PREP TRACK AND FIELD / STATE PRELIMINARIES : Pacheco Heads Up O.C. Qualifiers

NORWALK —  Brandon Pacheco of Brethren Christian won two qualifying races in the CIF State track and field preliminaries Friday at Cerritos College to lead all Orange County qualifiers to today’s finals.

Pacheco, a senior who won three Southern Section Division IV titles two weeks ago, won his heat of the 1,600 meters in a county-leading time of 4 minutes 13.72 seconds. He outdueled Huntington Beach junior Jess Strutzel in the 800, winning 1:51.55 to 1:53.74.

“In the half [mile], I ran a little faster than I wanted to,” Pacheco said, “but the mile [1,600] was just fun for me.” Pacheco won the 800- and 1,500-meter races at the Orange County Championships earlier this spring.

He had Friday’s second-fastest qualifying mark in the 1,600 meters, the event he plans to emphasize today.

“I’m going to try and put most of my energy into the mile and just have fun with the 800,” Pacheco said.

The top nine athletes from Friday’s preliminaries advance to today’s finals, which begin at 1:30 p.m. with the boys’ pole vault. Running events begin at 4:30.

Cara Heads of Newport Harbor was the county’s biggest surprise as she threw the discus 149 feet 5 inches for the second-best mark of the competition.

Heads, whose sister, Gina, was third in last year’s finals, moved to fifth on the county’s all-time list, breaking the Newport Harbor school record by nearly three feet.

Esperanza junior Kelly O’Connor also had a stellar qualifying mark in the triple jump (39-10 1/4). Her mark was not only the best of the preliminaries, but was the best in the state this year. Kerry O’Bric of Edison (38-9 1/2 wind-aided) and Darnesha Griffith of Trabuco Hills (38-0 3/4 wind-aided) also advanced.

Jenni Candipan of Marina broke the county girls’ pole vault record she held with Foothill’s Julie Patton with a leap of 10-2. This is the first year girls’ pole vault has been a scoring event in section meets.

Mission Viejo freshman Ashley Bethel continued to improve in the 100-meter hurdles, running a wind-aided 14.16 to advance.

Bethel also posted a 19-1 wind-aided mark in the long jump. She advanced, along with the event’s defending champion, Foothill’s Tara Oettinger, who jumped a wind-aided 19-9.

In the girls’ 800 meters, Carrie Caulkins of Esperanza (2:14.46) and Sabrina Caplis of Foothill (2:14.89) qualified in the sixth and eighth spots.

Dana Hills sophomore Bryan Harrison finished second in his 100 (10.48 wind-aided) and 200 (21.18) heats.

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Notes

Dominique Degrammont of Tustin advanced as the sixth qualifier in the 110-meter high hurdles, running a 14.38, only .11 seconds behind the leader. . . . Esperanza senior Steve Sherwood cleared 6-8 in a jumpoff for the final spot in the high jump. . . . Garrett Jensen of Sunny Hills lowered his personal best (4:13.99) qualifying in the 1,600 meters. . . . El Modena senior Pete Kovaks (15-0) and Brethren Christian junior Steve Michels (14-8) advanced in the pole vault. . . . Esperanza’s Inshirah Jones lowered her personal best in the 100 meter hurdles, advancing with a wind-aided time of 14.50.