Last year the Lynbrook 400-meter relay team had the second fastest time in the Central Coast Section headed into the semifinals of the CCS Track and Field meet.
But the relay team's season ended when junior Garrick Wong jumped the starter's gun.
Wong bounced back to qualify for the 100 meter final, where he finished fifth.
``Garrick handled it well; he's a mature kid,'' said Darrin Garcia, in his sixth year as Lynbrook's coach. ``He learned in this sport you have to roll with what happens. He could have quit, but he hung in there and came back.''
Determined to perform his best in his senior year, Wong is back with most of his teammates on the Viking relay teams. The only member to graduate was Chris Bencomo, who is now at Cabrillo College.
``You'll be happy to know that I'm not leading off the relay team anymore,'' said Wong with a smile (he's the team's anchor now). ``I went through my grieving process, then I came back a half-hour later and said `Hey this is a great meet, why not run some more.' ''
That's the attitude the Vikings have as the season begins. They know they have the talent to contend for a CCS title and they are determined to put it all together and peak at the right time.
The Vikings 1,600-meter relay team of Durrell Roberts, Bencomo, Chris Deal and Taimur Khan finished third at CCS and came in 12th at the State Track and Field meet last year. The team raced in the same heat as state champion Long Beach Poly in front of a packed stadium at Cerritos Junior College.
``It was a new experience being part of a team where I was able to push myself farther than I ever had to fulfill my potential,'' said the senior Khan.
``It was really something special to have 6,000 people watching you race under the lights against some of the best athletes in the nation. It's something I'll never forget and I definitely want to do it again this year.''
The Vikings return a talented crew of sprinters with four seniors leading the way. Roberts, who finished fourth in the CCS 200 last year, will run leadoff in the 1,600 relay and the second leg in the 400 relay.
Chris Deal is nursing a sprained ankle suffered during the soccer season, when he led the Vikings to an El Camino Division soccer title by scoring 20 goals and winning league MVP honors.
The speedy senior, a standout long- and triple-jumper who runs the third leg of the 1,600 meter relay, is expected to return to the track soon. Khan and Roberts were also key players on the soccer team.
Khan is the anchor for the 1,600 relay and a 400 meter runner.
The new member of the relay teams is junior Justin Teng, the starting point guard for the Lynbrook basketball team, who will run the second leg of the 1,600 and lead off in the 400 relay team.
``When I started here six years ago we had one kid who could run a sub-54-second 400 meters,'' Garcia said. ``This year we will have nine or 10. This is the most talented team this school has had in 20 years.''