By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Boys second, girls third in track sections
Placeholder Image
Star Bruin athletes, such as runners German Fernandez and Maritza Garcia and jumper Ralphie Stevens handed Riverbank High School double event wins during Friday's Division III Section championships at Modesto Junior College.

"I was very, very pleased," said Bruin coach Ron Hebert. We took second place for the guys and third for the girls and qualified 11 for the Masters."

The Masters Meet is slated for Thursday and Friday, May 26 and 27, at Hughes Stadium in Sacramento and takes the first six finishers from Sections with seventh place as an alternate. The Masters is the final hurdle before the State Meet, for which the judges take only the top three in each event.

Among the double winners in Sections, German Fernandez won both the mile and two-mile events, Garcia led the 800 and 1,600-meter races and Stevens posted wins in both the long jump and triple jump.

Among the Bruin boys, freshman German Fernandez led the 1,600-meter field with a time of 4:29.55 and won the 3,200-meter race in 9: 53.55. His cousin Omar Fernandez placed fifth in 10:13.69 in the 3,200 meters and also qualified for the Masters.

. Ben DeYoung placed sixth in the 300-meter hurdles in 41.80. Stevens won the triple jump with a distance of 44-10 and the long jump by clearing 21-09. Tony Winstead placed eighth in the pole vault with 12-0 in the preliminaries on Tuesday, but failed to reach Thursday's finals.

Riverbank High School boys also placed sixth in the 4x400 relay in 3:34.94 but failed to qualify in the 4x100 relay.

For the girls, Garcia won the girls' 800 meters in 2:21.30 and the 1,600 meters in 5:10.54. Bruin Brettany Harrison placed seventh in the 800 meters in 2:27.80 and qualified as an alternate for Masters.

Bianca Melchor placed seventh in the 1,600 in 5:20.84 and also qualified as an alternate. She also took fifth place in the 3,200 meters in 11:57.37 to qualify.

Kasey Wool won the pole vault with a height of 11-0 while Kelley Clancey placed third with 10-0. Wool also placed sixth in the 300 hurdles in 48.49 and fourth in the 100 hurdles in 16.81.

Team scores in the Sections, for the boys, were Sierra, 64.5; Riverbank, 44; Oakdale, 39; Escalon, 38; Vanden, 36; Buhach Colony, 32; Oakmont, 25; Hilmar, 23; Bret Harte, 23; and Lindhurst, 19. The girls' team scores were Oakmont, 73; Bear River, 48; Riverbank, 47; Calaveras, 46; Bret Harte, 34; Sierra, 25; Sonora, 24; Foothill, 22; Buhach Colony, 20; Vanden, 16; and Capital Christian, 16.

While Riverbank qualified 11 athletes for the Masters, not all will compete in their events, said Bruin coach Ron Hebert, Riverbank High graduates its seniors on Thursday evening, and some athletes have chosen to walk across the stage and receive their diploma rather than compete.

"They have a one-time shot at graduation and a onetime shot at this track meet. It's a tough call. I'm leaving it to the athletes to decide, and I'll back them 100 percent whatever they decide," said Hebert.

Stevens, for example, qualified for the Masters in both the long jump and triple jump and will try to do both the athletic meet and graduation.

"The long jump is slated for 3 p.m. Thursday," said Hebert. "I'll drive him up for it and rush him back, hopefully in time for his graduation that night. His triple jump event will be on Friday. There's no problem in getting to that."

Wool qualified for both the hurdles and the pole vault. She will skip the hurdles on Thursday in favor of attending graduation ceremonies, but will compete in the pole vault on Friday.