Taft’s Track Reign Threatened : Washington’s Bridgewater Serves Notice at City Semifinal Meet

For the first time since Quincy Watts began setting records at Taft High two years ago, the Toreadors may find themselves only second best in City Section track and field circles this season.

The Toreadors, the two-time defending City champions, will need great efforts and a dose of good luck to win a third consecutive title at next week’s championships at Birmingham High. That scenario became apparent at the City semifinals at Birmingham on Friday when Taft produced one season best after another, yet remained a step behind Washington and its record-setting sprinter Brian Bridgewater.

Washington qualified a meet-high nine individuals and two relay teams for Thursday’s finals. The Generals had the top qualifying marks in five events, including the 400- and 1,600-meter relays, the second-best qualifying mark in the 100 meters and the third-best qualifying mark in four other events.

“They’re looking awfully tough,” Taft Coach Tom Stevenson said. “It’s going to take a super effort on our kids’ part to beat them.”

Watts, the two-time defending City champion in the 100 and 200, also will have his hands full.

Watts won the second heat of the 200 with a season-best time of 20.67 seconds, yet he will be seeded second in the finals behind Bridgewater, who ran a City-Section meet record and national-leading mark of 20.53 to win the first heat. Bridgewater also won the 100 in a wind-aided 10.28.

Watts, however, is not worried.

“Everyone thinks that because I’m running the 400, Bridgewater is going to win the 200,” he said after running the second-fastest time of his career in the 200. “But I don’t plan on letting that happen.”

It’s hard to bet against Watts, who ran a personal best of 20.50 last summer in Provo, Utah, and had the leading qualifying time in the 400 (47.59) Friday. He also ran typically stellar anchor legs in the 400 and 1,600 relays.

He brought the Toreadors from fourth to second (41.58) in the final 100 meters of the 400 relay and cruised to a 46.9 anchor leg in the 1,600 relay that brought Taft from fifth to third (3:19.04).

In addition to Watts, Taft’s other top athletes qualified for next week’s finals. Lawrence Killens recorded a personal best of 22-feet, 8 1/2-inches to qualify second in the long jump. Yomo Smith was the fourth qualifier in the triple jump with a personal best of 46-5 1/2 and Greg Sheets qualified in the pole vault (12-6).

Chatsworth’s Bryan Addison had the fastest qualifying times in both the 110-meter high and 300-meter intermediate hurdles. He also qualified sixth in the triple jump. His 14.44 clocking in the highs was a personal best, as was his 45-0 3/4 effort in the triple jump. His time of 38.22 in the intermediates was only .07 seconds shy of his personal best.

Teammate Ron Martin qualified in the 100 and 200 meters and the long and triple jumps. He posted meet-leading marks and personal-bests of 23-2 in the long jump and 47-8 1/2 in the triple jump Friday.

Chatsworth’s Jay Bettinger qualified in the pole vault (12-6).