HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD : BOYS’ PREVIEW : Field Events a Key for Thousand Oaks

THOUSAND OAKS —  Dan Murphy learned several lessons during his first season as the boys’ track coach at Thousand Oaks High last year. But none was as important as the following: If a team hopes to win the Marmonte League title, it must excel on the track and in the field.

Excellence in one area but not in the other won’t get the job done.

Thousand Oaks had the best track team in the league last season--winning seven of 10 events in the league finals--but the Lancers’ lack of depth in the field events cost them dearly in tri-meet losses to Royal and league champion Camarillo.

Thousand Oaks won seven of 10 track events against Camarillo, but the Scorpions won five of six field events on their way to an 80-76 victory.

“Lack of depth killed us in the field events last year and we’re not going to let that happen again,” Murphy said. “We beat the bushes for kids this season.”

The work appears to have paid off.

Not only do the Lancers have improved depth in the jumping and throwing events, their top two returning performers have started the season strong.

R.J. Starr, a junior who was runner-up in the shotput in last year’s league finals, opened the season with a personal best of 53 feet 5 1/2 inches last week.

Senior James Pashley spanned a personal best of 21-0 in the long jump in the same meet, and that bodes well for his chances of improving upon his best of 43-11 in the triple jump.

Josh Canales, a 6-foot high jumper, did not compete for Thousand Oaks last year, but he’s one of several athletes that Murphy and his assistants coaxed into competing this season.

On the track, the Lancers should again be strong.

Rob Scherrei, the league champion in the 200 and 400 meters graduated in June, but juniors Kevan Hickey, Jeff Feiereisen and Brandon Jackson give Thousand Oaks a nucleus of solid sprinters.

Seniors Jeff Fischer, Keith O’Doherty and Kevin Marsden are the leaders of one of the nation’s top distance corps.

Fischer, O’Doherty and Marsden placed third, sixth and ninth in the 1994 State Division I cross-country championships to lead Thousand Oaks to its second consecutive title. They also have impressive track credentials.

Fischer, the defending league champion in the 1,600 and 3,200, has run 4 minutes 16.69 seconds in the former and 9:10.42 in the latter.

O’Doherty has timed 4:23.5 in the 1,600 and 9:25.0 in the 3,200.

Marsden, the defending league champion in the 800, has run 1:57.15 in that event and 4:17.67 in the 1,600.

“The hurdles are going to be a question mark,” Murphy said. “But we’ve got some kids who ran at the frosh-soph level last year and should be able to help us. Overall, we look like we’re in pretty good shape.”

OTHER TEAMS TO WATCH

Ventura--Ramsey Jay, fourth in the 400 in last year’s State championships, leads a squad that is gunning for its fourth consecutive undefeated season in Channel League competition.

Jay, the defending league champion in the 200 and 400, has run 21.63 in the 200 and a Ventura County record of 47.49 in the 400.

Aaron Davis, who has personal bests of 21-11 in the long jump and 44-11 in the triple jump, is the defending league champion in those events, as are Brian Fasulo (49-7) in the shotput and Hasita Sutton (152-10) in the discus.

Hart--The Indians will not be as strong as in previous years, but are still favored to win their seventh consecutive Foothill League title.

Brett Strahan, who has run 4:09.71 in the 1,600, is the leader of a distance squad that is as strong as any in the region except Thousand Oaks.

Ted Iacenda (50-6 1/2 in the shotput) and C.J. Port (133-0 in the discus) give Hart a quality duo in the weight events.

Hurdlers Kevin Wilson, Matt Hamilton and Matt DiSarro should give the Indians solid depth in the 110 highs and the 300 intermediates.

Royal--Greg Seth-Hunter, the defending Marmonte League champion in the 110 highs (15.05) and the 300 intermediates (40.34), heads a Highlander squad that appears to have the best chance of upending Thousand Oaks.

Sprinter Christian Broussard--the runner-up in the 100 in last year’s league finals--should contend for titles in the 100 and 200, and Brandon Gibson and Bruce Rivera give Royal a solid 1-2 punch in the long and triple jumps.

Birmingham--The Braves finished among the top five in the last four City Section championships and they’re capable of another top-five finish this year.

Marvin Powell ran a personal best of 15.18 in the 110 highs to finish sixth in last year’s City finals, and he’s already run a wind-aided 14.0 this season.

Ed Ngheim has a personal best of 13-3 in the pole vault and Lamont Adams has cleared 6-2 in the high jump.

Jamal Marks, who bounded 45-5 1/2 in the triple jump before being declared academically ineligible last season, and Lavon Rockett (43-9) should give Birmingham quality depth in that event as well as in the long jump.

BOYS TO WATCH

Antonio Arce (Palmdale)--The runner-up in the 3,200 in last year’s State championships, the senior is the top returning runner in the country with a best of 9:03.19.

A time in the 8:50-8:55 range would not be surprising for Arce this season as he won the 1994 State Division II cross-country title and placed seventh in the Foot Locker national championships.

Eleazar Hernandez (Camarillo)--The senior capped a sensational cross-country season with a fifth-place finish in the Foot Locker national championships.

He ran a personal best of 9:10.96 to place seventh in the 3,200 in last year’s state meet and appears capable of cracking the nine-minute barrier.

John Greene (Agoura)--The runner-up to Hernandez in last year’s Marmonte League cross-country finals, Greene finished third in the State Division II championships.

He lowered his personal best to 9:20.1 in the 3,200 last year as a junior before being declared academically ineligible.

Moses Backus (Taft)--The Toreador senior ran a personal best of 49.59 to place fourth in the 400 in last year’s City championships.

He ran a personal best of 22.1 in the 220-yard dash last week and appears capable of approaching the 48-second barrier in the 400.