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South could rule the short races By Don Hunt KLAMATH FALLS � As the Southern Oregon Conference boys district track meet gets underway today at Oregon Institute of Technology, uncertainty abounds in the shorter races. Predicting who will win the sprints is never an exact science. The favorite can fall victim to a bad start or a false start, and pulled muscles have wiped out more than one speed-burner over the years. The relays have the added risk of dropped batons and sprinters running out of their lanes. This season has been more out of sync than usual because three of the SOC�s top sprinters � defending 100- and 200-meter champion Parker Lane of Grants Pass, Thomas O�Brien of North Medford and D.J. Munoz of Klamath Union � have missed much of the spring with hamstring pulls. All are expected to be on the starting line when the meet unfolds today beginning at 11:30 a.m., but will they be there at the finish line? The most consistent group of sprinters belongs to South Medford, where Andres Reed, Jonathan Klenke and Justin Baldoni have dominated the 100, 200 and 4x100 relay. Along with Kelly King, the young foursome has set a school record in the short relay, clocking 43.52 at the Grants Pass Rotary Invitational meet early this month. "They�ve been very consistent all year long," South Medford coach Bill Rowan says. "Andres, Jonathan and Justin have swept the 100 and 200 in almost every meet, and the only time our short relay lost was up at Roseburg when we were disqualified." The 4x100 relay squad is intact from a year ago, when King, Reed and Klenke were freshmen and Baldoni was a sophomore. The quartet wasn�t expected to make much noise at the 2000 district meet, but nearly advanced to state when Grants Pass dropped its baton. The South squad has to be considered the favorite this time around � the finals of the boys 4x100 relay are set for 1:10 p.m. Saturday � even though none of the Panther runners appears to possess the all-out speed of Lane, O�Brien and possibly Munoz. "The advantage our kids have is that they�ve been together for two years and they know each other well," Rowan says. "They run their staggers well and their handoffs have been smooth. Having a good relay requires more than just speed." While the sprint events are as unpredictable as ever, Klamath Union distance standouts Lauren Jespersen and Hector Gomez are near cinches to win their specialties. Jespersen owns the state�s fastest time in the 800 (1:53.58), while Gomez owns the state�s best time in the 3,000 (8:27.59). Both are also entered in the 1,500 and could go 1-2 in that event. The dandy duo headlines a Pelicans boys squad that many have labeled the favorite. "They�ve got a talented group of kids, they�re well-coached and they�ll be competing in their hometown," says North Medford coach Mark Hodges, whose team also figures to be in the title hunt. "They�ve got a lot of things going for them." Two-time defending champion Grants Pass should also be in the title chase. Today�s action will include finals in the boys pole vault, long jump, high jump, discus and 3,000, and in the girls discus, long jump, javelin and 3,000. The meet picks up Saturday at 11 a.m. The first running event Saturday � the girls 4x100 relay � begins at 1 p.m. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.