Downey, Warren runners win big at track & field meet
Michelle Huerta of Warren (pictured) and Aidan Dominguez of Downey each won three individual events in the Suburban Valley Conference Track and Field Finals held at Downey High Saturday, April 27. (Photos by Nicholas Dominguez).
DOWNEY — In the inaugural Suburban Valley Conference Track and Field Championships, nearly 1,000 athletes from 10 schools filled Downey High School Friday and Saturday (April 21-22) in warm weather conditions.
Coming away with victories were the Downey boys, with a win over second-place Warren. Downey finished with 200 points, followed by Warren with 176.
The two talented track and field teams easily outdistanced the remaining schools. The nearest team to second-place Warren was Gahr with 74 points.
The Warren girls won in dominating fashion over Downey by more than doubling their score, 237-104.
A big part of that came from the first-place finishes in five of the individual running events, including the 1600 relay and also three field events.
Warren won all three distance races and Rebecca Romo won the 300m hurdles (49.99), along with a victory by Moriah Sanders in the 200 (26.83).
“We were confident that we were going to compete,” Warren coach Jay Waldron said. “We brought some throwers (under classmen) up to varsity. That left our frosh-soph a little vulnerable but were still able to pull off a frosh-soph victory as well. So, we won both. We have a lot of young talent.
“For it to be the inaugural, it means something for sure.”
In the frosh-soph battle, it was the Downey boys versus Warren again. Downey easily won with 243.50 points to Warrens 108, while Warren won the girls competition over second-place Downey, 260.50-214.50.
However, the big news of the two-day championships were the individual accomplishments of two long distance athletes from Downey and Warren high schools.
Senior Michelle Huerta of Warren and junior Aidan Dominguez of Downey might of pulled off the biggest two individual performances in the area in years with each of their three-event sweeps. Huerta added a fourth championship, as she anchored the 1600 relay win.
“It (four wins) was a little bit of some pressure, but it was exciting, because not everyone does it (four events),” Huerta said. “You never know when the next person will do that. It was exciting.”
Huerta, who was once a shy, quiet athlete, slowly became a leader on the team.
“A lot of the girls look up to us, as seniors, and we kind of like had to lead them, so I had to talk,” said Huerta, with a chuckle. That’s something that I didn’t usually do. But, I think that bonding is important.”
Huerta, who has committed to UC San Diego next Fall, easily won the 1600 and 3200 runs, but had one of the top finishes of the day in a distance race that was decided by just .27 of a second.
“She was really quiet from the get-go,” Waldron added. “As a freshman, she was probably the shyest kid that we ever had. It was difficult, because she was kind of an elite athlete and coaching somebody like that makes it more difficult. And then we went to COVID. That was a very difficult time for her.
For the last year and a half, we have been rebuilding and chasing personal best times that she had established early in her running career. Her personality came around and she is a bright mind, and she is a well-rounded athlete. I’m very proud of her.”
Aidan Dominguez of Downey. (Photos by Nicholas Dominguez).
Dominguez also easily won two of his three races, the 1600 and 3200, but the 800 (2 seconds) was a bit closer for the tall and slender 6-1 runner.
“It’s really exciting,” said Dominguez, of the new conference alignment. “The fact that it’s a league meet, 11 teams, it brings out the energy. Racing against guys all together on the same night, all different athletes, it’s cool to see how we face off against them.
“I definitely love that it is on our home track.”
Dominguez said of his three wins, “It’s an honor,” he said. “Last year if you were to tell me that I would be in this position, I would have told you that you’re crazy. I surprised myself. I’m proud that I get to take home three medals this year.”
Gleason saw how much Dominguez improved over the last year. “He was outstanding,” Gleason said. “In fact, we had him in our PE class and we found some talent and we did last year. (Saturday), he won all three distance races, just like Huerta.”
He was the Gateway League Cross Country Champion this past season.
The last varsity relay event of the day for the boys brought the partial
Downey crowd to its feet with the finish of the 1600.
Downey sophomore Jalen Kennedy and Gahr senior Jacob Joseph were neck and neck heading into the final turn, but Kennedy put the final 100 meters into overdrive and with the athletes lining the edge of the track, he came away with the close win.
“I raced him (Joseph) in the open 400 individual race, and he went out really fast. In this relay, he changed the way he ran it and he just waited right behind me. He tried to pass me but he crowd helped and it was the last race and I just let it all out.”
Downey coach Bob Gleason was overjoyed after the completion of the huge event.
“I think they (athletes) put a lot of time and effort in this,” said Gleason, of the first of its kind Suburban Valley Conference Finals. “This is great. This is the first time that we’ve done this. It is the inaugural championship.
“As I said, this was for all of the marbles and we knew, if they beat us, it would have been the first time in 10 years.”
Warren throws coach Daniel Singh said of the two schools that dominated the day.
“It’s nice that the caliber of our programs coincides with everything,” he said. “Sprints are good, distance is good, throws are good. It’s what we talk about a lot going into conference. The expectations for one of our schools are good. That’s awesome for our city. There’s a rivalry component.”
There’s a mini rivalry of sorts in two of the throws events, as both sophomore Kirssy Reyes of Warren and junior Summer Pugh of Downey have traded wins recently in the shot put and discus.
Reyes got the better of Pugh in the finals, as she won both the shot put and the discus.
Reyes outdistanced Pugh by two feet in the shot put (36’-3/4”-34-21/4”) and won the discus with a throw of 120-1/2”. Pugh was a distant 108-2” behind Reyes.
After the first day of competition with eight of 16 events completed, the Downey boys held a slim, 90-82 lead, while the Warren girls held a more comfortable, 112-60 advantage.
Ten schools competed in the two-day event – Downey, Warren, La Mirada, Gahr, Paramount, Bellflower, Norwalk, Lynwood, Mayfair, Dominguez and Firebaugh.
In the Downey boys one-sided victory, they dominated the running events after the two days with first-place finishes in ix of the 10 running events and won five of the six field events.
Results
Boys
Running events - 400 Relay (Gahr); 1600 (Warren), 4:28.62 (Dominguez); 110 Hurdles (Paramount); 400 (Warren), 49.85 (Kennedy); 100 (Gahr); 800 (Warren), 1:56.95 (Dominguez); 300 Hurdles (Downey), 41.28 Benjamin Seville; 200 (Gahr); 3200 (Warren), 9:54.92 (Dominguez), and 1600 Relay, 3:29.22 Downey.
Field events – Long Jump (Warren), 21-21/2” (Jordan Jones), Triple Jump (Warren), 44-6” (Jones), High Jump (Downey), 6-0 (Mike Evans); Pole Vault (Warren); 11-0 (Benjamin Flores), Shot Put (Warren), 55-11 (Jaylon Wells) and Discus (Warren), 144-1/2”. (Eman Goodlow).
Girls
Running events - 400 Relay (Gahr); 1600 (Warren), 5:28.98 (Huerta); 100 Hurdles (La Mirada); 400 (La Mirada); 100 (Paramount); 800 (Warren), 2:22.09 (Huerta); 300 Hurdles (Warren), 49.99 (Romo); 200 (Warren), 26.83 (Sanders); 3200 (Warren), 11:55.61 (Huerta); 1600 Relay (Warren), 4:15.10.
Field events - Long Jump (Bellflower); Triple Jump (Dominguez); High Jump (Downey), 4-8” (Alexy Gonzalez); Pole Vault (Warren), 8-0” (Verana Wolf); Shot Put (Warren), 36-3/4” (Reyes); Discus (Warren), 120-1/2” (Reyes).
What they said:
Luis Munoz, Downey distance coach: “It’s crazy to see the amount of work a person would put in. It’s amazing to see him (Aidan Dominguez) win the triple, beating time after time. He had amazing times (Saturday).
Alexis Garfias, Warren distance coach: “It’s really exciting what (Huerta) has accomplished this year. Not just (Saturday), but our meets before this. Our first meets she was very timid. She did a summer program and we assigned her to be s leader and I think it just really brought her out of her shell.”
Kirssy Reyes, Warren sophomore: “She’s (Pugh) trying to win for Downey, I’m trying to win for Warren. I was just ready to PR (personal record). We were hungry.”
Summer Pugh, Downey junior: “There’s way more competition than there was last year. With this type of meet there is more competition with a ton of competitors.
When she (shot put and discus competitor Kirssy Reyes) comes to my school, I beat her and when I go to her school, she beats me. It’s fun though. It’s a one-on-one thing. Just watching her technique, I learn things.
Jaylon Wells, Warren senior: “I didn’t do as well in this meet, but the next meet (CIF) is important. Competing against my teammates makes me want to do better all the time. I did bad in discus and did all right in shot. I’ll take it.”
Eman Goodloe, Warren junior: “It’s a lot of competition in the conference. I feel like I need more practice to do better.
Coach Daniel (Singh) is a great coach and he’s always there for us and pushes us to do better.”
Kylen Bennett, Warren senior: “They (Wells and Goodloe) make me want to be better, in practice and the meets. So, here I am now up there with them in third place (Discus).”
Laeyza Pavana, Warren senior: “I feel so excited for her (Huerta). Her season reflects who she is. She’s broken records. Michelle and I have been friends since our freshman year.”
Final team scores
Boys (Points) Girls (Points)
Downey (200) Warren (237)
Warren (176) Downey (104)
Gahr (74) Gahr (70)
Norwalk (44) Paramount (48)
Paramount (37) La Mirada (39)
Bellflower (27) Norwalk (31)
Dominguez (23) Mayfair (21)
Mayfair (15) Bellflower (18)
La Mirada (12) Lynwood (12)
Dominguez (10)