Carson’s track and field supremacy continues with fifth straight girls’ City Section championship title

Right from the start of Thursday night’s City Section track and field championships it was clear that Carson’s reign would continue at El Camino College in Torrance.

Kaitlyn Williams took the lead out of the blocks, Ryan Lacefield and Jaylen Walker increased it and Daila Bell pulled away on the anchor leg as the 400-meter girls’ relay clocked a season-best 47.01 seconds to set the tone for Carson’s fifth consecutive girls’ title.

“It’s a blessing for us to PR,� Bell, a senior, said of the Colts’ winning effort, which broke their previous best mark of 47.55 set at last week’s prelims. “My teammates did great and gave me the lead and I thought we might have a chance to break it.�

Elisha Salazar padded the Colts’ point total by winning the 400 in 56.99, Indiah Turner won the 300 hurdles in 47.30, Ryan Lacefield won the 200 in 24.99 and Williams took second in the 100 in 12.43 behind San Pedro’s Angelina Camello (12.19). The Colts finished by winning the 1,600 relay in 3:57.98.

Carson also scored well in the field events. Jonon Young (18 feet 11 inches), Turner (18-8 1/4) and Walker (18-5 3/4) swept the top three spots in the long jump while Young (39-7), Walker (39-3) and Arrieya Harper (36-7 1/2 ) were the top three placers in the triple jump. Dominique Payne won the shotput with a throw of 37-2 1/2 as the Colts racked up 121 points.

While the Colts were lapping the field in the girls’ team competition, one of the individual stars was Birmingham freshman Bella Witt, who won the 100 hurdles in 14.36, 32 hundredths of a second better than her prelims time and only eight hundredths off the City record set by Ebony Collins of Locke in 2007. She also ran the anchor leg on the Patriots’ third-place 400 relay, took fourth in the long jump with a leap of 18 feet and was third in the 200 in 25.33.

“I got a cramp before the [100 hurdles] race but that’s my favorite event because it’s an adrenaline rush and anything can happen,� Witt said. “I have a lot of work to do on my technique before state, but I’m glad I got through it in one piece.�

Ramirez Fernandez passed Granada Hills’ Lauren Delgado on the final turn and won the 1,600 in 5:07.23.

Palisades’ Sarah Bentley ran a personal-best 11:08.70 to repeat as girls’ 3,200 champion and teammate Brittany Darrow won the 800 in 2:19.90 as the Dolphins took second place with 50 points.

Dorsey won the boys’ title with 63 points.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was Westchester senior Estabon Bozeman winning the boys’ 100 in 10.77 after posting the fifth-fastest qualifying time (11.11). Bozeman, a running back and kick returner, edged Anthony Richardson of Carson (10.84), also the runner-up at prelims.

The boys’ 3,200 winner was certainly no surprise as El Camino Real senior Justin Hazell blazed to victory in 9:22.02 — over 17 seconds ahead of runner-up James Corrigan of Eagle Rock. In the fall, Hazell became the first City runner to win a state cross-country title and he won the City 1,600 and 3,200 last spring.

Sean Larbaoui of Granada Hills won the 1,600 in 4:24.42.

Carson’s Anthony Richardson, Andre Butt, Elijah Rice and DeJonte Thomas won the 400 relay in a season-best 42.03, just missing their PR of 41.95. Butt won the 110 high hurdles in 14.42 and took second in the 200. Ryan Fields of Hamilton won the 300 hurdles in 39.78.

Porte-jo Tshiaba of Dorsey won the high jump in 6-6 and n the long jump in 23-2 1/2 and Palisades’ Bailey Jones won the triple jump in 46 3/4.

Before the meet, Hamilton’s 1976 relay team of Sid Menzies, Rodney Goosby, Ricky Martin and Billy Mullins were recognized as the only team to set both City relay records in the same meet, doing so on a dirt track at East Los Angeles College.

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