oak Ridge, 4:44.89.  5. Brown, LCC, 4:54.39. 11. Riedman, LCC,  4:56.66.

3200—Lane, Malibu, 10:07.33.  10. Fahy, LCC, 10:33.27.  18. Loren, Canyon Crest, 11:01.15.   23. Barrett, W’view, 11:17.68 .

100H—Davis, Agoura, 12.83w, fastest ever by high school girl.  Wind 3.7 m.p.s. 9. Smith, Miss. Hills, 14.60.

300H—Anderson, Norco, 40.31. 9. Scott, Vista, 45.28

4×100 RELAY—Gardena Serra, 46.04.

4×1600 RELAY—Oakland Bish. O’Dowd, 3:46.33.

HJ—Burke, Riverside Poly, 5-8.

LJ—Davis, Agoura, 22-1 /14w. Wind 3.2 m.p.s.

SP—Amaechi, S.F. Lincoln, 47-5 ¼. 8. Tuilefano, E Cam., 41-11 ¼.

PV—Baxter, Anaheim Cyn., 14-0. 10. Myers, Poway, 12-0.

TJ—Davis, Agoura, 42-11 ¾.

DISCUS—Anumba, Rancho Cucamonga Los Osos, 177-8.

CLOVIS–11 boys and 8 girls from the San Diego Section qualified yesterday for tonight’s 99th state track and field championships at Buchanan High.

Six, all-time County top 15 performances came amid gusty winds and a temperature in the high nineties when competition began at 5 p.m.

The breezes eventually eased and the thermometer had gradually cooled to the low eighties  when the final event was concluded near 10 p.m.

Poway’s Kayla Myers climbed to ninth all time when she cleared 12 feet, 6 inches, in the pole vault and was  one of 10 qualifiers at that height.

La Costa Canyon’s rising sophomore,  Karson Lippert, ran the 14th fastest 400 meters, closing strongly in the stretch to win his heat in :47.76.

McKenna Brown, Lippert’s teammate on the girls squad, ran smartly in a grouped pack in the 1600 meters and held on for fourth in her heat with a time of 4:51.72 that  ranks No. 12.

Brown was almost six seconds swifter than her 4:57.34 in the Section finals last week and almost three seconds better than her career best 4:55.66 in 2016.

La Jolla’s Sakura Roberson had the all-time No. 12 in the 800 with a 2:10.46 clocking.

The La Jolla girls 4×1600 relay team ran 3:53.32, which moved the Vikings to 14th  all-time, but they did not qualify.

Most impressive San Diego entry was Tri-City’s Matthew DeRoos, nursing a sore groin but outdistancing the field in the long jump at 24-4 1/4, an inch below his career best.

DeRoos, who was fifth in this event at 23-8 1/2 last year, withdrew last week from  the triple jump because of his injury and made only one other attempt in the shorter leap last night, reaching 22-10 1/2.

Mt. Carmel junior Quoi Ellis was the area’s other heat or field event winner, smoothly running a windless :21.30 in his 200 heat for No. 15 all time.

*Qualifier.

BOYS

100—Heat 1:  Guidry, Vista Murrieta, 10.49w. 5. Goodwin, Christian, 10.74.  Heat 2:  Cunningham, Moreno Val. Rch. Verde, 10.39.  Heat 3: Hampton, Yucaipa, 10.44.  3. Ellis. Mt. Carmel. 10.66. Heat 4: Allen, Tulare, 10.53w.  6. McElroy, Morse, 10.88.

200—Heat 1:  Ellis, Mt. Carmel, 21.30*.  5. Gunter, Del Norte, 21.92. Heat 2:  Hampton, Yucaipa, 21.19.  2. Lippert, LCC, 21.81. 3. Huerta, RBV, 21.89. Heat 3: Cunningham, Moreno Val. Rch. Verde, :21.20.

400—Heat 1:  Shinnick, Pomona Damien, 47.14.  3. Dean. Mira Mesa, 48.80. Heat 2: Bowens, L.B Poly, 47.45.  4. Gunter, Del Norte, 48.62. Heat 3:  Lippert, LCC, 47.76* (Section No. 14 all-time).

800—Heat 1: Weaver, Elk Grove Franklin, 1:54.83.  7. Page, Eastlake, 1:57.35. Heat 2: Scales, San Jose Bellarmine, 1:53.88.  7. Hurlburt, Coronado, 1:55.69. Heat 3: Charvet, 1:55.01.  5. Chinn, Poway, 1:55.55.

1600—Heat 1: Grijalva, Fairfield Armijo, 4:14.4.  3. Chinn, Poway, 4:14.91*. 12. Stanford, LCC, 4:24.33. Heat 2—Renken, Claremont, 4:16.03.  9. Barr, SR, 4:21.69.

110HH—Heat 1:  Anderson, Upland, 13.44w. 5.Saikhon, El Centro S’west, 14.59. 6. Baker, RB, 14.72. Jordan, Steele Cyn, 15.09.   Heat 2: Samuel, Moreno Val. Rch. Verde, 13.93. Heat 3: Lightfoot, Kimball, 13.77.

300IH—Heat 1:  Anderson, Upland, 36.87.  Heat 2: Easter, Eastvale Roosevelt, 36.74.  Heat 3: Samuel, Moreno Val. Rch. Verde, 37.32.  6. Farmer, RB, 40.53. Heat 4: Rubio, Los Alamitos, 37.41. 4.  Saikhon, El Centro S’west, 39:51.   6. Shine, W’view, 40.37.

4×100 RELAY—Heat 1:  Lancaster Paraclete, 41.56 (Moreno Val. Rch. Verde, 41.15, disqualified, lane violation).  9. Olympian, 42.74. Heat 2:  Westlake Vill. Oaks Christ., 41 8. 8. Rancho Bernardo, 42.80. Heat  3: Antelope, 41.52.  5. Morse, 42.06.

4×400 Relay—Eastvale Roosevelt, 3:15.63.  Heat 2:  L.B. Wilson, 3:17.32. 8. Del Norte, 3:27.48.  Heat 3:  Studio City Harv.-West., 3:16.50.  5. RB, 3:22.48. 7. Olympian, 3:25.35.

HJ—Eight qualified at 6-5.  9T.  Marquez, El Centro Central, 6-3*. McEwan, RBV; Dumas, El Capitan, No height.

LJ—DeRoos (Tri City), 24-4 1/4w*. 4. Jackson, Eastlake, 23-4*.  9. Sample, RBV, 22-11 ¼*. 17. Farmer, RB, 21-11 ¼.  24. Hull-Littlejohn, Olympian, 20-9 ¾.

SP—Wilson, Clovis, 61-3 ¾.   11. Harris, San Diego, 55-3*.  20.  Woods, Steele Cyn. 49-3 ½.
PV—Eight qualified at 15-4.  10T. Ward, San Dieguito; Winters, RB, 14-10. Sperry, RB, No height.

TJ—Stevenson, Temecula Great Oak, 47-7 ½.  11. Jackson, Eastlake, 46-0 ¼*. 19. Ruth, O’side, 43-4 ¼. 25. Bornes, San Marcos, 41-10 ½.

DISCUS—Otal, Oak Park, 206-11.  18. Navarrette, El Capitan, 158-01.  20. Smith, El Camino, 147-5.  21. Hernandez, E Cam. 147-5.

GIRLS

100—Heat 1: Nowling, Calabasas, 11.52w. 6.  Dougan, Mt. Carmel, 12.29. Heat 2: Reed, Gardena Serra, 11.52w.  7. Yarbrough, Fallbrook, 12.35. Heat 3: Augustine, L.B. Poly, 11.57.  Heat 4: Wilson, Bakersfield Stockdale, 11.75.  4.  Hickey, Coronado, 12.01.

200—Heat 1:  Roberts, Carson, 23.61. Heat 2:  Augustine, L.A. Poly, 23.58w.  6. White, Valhalla, 25.20.  Heat 3: Reed, Gardena Serra, 23.68.  8. Salongo, Mira Mesa, 25.54.

400—Heat 1: Anderson, Norco, 53.73 . 5. Firsching, Cathedral, 56.12. 7. Noble, Olympian, 56.91. Heat 2: Roberts, Carson, 53.96.  6. McFarland, Eastlake, 57.17. Heat 3:  Surrell, Newark Mem., 53.90.

800—Heat 1: Brewer, San Ramon California, 2:09.12.  Heat 2:  Sakura Roberson, La Jolla, 2:10.46*.  2. McCarthy, Carlsbad,  2:11.36*. Heat 3: McIntosh, Loomis Del Oro, 2:09.84.  5. Sierra Roberson, La Jolla,  2:13.93.

1600—Heat 1: Skahill, Mtn. View St. Francis, 4:52.47.  7.  Riedman, LCC,  4:57.33*.  Heat 2—Denner, El Dorado Oak Ridge, 4:51.29. 4. Brown, LCC, 4:51.72* (Section No. 12 all-time). 11. Watkins, LJCD, 5:14.93.

100H—Heat 1: Davis, Agoura, 13.31.    5. Oliver, Mira Mesa, 15.18. Heat 2—Robinson, El Cerrito, 13.36. Heat 3—Woodward, Vacaville, 13.44w.  4. Smith, Miss. Hills, 14.25*. 6. O’Donnell, LCC, 15.01.

300H—Heat 1: Anderson, Norco, 42.17.  3.  Scott, Vista, 43.67*.  4. Thomas TP,  44.86.  Heat 2:  Woodward, Vacaville, : 41.99. 4. Mattson, Sage Creek, 45.11.  Heat 3:  Robinson, Manhattan Bch. Mira Cos., 41.94.

4×100 Relay—Heat 1:  Carson, 45.81.  7. Scripps Ranch, 48.81. Heat 2:  Oakland Bish. O’Dowd, 46.80.  Heat 3:  Gardena Serra, 46.39.  7. La Jolla, 48.44.  8. San Marcos, 48.62.

4×1600 RELAY—Elk Grove Sheldon, 3:46.47. 4. La Jolla, 3:53.32. (Section No. 14 all-time). Heat 2: Fairfield Armijo, 3:48.98.  6. Poway, 3:58.96. Heat 3:   Quartz Hill, 3:46.66. 7. Olympian, 3:54.97.

HJ—11 qualified at 5-4.  13T, Cany, TP; Hickey, Coronado, 5-2. Smith, Miss. Hills, No height.

LJ– Davis, Agoura, 20-8 ½.  18. Smith, Mission Hills, 17-9. 19.  Beckham, O’side, 17-8.  20. Cross, Steele Cyn., 17-6 ¾. 27. Campbell, Mt. Carmel, 17-2.  30. Zappia, Val. Ctr. 16-11 ¼.

SP—Amaechi, S.F. Lincoln, 47-5 ½.  10. Tuilefano, E Cam., 41-8*.  17. Lagoy, RB, 38-4. 20. Coronado, U. City, 37-0.

PV—10 qualified at 12-6, including Myers, Poway* (Section No. 8 all[-time).   23 Burkhardt, Del Norte, 11-6.  Cervantes, Poway, No height.

TJ—Davis, Agoura, 43-4.  16. Beckham, O’side, 37-10 ¼.  24. Scott, Gompers, 36-9 ¾. 27. Cany, TP, 36-4 ¾.

DISCUS—Amaechi, S.F. Lincoln, 174-7.  16. Tuilefano, El Cam. 131-5. 19. Lacy, G. Hills, 125-0. 20. Devore, West Hills,125-0.

Top performances in  seven events and 79 efforts earning 2017 top  10 distinction highlighted 11 league championships last week in San Diego Section boys’ and girls’ track and field competition.

Qualifiers from those meets will meet at Mt. Carmel High Saturday in Section trials.  Finals are scheduled at the same site on May 27, followed by the state meet in Clovis June 2-3.

The girls were the most aggressive, with the 4:57.08 in the 1600 meters by La Costa Canyon sophomore Jessica Riedman in the Avocado West finals at Canyon Crest leading the way.

Other elevated efforts came from the San Marcos 4×100 relay squad (:48.30), El Camino 4×1600 relay squad (3:59.76),  pole vault, 12-4 by Poway’s Jazmine Scott, and discus, 145-06 by El Camino’s Nu’u Tuilefano,.

Boys’ bests were the :10.64 in the 100 meters by Christian’s Benjamin Goodwin and  24-foot, 5 ½ inch long jump by Tri-City’s Matthew DeRoos.

DeRoos maintained his state lead  and Goodwin moved into 10^th place among the state’s short sprinters.

A trio from Morse, although off state top 10 pace, turned in promising times in the Western League meet at University City.

Phillip McElroy ran: 10.70 in the 100 meters and: 21.84 in the 200, trailing teammates Richard Benson (:21.74) and Shamar Martin (:21.74).  Along with Rayvon Benson, the Morse 4×100 team ran: 42.68, below its seasonal best of :42.32.

The Morse sprinters, off those times, should be much faster in the short relay in the next couple weeks when the competition heats up.

The boys’ 400 is warming to a potentially big event, with sophomore Karson Lippert, running a comfortable :48.49 last week and with a Section No. 17 all-time best and state 2017 No. 4 ranking of :47.83,  the favorite but others are zeroing in.

Del Norte’s DeAngelo Gunter, competitively comatose since running :48.64 in March, got back on point with a :48.78 in the Palomar finals.  Morse’s Richard Benson ran :48.52 in the West.

San Diego Section athletes in among state top 10’s:

GIRLS

BOYS

Matthew DeRoos of Tri-City Christian long jumped 24 feet, 4 1/4 inches in the Coastal League finals at Orange Glen and took the state lead in that event.

Scripps Ranch’s Alex Barr was displaced as the state leader in the 1600-meter run.  Barr ran 4:14.51 in an early outdoor meet  and now is ninth inn that event.

Sophomore Karson Lippert logged :21.57 in the 200 at the Dick Wilkins Frosh-Sophomore meet last week at Granite Hills and also is the leader at :47.83 in the 400.

Events in which San Diego Section athletes are among the first 10 in the state are listed accompanied by state leaders:

BOYS

GIRLS