By Joe Snyder
The inexperienced Centaur 4 x 400-meter relay team, composed of primarily underclassmen in its first year as a unit, is having the experience of a lifetime.
Not only has this rookie foursome matched the CIF Division 2 championship of last year’s touted Culver High 4 x 400 relay team, it has surpassed it as qualifiers for the California State Championships, held May 31 and June 1, at Buchanan High School Memorial Stadium in Clovis.
Record setting Centaur senior Jonathan Moniz finished fourth in the 400-meter dash. He helped the Culver City High School boys’ 4 x 400-meter relay team place second in last Friday’s CIF-Southern Section Masters Track and Field Championships at Cerritos College.
The Centaurs’ 1,600 relay squad of sophomore Stanley Norman, Moniz, sophomore Isaiah Jewett and sophomore Brandon Hasson recorded a season best time of three minutes, 17.26 seconds.
“This is amazing that there is one senior and three sophomores leading the way and breaking records,” said Cassandra Norman, mother of sophomore relay runner Stanley Norman.
“Culver City High School is a great school. Coach Jahmal Wright is so patient and supportive of his track and football team,” said Norman, whose two other children graduated from Culver High.
Culver finished behind champion Vista Murrieta, which was timed at 3:16.59. Vista Murrieta’s relay team and overall squad won the Southern Section Division I title in the Southern Section Divisional Finals May 18 at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut.
The Centaurs were pleased that they were able to top powerful Gardena Serra, which finished sixth clocking 3:18.22 but still, along with Culver City and Vista Murrieta, qualified for the State Championships in Clovis.
Third place Beverly Hills, fourth place Long Beach Wilson and fifth place Los Angeles Loyola also advanced.
In a tough 400 meter field, Moniz managed to advance to state with a fourth place finish in 48.75. Finishing ahead of Moniz was champion Miles Parish from Etiwanda (47.45), runner-up Ronny Hall of Serra (47.65) and third place Alexander Rohani from Beverly Hills (48.03). Fifth place was Playa del Rey St. Bernard’s Daniel Mouton (48.82).
The prelims at Buchanan Friday start at 1 p.m. Saturday’s final begins with the field events at 4 p.m. and the running events at 6 p.m.
SPRINTER: Culver City High School senior Kenia Bonilla finishes fifth in the 200-meter dash at 24.79 seconds in the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 Track and Field Championships. The Centaur senior won the CIF Divison 2 title in the girls 400 meter run at 56.40
Photo by Joe Snyder
FINISH: Centaur senior Jonathan Moniz heads for the finish line in anchoring Culver City’s 4 x 400-meter relay to victory in the CIF-Southern Section Division II Track and Field Championships. Moniz and his three sophomore teammates compete in the CIF State prelims at Buchanan High School in Clovis Friday.
Photo by Joe Snyder
Ex-Centaur all-star wins record setting paddle tennis major
Former Culver City High School four-year baseball and football letterman Scott Freedman recorded his record setting 65th major paddle tennis tournament victory, teaming with ex-USC tennis All- American Kent Seton to win the Pro Division of the National Beach Championships, May 25-26, at St. Augustine, Fla.
Considered the best player in the world the past two decades, Freedman, a former All-League Centaur second baseman, has won more than 200 paddle tennis tournament titles.
Culver City financial services consultant Daryl Lemon placed third with partner Marcus Kramer, a Florida native. Ex-Culver City High School two-way All-Ocean League football player Steve Johnson took the Men’s Open competition with partner Marcus Canillas of Los Angeles. Frank Galindo of Culver City and Chuck Garcia of Los Angeles finished fourth.
Culver City business owner Sonia Ode Lucie and partner Sandrine Lima of Santa Monica placed second in Women’s Pro in the annual Memorial Day weekend tournament played on the hard packed sand at Butler Beach.
Eight time National Beach Men’s Open and Masters champion Mike Cohen of Culver City and Bill Brothers of St. Augustine successfully defended their Masters title over St. Augustine natives and former tournament winners in the finals. U.S. Paddle Tennis Association President John Coray of Lawndale and partner Donald Land of Redondo Beach took third in the division.
