CIF-SS Division II Finals
The Braves had their most successful day of Track and Field
this pastSaturday at Cerritos College. St. John Bosco amassed
36.75 points to earn a third place finish in the Southern Section
Division II Finals. Although disappointed to finish behind
Serra League Rival and Runner up Santa Margarita, this was
the Braves highest placing ever in school history for a Track
and Field team. Eight athletes took part in nine events, while
six of those athletes earned All CIF recognition in six separate
events.
The day started off on the track with the 4x100 relay. It
was in this race that the Braves hoped to finish in 2nd place.
What took place was a lesson in "you never know" as
the Braves had trouble with hand offs and finished in 4th.
Although not the race the team was looking for the Braves still
managed an All CIF placing, their 2nd fastest time of the season
and a spot in the Southern Section Masters Meet where they
will get anther chance to break the school record as they attempt
to qualify for the State Meet. The next track event for the
Braves was the 1600m where Senior Randy Hills had a set plan.
His goal was to earn an All CIF placing while also going for
the school record. After runner 4:20.69 Hills failed to meet
the school record goal, but surprised himself and everyone
else with a very strong 4th place finish! His time ranks him
as the 3rd best "four lapper" in Bosco history. One
of the most anticipated races of the day would include three
Braves as Joe Cowan, Josh Bradford, and Garrett Schott all
competed in the 400m. What made this race more exciting was
the fact that it featured individuals from the top 3 schools
in the Division - the Bosco three, 3 from Dominguez, and 2
from Santa Margarita. For 399m of the race it looked as if
Cowan would be crowned the CIF champion in this event, but
as has happened a few times this season, Santa Margarita rival
Jeff Jacobs stole the lean from Cowan forcing him to accept
the runner up spot with a time of 48.17. Bradford would have
an acceptional race from lane 9 to earn an All CIF placing
and his 4th consecutive PR in a row clocking a 49.39. Running
from lane one Schott would also PR and finish one place higher
then his "seeding" - 49.70 for 8th place. Cowan would
get another chance to claim an individual title as he came
back a couple of hours later to run in the 300 Intermediate
Hurdles. Running in second for 200m of the race Cowan unleashed
a furious home stretch drive to claim the title. His time of
38.25 broke the school record, and qualified him as the 2nd
seed going into next weeks Masters Meet. It was a wonderful
victory for Cowan, who took a year off of track during his
Sophomore season, to give St. John Bosco it's first ever individual
CIF Track and Field Champion. Next up was Randy Hills in the
3200m. Unlike his success in the 1600m Hills was unable to
duplicate his feat. He had a bad race, to finish of an otherwise
superb four years of running. The "Brave Runners" will
miss Hills as he graduates with four cross country league titles,
a track and field league title, two individual track league
titles, and two All CIF finishes between Track and Cross Country!
The "Main Event" of the day came in the last race
of the night - the 4x400 Relay. It was not only a chance for
the Braves to set another school record but also an attempt
to "pay back" Santa Margarita for the defeat they
handed down at the Serra League Finals. Josh Bradford opened
up for the team to hand off in second place with a split of
49.4. At the exchange Garrett Schott had a superb turn to put
his team into the lead. He could not hold off a strong finishing
Dominguez runner and handed off in 2nd place after running
48.5. Running in 2nd place Matt Young raced to a 50.7 split.
Young to Cowan - and that is where it stays. Cowan would run
a split of 48.0 to keep the Braves in 2nd place and earn his
4th All CIF medal of the day! The Braves time of 3:16.91 breaks
their previous school record and sets them up as the 2nd seed
in next weeks Masters Meet!
In the field events Senior Ian Connell concluded a stellar
year with a surprising All CIF finish in the Discus. His toss
of a 153'2" was just shy of his school record but good
enough to earn himself a CIF medal. Jorge De La Cruz finished
of his Senior year after clearing 13'6" and earning his
team .75 points as he tied with 4 others for 5th place. De
La Cruz, another four year Track athlete will be missed for
his consistency in the Vault and his team spirit through out
the years. Kevin Cape, who will most likely be named St. John
Bosco's Athlete of the Year could not over come a previous
night epic Volleyball game and finished out his Track career
with a Triple Jump of 42'9". Cape's versatility over four
years at Bosco has seen him excel in such sports such as Cross
Country and Basketball, while his athleticism has helped him
shine in the jumps where he ranks #1 in the Triple Jump, #3
in the Long Jump, and #5 in the High Jump. Cape's future lies
in Volleyball as he is leading his Braves to a 39-1 record
into the CIF Semi-Finals. Kevin Cape is another four year Track
athlete that the program will miss! |
