West Valley girls, Reno boys win Chico Invitational Eagles' Gual wins male athlete after another 15-foot pole vault

Florian Gual clear 15 feet to win pole vault competition. He also won the long jump.

By By John Ryan -Record Searchlight Sports Writer  - Friday, April 18, 2008 Additional coverage by Tom Cushman, Photos by Greg Barnette/RS CHICO -- Eric Cary made a few friends Friday at the Chico Invitational. The Central Valley High School senior spent the afternoon at Chico State University high jumping with Highland's Dominick Eastman and Darius Bell. And although the goal of the high jump is to be the last athlete in contention, Cary will take it. His biggest jumps this season came after everyone else packed up and left for another event. He finally found company, Friday in Eastman and Bell. "It's nice to have people to jump with," Cary said. "I'm buddy-buddy with everyone that jumps. To hear that they'd never had a six-foot jump before that, that's cool." Eastman and Bell -- who hadn't cleared six feet before and were seeded below a cadre of other athletes in the program -- seemed as tickled as Cary that they were still around when the bar went to 6 feet, 4 inches. All three cleared 6-4 on their first try, rolled over on the mat and popped off quickly, grinning like they’d just pulled a fast one. “What’s your PR (personal record),” someone pressed Bell. “This,” he replied with a shrug. Cary won the event when he cleared 6-6 on his first try — brushing the bar as he went over, but not enough to knock it off. “All day people hit it and it bounces spins and lands back on,” Cary said. “I’ve never had that luck. I barely touch it and it falls.” He hasn’t had much luck in Chico’s high-jump pit. He pulled his groin at the Chico Relays earlier this year going for 6-4 — although he did recover to run his best-ever split in the 110-meter hurdles (a 15.44-second hand time). Cary took second in Friday’s 110 hurdles (15.21 seconds). Nevada Union’s Chase Dixon won the event in 14.57. Host West Valley won the meet in the girls division and took third in the boys. Eagle Florian Gaul took male athlete of the meet honors winning the pole vault in 15 feet — tying his season-best mark and the third-best vault in Northern Section history. Gaul also won the long jump in 21 feet, 11¼inches. Florin’s Tenise Brewer earned female athlete of the meet. She won the 100 meters (12.69 seconds), the 100-meter hurdles (14.98) and the triple jump. West Valley’s girls won the meet with 75 points and dwarfed second-place Douglas in the process. The Eagles did it on the backs of Michelle Johnson, Ashley Turner, Corissa Storms and the relay teams. Johnson was dominant as usual with gold in the 1,600 meters (5 minutes, 5.31 seconds) gapping American Christian’s Bethany Rasmussen PR effort (5:14.29). A second gold came in 3,200 (11:18.41) with teammate Storms a distant second(11:33.53). Turner won the discus (125-1) and took second in the shot put (38-5¾) behind Shasta’s Jazmin Porter (39-11¼). The Eagles took third in the 400-meter relay with Cassie DeBonis, Amanda Oliva, Nichole Barry and Amanda Scroggins. West Valley also took bronze in the 1,600 relay with a team of DeBonis, Johnson, Misty Jensen and Katie Jungwirth.

Enterprise freshman Delanne Bartlett (2:18.57) edged Oroville’s Sarah Brandt (2:18.62) and Samantha Bartles (2:19:18) of Rocklin for gold in the 800 as all surged ahead of pacesetter Erynn Rebol coming down the home stretch. Red Bluff won the 1,600-meter relay in 4:14.63, holding off a late surge by a Douglas team, thanks to Spartans Kelli Stanley, Erynn Rebol, Kayla Ann Coghlan and Brianna Ross. Other top section girl performer at the meet were Sarah Nichols of Gridley, who running in lane one, nipped athlete of the meet Brewer in the 300 hurdles (46.65). She also placed second in the long jump and 3rd in the 100 high hurdles. Paradise's Lindsay Witteman claimed second in the 400 and fourth in the 200. Chico's Kasey Barnett, in taking third in the long jump, was one of four athletes who jumped further than 17 feet. She was also fourth in the triple jump. The Eagles’ boys placed highest amoungst North Section teams, taking third with 46.33 points behind Reno (66.33) and Rocklin (50) and just ahead of Central Valley (35). West Valley was buoyed by wins in the shot put and discus by Andy Miller. Miller set a personal best in the shot put, breaking 51-6 and his 160-foot throw in the disc is a new section best for this season. Shasta’s Jason Wacker, who came into the meet owning the top throws in shot and disc in the section this season, took third in the discus (146-4) and fourth in the shot (47-9½). Enterprise freshman phenom Domenic D’Acquisto took second in the 1,600 (4:24.99) in a hard fought duel with River Valley’s T.J. Wy (4:23.93). Chico's Dan Parker (5th - 4:29.51), teammate Henry Naas (7th - 4:31:24) and Enterprise's Zack Kaylor (6th - 4:29.86) were other North Section athletes who PRed in the race. Chico boys 4 X 400 relay team took second, putting up a time in an earlier heat that was unmatched in subsequent heats by all but race winner Reno, although not by much as the Las Plumas crew came within .03 of a second of Chico's time while Red Bluff fell short by only a third of a second. Matt Carter placed 4th in the 400 despite running an early heat than most of the top finishers. He was also instrumental in Chico's silver in the long relay by running a strong anchor leg without any pressure from the other teams in the heat.

Enterprise freshman Domenic D’Acquisto battles River Valley's TJ Wy in the boys 1600m.   Michelle Johnson of West Valley is well out front late in the girls 1600m   Enterprise's Alisha Thompson is out quick in the second heat of the girl's invitational 100m hurdles to finish 2nd in the heat and overall with a time of 16.22. West Valley's Taylor Lambert is also pictured.   Shasta's Jason Wacker competing in the boys shot put. He lost his section lead in the shot & discus to West Valley's Andy Miller during the meet.   West Valley's Ben Bradshaw runs a section's best (2:01.00) in the afternoon session 800m   James Williams of Enterprise mid race in the boys first heat of the invitational 110 high hurdles. He finished 2nd in the heat, 5th overall in 15.71.