Cerritos College

Tony Altobelli CERRITOS - So much for that "glad to just finish in the top five" thing for Newport Harbor High's track and field threesome of Trevor Jones, Amber Steen and Krista Dill. The trio not only fared well enough at Friday's CIF Southern Section Masters Meet to qualify for next week's State Preliminaries, but they did so in rather convincing style. The rest of the state will have to keep up with Jones in both the 110-meter high hurdles and the 300 intermediate hurdles.

The last time Tim Scott was competing at Cerritos College, three other boys were there with him, sporting their Corona del Mar High jerseys as they competed. This week, he's the only male runner left. Scott qualified for the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet, which takes place this afternoon at Cerritos College, in the boys' 1,600 meters with a time of 4 minutes, 17 seconds. Field events start at 5:30 p.m. and track at 6. Spencer Aguilar, Tommy Hutchison, and Thomas Dialynas of CdM competed in the CIF finals last week, but only Scott advanced.

Rick Devereux Jasmin Day has some big shoes to fill, but her performance Saturday in the CIF Southern Section Division III finals at Cerritos College went a long way in accomplishing such a task. Day, a high jumper from Costa Mesa High, has an older sister, Sharon, who holds the Southern Section record in the high jump with a leap of 6-2 and competed at the Home Depot Center invitational at the same time Jasmin was competing at the CIF finals. The younger Day said her older sister told her to make her proud, so the lil' sis went out and jumped 5-8 to capture not only the gold medal in Division III but also the top qualifying spot for the CIF Masters Meet on Friday.

CERRITOS ? Corona del Mar High track and field Coach Bill Sumner laid out a strategy for his two runners prior to the girls' 3,200-meter race at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet at Cerritos College on Friday. Annie St. Geme was supposed to conserve energy and focus on qualifying. Sumner wanted Shelby Buckley to stay with Woodbridge's Christine Babcock. Then the competitive juices kicked in and St. Geme finished first and Buckley third to qualify for next week's CIF state championships.

Richard Dunn LONG BEACH - Corona del Mar High boys track and field athlete Chris Ringstrom opened the spring competing exclusively in field events. Then, early in the season, CdM Coach Bill Sumner told Ringstrom that the team was "in a bind this year" and needed him to help in the sprints. "Last year as a freshman, Ringstrom competed in no running events ... but this year we talked him into doing the sprints," Sumner said. Sumner added that Ringstrom began competing in the 200 "about 30 or 40 days ago" and, now, will be on center stage in that event next Saturday in the CIF Southern Section Division III Finals at Cerritos College.

When Randy Hamilton and Tony Horvath first started working on the documentary, "Touchdown Newport," they always envisioned showing it at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Now their vision will become real. "Touchdown Newport," the film about the 1970 Newport Harbor High football team, is an official selection of the upcoming Newport Beach Film Festival. It will make its world premier at the Lido Theater on April 30 at 6 p.m. Hamilton and Horvath played on the team that won a league title under legendary coach Ernie Johnson, who turned around the program in his first year at the school.

Joseph Boo NORWALK - With the wide-eyed innocence only a freshman could possess, Costa Mesa High's Sharon Day captured the girls high jump title at Saturday's CIF Southern Section Division III track and field finals at Cerritos College. Day more than made up for her disqualification in the 400 meters. Her high jump mark tied her own school record and it was the fourth-best qualifying mark for Friday's Southern Section Masters Meet, which includes the top nine qualifiers from all divisions.

Steve Virgen CERRITOS - The defending champions of the Newport-Mesa District will be coming out in full force for the CIF Southern Section Track Field Finals at Cerritos College Saturday. In CIF Division III, Corona del Mar High distance sensation Julie Allen and Costa Mesa's versatile jumping wonder, Sharon Day, will attempt to defend their titles at the CIF Finals, where a handful of district athletes will be making their debut. The Stanford-bound Allen will attempt to defend her titles in the 1,600-meter and 3,200, while Day, who was the Pacific Coast League Co-Most Valuable Player in soccer, is on course to defend her title in the high jump.

For a photo gallery, click here. NORWALK — No spinning easily to the top of the ring in this one. Discus thrower Cecil Whiteside stood in a tough spot in trying to defend his CIF Southern Section Division II title. Two of the state’s best athletes in the event competed in Whiteside’s division Saturday. Win the discus and Whiteside likely finished with the best mark out of all the throwers in every division. Unable to heave the disc the furthest to claim his second straight Division II championship, Whiteside accomplished the second best thing at the section boys’ track and field championships.