Noon, Stevenson Make Big Efforts, Are Ready for More

ESCONDIDO —  The biggest cheer at Friday night’s Orange Glen Invitational track and field meet may have been when it was announced that the Baltimore Orioles had won, 9-0.

The biggest silence may have occurred when Fallbrook High’s Brent Noon put the shot. An unusually large and noisy crowd watching the event became quiet each time Noon threw, and he responded with a meet record of 59-feet 9-inches.

But without a doubt, the biggest messages were delivered by Morse’s Michael Stevenson: “I always compete with myself,” and “I can still run a lot faster.”

That is ominous for quarter-milers in San Diego County. With no one who can run in his class, Stevenson has dominated the event and pushed himself to the best time in the county.

Nothing changed Friday. His 440-yard time of 48.3 seconds broke the meet record (48.7) set by Patrick Rose of Lincoln last year.

What may be scary for several of the county’s top sprinters is that Stevenson has decided to use the same philosophy in the 200 meters. It worked Friday; he beat a top field with a time of 22.0, although he had never run the race in an invitational this season.

(Distances in the Friday’s events were mixed between yards and meters.)

Running just 45 minutes after he had won the 440, Stevenson passed Glen Reyes of Orange Glen with about 60 meters to go and hung on to win. Jeff Jordan of University City was second (22.3); Reyes was third in 22.4.

“This is my favorite race,” said Stevenson, fifth in the San Diego Section meet last year. “I was just too scared last year. I told myself not to be scared this season. The 200 is just half a quarter.”

Stevenson, who was named the track athlete of the meet, did not panic 30 minutes later, either, when he took the baton on the final leg of the mile relay with three runners ahead of him.

He moved up slowly and passed all three on the outside of the last turn, winning by about five yards (3:28.5).

Stevenson also helped his team win the 400-meter relay (42.6). All that after also running four races Thursday, including an 880.

It appears that the hard work Noon has been doing in the shot put and discus is beginning to pay off as well, and he was named the top field athlete.

In addition to the shot put, Noon set a meet record and broke his personal best with a discus throw of 177-4. Mark Bailey set both previous records in 1974 (57-9, 174-0).

Noon said he was satisfied with winning, if not with the marks. He said he has not quite mastered the technique that could help him go farther.

Noon’s effort is also helping him gain recognition. He said he noticed the large crowds at both events.

“Normally people are quiet for the sprinters,” said Noon, who put a best of 62-3 1/2 earlier in the week. “For the throwers they are normally over here blasting radios and making noise. Yeah, I noticed it.”

Paco Camarena of Torrey Pines also set a meet record in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles. He ran 38.8 to break the 39.7 set by Osmand Swanegan of Morse last year.

Sophomore Jerome Price of University City was a surprise winner in the long jump. Although this is his first year jumping, he went 23-1 1/2 to beat Castle Park’s Tom Brown (23-0 3/4).