By JOHN MURPHY
SAN JACINTO - The Flying Tiger Invitational on Saturday at San Jacinto High provided competitors with one of their first chances this season to perform in the heat.
Eighty-degree weather greeted the athletes at the venue and there were some spent runners at the end of many races, but everyone survived.
Beaumont freshman Jada Sidney, in fact, thrived, winning the 100 (12.89 seconds) and 200 meters (26.15) and running a leg on the second-place 400-meter relay team. The balance of the team was Kailyn Ruano, Katie Hershey and Alyssa Romero.
"I'm always hoping to PR (set a personal record) and I'm only a freshman, so I'm only going to get better," Sidney said. "We work super hard at Beaumont and push to get better."
Both of her sprints were PR's.
The 15-year-old said she also plays water polo and is a cheerleader and therefore performs "on Earth" (track), "in air" (cheerleading) and "in water" (water polo).
Down on Earth, Sidney is chasing records set by former Beaumont athlete Tylin Sands, she said.
Beaumont also received a nice effort in the boys 800 where junior Elvis Rojas won in 2:00.72.79, also a PR.
The top five competitors in the boys 300-meter hurdles shrugged off the warm weather to register PR's, led by San Jacinto's Wayne Thomas who finished first in 40.90 seconds. Thomas also took a second in the 110-meter hurdles in 15.20 in a race won by Beaumont's Jalen Jefferson (14.87).
"That's the worst I've ever run," said Thomas of his 300-meter effort. "My form was terrible. But it's my first meet."
Thomas, a 6-foot-5 multi-sport athlete, said he was late to join the track and field team because he has been concentrating on football.
Elsinore's Kamari Maddox (Johny Murphy photo below) benefited from teammate Branson Kaiser pushing him in the boys 200. Maddox won in 22.03, Kaiser was third in 22.65 and San Jacinto's Martin Graise was second in 22.33; all were PR's.
"I felt pretty good," Maddox said. "Branson was pressuring me. Around 120 or 140 meters I exploded."
The finishing order was the same in the 100 with Maddox (11.05) first, Graise (11.32) second and Kaiser (11.33) third.
Coachella Valley's Isaac Ramirez only finished tied for eighth in the 100, but he won his heat and his time of 11.61 is a PR, which isn't bad for a novice runner on a hot day.
"I had a problem on my start," Ramirez said. "Usually I push off my right foot, but I stepped with my left and had a little stutter, but I can fix it."
Ramirez, who also plays football and soccer, said he is mainly trying to improve his speed for his other sports.
Beaumont's Logan Hernandez shook off some discomfort in the balmy weather to win the 3,200 meters in 10:07.
"It felt good," Hernandez said. "On the third lap I started to cramp. I tried to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth (to relieve it). I'm only a sophomore, so I can go faster."
Riverside Poly's LeRenzo Gipson finished second to Hernandez in the 3,200 in a school-record 10:22.03.
Other results of note:
- Elsinore's Bryan Payne won the boys 400 in 51.06.
- Yucca Valley's Jorge Diaz won the boys 1,600 in 4:30.39.
- The San Jacinto boys 400-meter relay team of Martin Hernandez, Thomas, Kevin Maria and Graise finished first in 43.70.
- The Beaumont boys 1,600-meter relay team of Damien Sanchez, Rojas, Stacy Funderburk and Divine Iloputaife finished first in 3:30.50 to edge Elsinore (3:30.57).
- Vasquez's Isaiah Calvin won the discus (143-07).
- Maddox captured the boys long jump (22-04.50).
- Maria took the triple jump (42-7 1/2) to edge Funderburk (41-11).
- Elsinore's Alexandra Ackerman won the girls 400 (1:00.76).
- Yucca Valley's Emma Mills captured girls 800 (2:23.81).
- San Jacinto's Molly Gutierrez took the girls 1,600 (5:34.88).
- San Jacinto's Kimberly Lopez captured the girls 3,200 in a school-record 12:31.42.
- San Jacinto's Payton McCarthy won the girls 100 meters (15.44) and the 300 meters in a school-record 46.41.
- The Elsinore girls 400-meter relay team of Jenna Hodges, Ackerman, Hayley Bolton and Jaydn Harris prevailed in 50.82.
- The Elsinore girls 1,600-meter relay team of Harris, Arlene Rivas, Bolton and Ackerman was victorious in 4:12.34.
- San Gorgonio's Ana Tovi won the girls shot put (40-11) and the discus (141-2).
- Riverside Poly's Ashley Smith took the long jump (16-7).
- San Jacinto's Anaya Crouch won the triple jump (35-3).