A Look Back in History - Our Sport this Week 10-15-20-25 years ago - What was happening!!!

Looking Back in California Prep History - 25 (1978) - 20 (1983) - 15 (1988) and 10 (1993) years ago!!

Jeff Nelson - ended 1978-79 school year (25 years ago) with 8:36 still standing prep 2 mile record - laid low late September, but Mt. SAC October 1978 a very special effort over the hill and dale - coming in a few weeks!!

Kirsten O'Hara (Palos Verdes) 1983 star - 5th Kinney Nationals in CC as top Western US finisher

Jesus Gutierrez (Pasadena) and Jim Ortiz (Barstow) had many early 1980's battles in CC and Track and Field!!

Looking Back in California Prep History - 25 (1978) - 20 (1983) - 15 (1988) and 10 (1993) years ago!!

Late-September 1978 (25 years ago)
Northern California prep action reported this weekend a quarter century ago with the Bret Harte (Altaville) Invite, with Jose Garza (Lodi) the Varsity winner over 3 miles at 15:22, with Bella Vista (Fair Oaks) Boys Team champs with 38 over Lodi’s 46. Laura Crisp (Downey, Modesto) took the girls 1.6 mile contest at 8:12 over Shelly Nieto (Merced) 8:15, with Bella Vista a swseep of the team titles, taking the Girls’ contest with 56 points.

Late-September 1983 (20 years ago)
Dana Hills (SS) Invite Meet action featured a 14:16 Boys CR by Jesus Gutierrez (Pasadena HS), who blasted a 14:16 on the quick 3 mile venue to win over Jim Ortiz (Barstow) 14:29, and J.P. Hall of La Salle (Pasadena) 14:36. Jesus was 7th in the Kinney Cross Country Championships nationally in 1982, but strangely had a poor race his senior 1983 year and did not make the U.S. championships when he had a bad day at the regionals and was one of the favorites. Hawthorne, an amazingly well-rounded program from the sprints, distances, hurdles, and field events back in those days, had the Boys’ quickest team time at 77:29. Katie McCormick (Tustin) was the day’s quickest female finisher at 17:29, with Tustin a fine 88:40 team time.

Bret Harte (Altaville) Invite action this weekend had Ethan Palo (Sacramento) a 15:08 Boys’ winner with Merced 52 to take the team title there. Colleen Donovan (Lodi) took the Girls 3 mile race at 18:23 by nearly 40 seconds, with El Dorado (Placerville) 54 the team winner. Donovan was one of the state’s more interesting stories in history, racing 10:25.27 for 3200m her senior year in track in 1985, showing amazing ability in placing second at State Track, then taking off on some foreign student thing after high school, then never appearing running at a four year university anywhere. The 1985 State Meet 3200 had Rebecca Chamberlain race a 73 fifth lap after a 5:13 first 1600, following that with a 78 that separated her from the pack. Favored Laurie Chapman (Gunderson, San Jose) was left behind, with Donovan the only one closing down on Chamberlain’s 10:23.85 at the finish with her 10:25.27 for second. Coach Bill Hotchkiss and Rebecca had designed the race tactic to deal with Champman, the favorite, who came in at 10:26.3. Donovan burst to the limelight, showed super ability, then basically disappeared as a runner after high school.

Ram Invitational action (Westmoor HS, Daly City) had Calvin Gaziano race a CR 12:16 in winning over teammate John Bass 12:37, with Bellarmine the Boys’ team winners at 48. Sabrna Han of the host school was the Girls’ winner at 14:55, with Half Moon Bay the team winners with 53 points.

Bell-Jeff Invite (Magnolia Park, Burbank) - Before the move to Griffith Park, Coach Jim Couch’s meet was primarily for Smaller schools, with the Atascadero Boys winning that showdown, led by the Grijalva brothers, Sam (third) and Tony (sixth). A strong Morro Bay Girls group scored 28 in winning that half of the meet, with Lewis of Morro Bay an 18:51 winner.

Late-September 1988 (15 years ago)
Stanford Invitational - The Stanford Invitational, a bit smaller in scale back in those days than it is today, ad three Varsity level races. David Welsh (Jesuit, Sacramento) was 15:47 to lead the “A” race, with Kevin Holbrook (Vacaville) 15:51 and Eddie LaVelle (Corona del Mar, Newport Beach) 15:55, and Louis Quintana (Arroyo Grande) 16:08. Camarillo was 90 to win the team title, with Bend (Oregon) next at 133. Kevin Berkowitz (Hayward) 16:31 took the “B” Race, with Ashland (Ore) team winners. Gordon Johnson (Piedmont) super 800 runner, took the “C” race at 16:59, with Phoenix (Ore) completing the Oregon sweep of the Boys’ team contests. Karen Hecox (South Hills, W. Covina) was the day’s quickest Girls’ time, with an 18:43 Girls “B” run over Tina Gorbet (Lassen, Susanville) 19:13. Tiki Wilcox (Santa Clara) was 19:48 over Shea Abby (Bend, Ore) 19:51, with Angela Orefice (Arroyo Grande) 19:53 for third “A”, with Bend 42 points for the win. Tanya Dooley (Bret Harte, Altaville) a 53 second 400 star, won the Class “C” race aqt 21:19, leading her team to a win with 30 points.

Bell-Jeff Invitational - a move to Griffith Park had this meet explode in size. Martin Morales of LA Wilson won over Pete De la Cerda (Alemany, Mission Hills) 14:19-14:29 in the day’s quickest individual Boys’ contest. De la Cerda, still running super on the Road circuit after a great career at Adams State University, I think attended at least three different high schools during his prep career. Kipp Ortenberger (Taft), who I believe ended up as a sub-4 minute miler out of Cal Poly/SLO, took a frosh/soph race here at 16:29, with Gary Stolz (Stanford star from Miraleste HS in Palos Verdes (now closed down), a race winner at 14:58. Nicole Robbins (Hesperia) was the day’s quickest girl at 17:15, with her team a 78-88 winner over Thousand Oaks.

Ram Invitational - This meet was a week before Stanford, with Kevin Berkowitz (Hayward) the Boys winner at 12:32, with Half Moon Bay taking the team title with 41 points. Mugsie Kosek (Gunn, Palo Alto) led her team to a win with 45 points with a 15:43 win.

Dana Hills Invitational - Kira Jorgensen (Rancho Buena Vista), the returning National prep champ in the sport, blasted a 16:36 Course record, racing the final downhill mile in 5:16 after an 11:20 at two miles in the event. Poway had the day’s quickest Team Times both Boys and Girls this day, the girls racing 95:20 and the Boys 75:56. Jim Rodriguez (Santa Ana Valley) was 14:33 to win the Boys’ Div I contest, with Eddie Lavelle (Corona del Mar) 14:35 in taking Division II.

Late-September 1993 (Ten Years ago)
Stanford Invitational - The world said hello to Julia Stamps, as one of the most honored prep distance runners ever in the Golden State showed up to the Stanford Invite as a ninth grader from Rincon Valley MS in Santa Rosa and proceeded to destroy the Division I field, blazing 17:40 to win by 43 seconds in a time that would that day have placed twelfth in the College/University Women’s race! Stamps raced the first mile in 5:15 and left folks stunned with her first “big-meet” effort that would have her prominent in prep distance running circles for the four years of her career at that level. It would be a career of great ups and downs, including physical collapses in some championship level contests along the way, with honors as high as huge meet records, championships up through the national level, representing her nation internationally at the “junior” level, all with a level of class as a person that was great for all around the activity.
Matt Farley (Jesuit, Sacramento) took the Boys Division I Boys’ race at Stanford at 15:04, with strong Thousand Oaks scoring a low 51 (79:27)points to win at that level. Matt Creason (Eureka) took the Boys Div II race at 15:39, with Mission Bay 42 points (82:04) there. Div III Boys had Stee Immel (Livermore) 15:42 winner taking his team to a 119 point win (83:03). Div IV winner was Dave Mitchell (Morro Bay) 15:41, with McFarland 39 points (82:31) for the win. Bend (Oregon) took the Girls Div I team contest over Peninsula (Palos Verdes) 36-94, with Coach Bob Latham of Bend interestingly having worked at Palos Verdes HS in the Palos Verdes district (of which Peninsula was in) before heading north to Oregon. Kim Nelson (Canyon, Anaeim) was the Div II winner at 18:40, with Edison (Huntington Beach) 67 for the win. Dresden Howell (Corona del Mar, Newp Bch) was 19:08, with St. Ignatius (SF) the Div III winner at 64. Frosh Kristen Gordon (Carondelet, Concord), who would have a great rivalry with Julia Stamps during her prep career, was second Div III here at 19:14. Gordon and Stamps would crest the final hill in the Kinney National Foot Locker Finals as seniors together, with Gordon winning on the run-in in a very exciting contest. Div IV Stanford winner was Lori Fancon (Taft) 19:11, with Morro Bay 63 points for the Girls win.

Bell-Jeff Invitational - McFarland’s Boys came to Griffith Park and amazed with a 15 point total (78:23) Small Schools win, with a great State Meet battle set up with Morro Bay winning the Large Schools race (they decided to move up in divisions) at 79:17. Morro Bay’s Dave Mitchell was the Boys’ quickest of the day at 14:59, with interesting African transfer for Muir (Pasadena), Mary Nwaoguakor 18:29 quickest of the ladies this day. Nwaoguakor had some problems with the adjustment to American life and this race was probably one of her highlights here. Saugus was the day’s quickest Girls’ team at 101:18.

Dana Hills Invitational - Rondie Gibbs (Rubidoux, Riverside) ha the day’s quickest Boys’ clocking at 14:52, with Kim Nelson (Canyon, Anaheim) 17:33 on the Girls’ side. Some good team times had Irvine take the Girls’ contest at 93:14 over Mt. Carmel (San Diego) 94:15. Santa Ana Valley, among the top twenty national rankings, was 77:17 for the Boys’ team time win.

Link to past History Pages DyeStatCal