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Prep Track and Field: Poway High’s Lucas, Bush set school records at Palomar League Championships

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By Michael Bower

Brandon Lucas had just been outkicked and beaten on his home turf and he did not like it. So the Poway High senior came out some 25 minutes later with a chip on his shoulder and blazed to a school record.

After a second-place finish in the 400-meter race at the Palomar League championships Monday at Poway High, Lucas shot around the turn in the 200 and finished in a school record 21.18-seconds for one of his two titles on the evening.

“I went into the 400 thinking this is my home field and my senior year and I don’t want to get beat, and then I did,” said Lucas, who won the 100 with a non-legal, wind-aided time of 10.64. “So, I was like vengeance. I can’t lose anymore. I had that fire.”

Lucas broke former Titan Evan Gray’s 2012 time of 21.45 and now holds the second-best time in the state in the event. Coming in right behind Lucas was Titans senior Lance Mudd (21.98) and Ryan Morgan (22.45).

“I didn’t have the greatest start, but after the first three steps I had to catch up because Lance was by me,” Lucas said. “Lance pulled me through. I don’t think I could have done it without Lance because it is hard to run by yourself.”

Lucas, Mudd and the rest of the top two finishers and athletes that hit the section-qualifying standard in their respective events at the league championships will compete at the San Diego Section preliminaries Saturday at Mt. Carmel. The girls start at 9 a.m. and the boys will be at 2 p.m.

The top nine in each event, outside of the 1,600 and 3,200 (top 12), qualify for the section finals on May 31 at Mt. Carmel.

Charlie Bush broke his own school record in the pole vault Monday, clearing 15-feet, 9-inches on the way to the league title. The University of Montana-bound senior also won the long jump (21-feet, 5.5-inches) and finished second in the high jump (6-5).

He took his shot at 16 feet in the pole vault and was visibly disappointed when he was not able to clear it.

“I can definitely do 16,” Bush said. “It’s just been a combination of things not going right. Every time I have tried something has gone wrong and you have to get every little thing right to clear that height.”

Freshman Tyjon Lindsey ran the third-best time in Poway history on his way to the 300-hurdle title (39.02). The Titans’ Colton Clark won the discus title (137-04), while Rancho Bernardo sophomore Devin Lecakes-Jones captured the shot put title with a mark of 50-9.

On the girls side, the Broncos’ Jackie Patterson claimed the 100 and 200 titles with ease, coming in at 12.10 and 24.99. The sophomore is ranked No. 5 in the county in the 200.

University of Columbia-bound senior Katie Sammer ran a season-best in the 800 to capture the title. Sammer, who reached the state championships in the event last year, finished in 2:14.02.

“Every meet from this point forward I want to keep getting my time down,” she said. “I want to make it back to state.”

Poway hurdler Maddie Murray, who struggled early on this season, seems to be hitting her stride at the right time. The sophomore was all smiles after running a season-best 45.61 to win the 300 hurdles title.

“I wanted to win a league title so bad,” said Murray, who finished second to teammate Larissa Johnson in the 100 hurdles. “I knew the 100 was going to be tough with Larissa there, but I am shocked and so happy I won the 300.”


Valley League:

Del Norte senior Tyler Nelson showed he is healthy after a hamstring injury earlier this season, capturing Valley League titles in the 400 (49.69), 110 hurdles (14.66) and 300 hurdles (39.64) at the championships Monday at Valley Center.

Nighthawks junior Kirsten Moody won the girls 800 (2:26.32) and the 1,600 (5:33.77). Sophomore Michelle Altice won titles in the shot put (37-10) and the discus (125-8), while senior Caitlin Cole won the long jump (17-4), triple jump (36-7) and was part of both relay teams that finished in first.

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