Orange County Championships
Saturday, April 24, 2004 @ Trabuco Hills HS

**2004 Meet Results**

Moi Garcia's photo album!

 
Photos by Rich Gonzalez
ORANGE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS POLE VAULT MEET RECORDS!
Los Alamitos' Dustin DeLeo (16'2") and Mission Viejo's Whitney Johnson (12'8").

Anatomy Of The Team Championships!
MISSION VIEJO BOYS' SCORING
(Talk about depth!)
Chase Frazier -- 10 points
John Morse -- 10 points
Rico Dufault -- 8 points
4x100 Relay -- 8 points
4x400 Relay -- 8 points
Matt Kirsten -- 6 points
Peter Gustaffson -- 4 points
Jeff Larson -- 4 points
Brian Goodell -- 2 points
Ricky Pena -- 2 points
Bryan Chistman -- 1 point
Simon Cherrie -- 1 point
--------------------------------
10 individuals score 64 points in 11 events!

SANTA MARGARITA GIRLS' SCORING
(Another show of depth!)
Lauren Collins -- 18 points
Michelle Hull -- 12 points
Nicole Yergler -- 8 points
4x100 Relay -- 8 points
4x400 Relay -- 6 points
Caitlin Atkinson -- 6 points
Megan Jamerson -- 3points
Morgan Harris -- 2 points
-------------------------------------
8+ individuals score 63 points in 8 events!

The Newest California State Leader!
Chad Smith (University) 62'6.25"

The Top Individual Performers!

Photo by Rich Gonzalez
Garland West of Cypress topped Justin Woods of  Los Alamitos
10.59 to 10.72 in a wind-aided (+2.5) 100-meter dash final!

Photo by Rich Gonzalez
In a clash of the power titans, Esperanza's Wes Williams (right) took home the one-lap
honors with an exciting 48.65 to 48.86 triumph over Trabuco Hills' Bryan Payne (center).

BOYS STANDOUTS

GIRLS STANDOUTS

The Unsung Heroes!

Photo by Rich Gonzalez
Pacifica's Sheldon Evans (right) took advantage of sub-par clockings from
some of the favorites to surprisingly win the 300m intermediates in 38.20!

   
Photos by Rich Gonzalez
San Clemente's Matt Stollenwerk (left) took advantage of a nice opening-lap pace set by Orange's Raul Lara
to find his tempo, then closed strongly to win in 1:55.28! Robbie Van Dine and Drew Woods, the fine senior
leaders for Edison's distance program (nationally ranked in the 4x800), ran personal bests of 1:59.60
and 2:00.44, respectively, to finish 1-2 in the open heat of the 800! At right, Esperanza freshman Emily Dunn
tied the meet record in winning the 400m dash in 56.27. At first, we were stunned that no one has run faster
in the history of the Orange Co. Championships. "Just give her some time," smiled Esperanza Coach Al Britt.

Meet Time Schedule - Meet Entries

***BOYS PREVIEW***

   
Pictures courtesy of Dave Casper (left) and Darius Bastani
Can dasher/hurdler Wes Williams of defending champion Esperanza lead a rally that might nab
favored Mission Viejo? Look for the well-rounded Diablos to score 58 points for the win!

Best Teams:
1. Mission Viejo
2. Esperanza
3. Cypress
4. El Toro
5. Trabuco Hills
6. El Toro
7. Fountain Valley
8. Dana Hills
9. Edison
10. Marina

Key Events:
1. The sprint relays: If Mission Viejo avoids casulaty with the stick, the door to the team title should remain closed to the opposition.
2. The 200: If anything goes awry for MV, this matchup between Esperanza's Wes Williams, Loc Alamitos' Justin Woods, and Cypress' Garland West goes a long way in settling final team placings.

Best Athletes:
1. Bryan Payne, Trabuco Hills: Just signed with BYU, the powerful hurdler looks to be a double-medalist for the year-end state meet. This guy's a truckful of speed!
2. Wes Williams, Esperanza: Trying to fill the shoes of 2003 hero Mike Chavez at this year's championships, Williams is a true stud-in-the-making on the Southland sprint scene.
3. Justin Woods: The Griffin dashers came on well late in last season's calendar, with Woods flashing the ability to hand with the top local speedsters already this season.
4. Chad Smith, University: The state leader in the shot put (61 feet, 8 inches), the UC Berkeley-bound thrower will be severely tested by entries from proud Esperanza and Huntington Beach programs.
4. Garland West, Cypress: A timing glitch at Arcadia left West with a hand-timed 10.3 clocking, raising eyes as to how fast he really is. Here's his chance to answer those questions!
5. Brandon Bethke: The clear favorite coming in, Bethke's bid four a double title just got easier as rival threat Joe Gatel (Edison) has turned up injured. The state title favorite at 1600 meters. Lethal kick.

Best Event:
300-Meter Intermediate Hurdles: Three of the eight fastest intermediate negotiators in the entire Southern Section will be on display here, making it the deepest rank-list boys event in the entire meet!

Secret Weapons/Key Entries:
1. Esperanza 4x400: Flash back to 2003, with Esperanza closed the meet out with a victory in the 4x400 relay, for a unit that ran together for the first time in the season that week! The recipe -- with Wes Williams as the main ingredient -- is the same this season!
2. Zach Chandy, Sage Hill: Although having no supporting cast, sophomore age-group standout Chandy's presence in the sprints could hinder the scoring prospects for team-title contenders there.
3. Matt Stollenwerk, San Clemente: Stollenwerk came on very well in the stretch last year. A victory is possible here, hurting Mission Viejo's and Los Alamitos' scoring prospects and team-title chances.

True Heroes:
We will track these closely on meet day, looking for those individuals on top teams that "step up" to upset the form charts and improve upon the state leader lists! Our unsung hero will get major play!

Our Prediction:
Esperanza is very dangerous, will surely come in witha great game plan, and has plenty of tools. In the end, however, Mission Viejo should score in 11 of the 16 events, with favored efforts in the relays! That should be too much to overcome! We say Mission Viejo prevails, but it won't be mathematically clinched until the 4x400 relay plays out! We predicted a one-point victory for Esperanza last year, and that's precisely what happened. We predict Mission Viejo by 5 points. Will we be right on again?

***GIRLS PREVIEW***

Best Teams:
1. Santa Margarita
2. Mater Dei
3. Dana Hills
4. Corona del Mar
5. Aliso Niguel
6. Mission Viejo
7. Orange Lutheran
8. Kennedy
9. El Toro
10. Esperanza

Key Events:
The sprint relays and the pole vault: So long as favored Santa Margarita can avoid the false starts, the dropped batons, or the no-heights, they will be speeding their way to the county team title.

Best Athletes:
1. Lauren Collins, Santa Margarita: Superb efficiency over the high hurdles, she may be the most explosive performer you'll get to see. Don't pick her race to visit the snack bar; she's that powerful.

2. Anne St. Geme, Corona del Mar: Performance and poise beyong her years, the sophomore bazzled at the Arcadia Invitational and will be a major player come state-meet time. The CIF-SS leader.

3. Melissa Yunghans, Orange Lutheran: The best bet of any female athlete to win two individual events this weekend, ranking among the state leaders in both the shot put and the discus throw.

4. Whitney Johnson, Mission Viejo: Among those rare event combinations seen across the state this year, Johnson is highly accomplished in both the pole vault and the shot put.

5. Elizabeth Woepse, Mater Dei: Headed for UCLA in the fall, she seeks to close out her county career with a title and maybe, just maybe, a very serious attempt at that 13-foot plateau!

Best Event:
Pole Vault: With state leaders Elizabeth Woepse of Mater Dei (12-7) and Whitney Johnson of Mission Viejo on top, expect no less than 8 of the state's top 19 vaulters to be slated to compete.

Secret Weapons/Key Entries:
1. Kristin Kovacich, Mater Dei: Experience and talented, she'll need to bring her "A" game here. In doing so, she just might pull an upset and remind all just how good she is on the local landscape.

2. Corona del Mar distance depth: Although lacking in a number of event areas, CdM remains solid in the multi-lap events. In past county meets, girls have often tripled/doubled to improve team placing.

3. Lauren Jirges, Cypress: Much like Kovacich, another entry more dangerous than her seed time. Could be a major threat with a half lap to go. Remember, winners find a way to get to the top!

True Heroes:
We will track these closely on meet day, looking for those individuals on top teams that "step up" to upset the form charts and improve upon the state leader lists! Our unsung hero will get major play!

Our Prediction:
No one appears to have the strength AND the depth to match Santa Margarita, which should place in the top two in five events. If any more kids step up, start engraving the plaque even before the relay.