San Diego Section Track : Injury to Sapp Will Hurt Morse, Too

There was something strange about the way Shawnette Sapp of Morse High School eased around the turn in the first leg of the girls’ 400-meter relay at the San Diego Section track and field preliminaries last Saturday.

Sapp, a vital member of one of the nation’s best relay teams, had strained a hamstring. She cautiously coasted toward teammate Nicola Stennis, the second runner, and handed her the baton. It appeared as if Morse, the state’s top team, was just running to qualify for the section finals. As Stennis raced off and Sapp limped to the side of the track, it was obvious the team wasn’t running just to qualify. They won their heat in 47.85 seconds.

Sapp will not run in today’s section finals, which begin at 2 p.m. at Mt. Carmel High School, but there is still hope she can run at the state meet next weekend at Sacramento if the team qualifies. (The top three teams in each event qualify.) Sapp will be replaced by sophomore Karen Billups, said Gary MacDonald, Morse coach.

“Shawnette is doing better,” said MacDonald. “She’s improving and has been going to therapy. We’re going to have to stress that leg Tuesday or Wednesday to see if she can do it. I’m going to need to make a decision by Wednesday who runs that first leg.”

The fastest runner MacDonald will have available for the state preliminaries next Friday will be sophomore Angel Leath, who was not one of the two alternates selected for the section meet, but will likely be one of the choices for state.

The Morse mile relay team also will feel the loss of Sapp.

In the mile relay at the section preliminaries, Crawford ran a 3:59.77 to defeat Morse, racing without Sapp, by .02. Onnie Ferguson of Crawford beat Kim Matthews of Morse down the back stretch.

Matthews, the defending section 200-meter champion, and Ferguson will duel in four events today--the 100, 200, 400 relay and the mile relay.

A number of athletes are expected to be double winners today. Patrick Rowe of Lincoln is expected to be challenged by Raymond Ethridge of Crawford in the 100 and 200, but Rowe, who has won three of four meetings with Ethridge in those events, is favored.

Rowe, the defending section champion in the 400 meters, is not running in that event because of the schedule of events for the state meet.

Marc Davis of San Diego High, one of the nation’s top distance runners, should receive strong challenges from Jason Martin of Fallbrook, Andy Davis of Patrick Henry and Jorge Castro of Ramona in the 1,600 and Martin, Davis and Trevor Drummond of Helix in the 3,200. Castro, whose season was limited by a bout with bronchitis, is the defending section 1,600 champion. His 4:17.4 preliminary time was second-fastest to Marc Davis’ 4:13.58.

Monte Vista’s Matt Farmer, the section leader in the high jump at 6-feet 8-inches, also could win the long jump. Farmer had the best qualifying jump at 23-2. Since county leader Glen Reyes of Orange Glen is out with a hamstring injury and defending section champion Charles Huff of La Jolla hasn’t jumped more than 23 feet this year, Farmer should be favored.

Matthews, who leads the county in the 100 and 200, had excellent preliminary times (wind-aided 11.95 in the 100 and 24.78 in the 200). Her biggest challengers will be El Camino’s Laural Isles and Ferguson in the 100, and Ferguson and teammate Yolanda Fitch in the 200. Matthews is the defending section 200-meter champion and Fitch is the defending champion in the 100 and 400. However, because of the schedule for the state meet, Fitch had to give up the 100.

Michelle Outlaw of Lincoln won the section title in the 300 hurdles the past two years, the long jump last year and the 100 low hurdles as a sophomore in 1985. She is the county leader in the 300 hurdles, and that isn’t expected to change today. But in the 100 hurdles, she will be strongly challenged by Darla Vaughn of Mira Mesa, who has the county’s best time at 14.42, and Stephanie Williams of University City.

Kira Jorgensen, Vista High sophomore, is expected to win the 1,600 and 3,200 without much trouble. Jorgensen is the state leader in each event and ranked second nationally at 3,200.