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Panthers dominate another BSAL meet
St. Mary’s track team provided a lesson in dominance Thursday night as the Panthers handily defeated Kennedy and Salesian High Schools.
In its second Bay Shore Athletic League meet of the young outdoor season, St. Mary’s boys defeated Kennedy 80-10 and Salesian 94-27. The girls, meanwhile, routed Kennedy 95-2 and Salesian 110-13. Five points are awarded for first place finishes in each event.
“We ran well tonight,” said Jay Lawson, now in his 14th year as head coach of the Panthers. “Our boys’ team has the potential to be our best ever.”
That’s saying a lot, considering the St. Mary’s boys have captured the section title three years in a row and took third at the state championships last year. Although the Panthers only graduated two boys from last year’s team, one of the graduates happened to be last year’s state high jump champion and the other is now a quarter-mile runner for UCLA.
Lawson said that he rested some of his top athletes Thursday, in preparation for Saturday’s St. Francis Invitational in Mountain View. “That will be a good test for us,” he said.
Against Kennedy and Salesian, Phil Smith had an especially strong performance, Lawson said. Not only did he break the 40-foot mark in the triple jump (40 feet, 10 inches), he also took first in the long jump with a personal-best 20 feet, 3 1/2 inches. Phil Weatheroy won the discus (149 feet, 8 inches) as well as the shot put (47 feet, 3 inches). Chris Dunbar won the 100 and 200 with times of 10:84 and 21:80, respectively.
On the girls’ side, Kamaiya Warren took first place in the discus (128 feet, 1 inch) and shot put (42 feet, 8 inches). Riana Shaw won the triple jump (34 feet, 5 1/2 inches) and the high jump (5 feet, 2 inches).
Following Saturday’s meet in Mountain View, St. Mary’s heads to James Logan (Union City) on March 28. That contest, Lawson said, could prove challenging.
“Their girls’ team is one of the strongest in the state,” he said. “We always have our hands full with their boys’ team, where 10-12 points usually separates first and second.”
