Shadow Ridge boys soar

Shadow Ridge track coach Jeff Lewis calls himself a numbers cruncher, and looking at the heat sheets for Friday's Sunset Region championships at Del Sol, he thought his Mustangs would be in a tight battle.

Lewis was correct, as his Mustangs, defending champion Cimarron-Memorial and experience-laden Palo Verde were separated by one point heading into the 1,600-meter relay, the meet's last event.

Thanks to Shadow Ridge's second-place finish in the finale, the Mustangs grabbed their first regional title, with a 41/2-point win over the Spartans.

In the girls meet, Centennial dominated the hurdle events and never looked back in cruising to the crown, defeating 2007 champion Cimarron-Memorial by 37 points.

Lewis, who saw the last event alone on the visitor's side of the stadium, was thrilled with his team's performance against two solid programs.

"It's a compliment to our coaches and athletes for what we accomplished tonight," said Lewis, named Regional Coach of the Year. "I knew it was going to be a fight, and our kids really competed.

"We have a great coaching staff from field events, distance, hurdlers and relays."

Shadow Ridge's victory overshadowed an excellent performance by Cimarron sophomore Stephen Nixon. Nixon successfully defended his titles in the 100 (10.79 seconds) and the 200 (21.93). In addition, Nixon anchored two relays that also won regional titles. Cimarron won the 800 relay in a regional record time of 1:27.07 and posted a 42.22 time in the 400 relay.

Palo Verde finished third in the boys division with 83 points, and Mojave took fourth with 70.

"To beat excellent programs like Palo Verde and Cimarron is a testament to these kids," Lewis said. "We had a goal of winning regionals all season long, and they never lost sight of the goal."

Two other regional records were set Friday, as Spring Valley senior Jordan Rincon set a record in the 400 with a time of 47.73. Centennial senior Tailhar Hasson set a new mark in the 1,600, breaking the old mark -- 4:19.98 -- by almost 10 seconds.

The girls title was in the Bulldogs' hands long before the night's final event. Centennial and Cimarron were tied heading into Friday's competition, but the Bulldogs didn't take long to grab the lead.

Alicia Walker and Marie Ireland combined for nine points in the 100, and the Bulldogs never looked back. Centennial put things away a few events later by outscoring the Spartans 21-6 in the hurdle events.

"We have kids with a lot of heart," said Centennial assistant coach Jessica Scobell, a Cimarron graduate. "I hate to see Cimarron lose, but that's just the way the cookie crumbles. We had people step things up today, and we had a few surprises."

Centennial scored 1141/2 points, and Cimarron finished with 771/2. Shadow Ridge finished third, five points ahead of Palo Verde.

The lone regional record in the girls competition was set in the 800, as Western junior Ansherae Devine finished in a time of 2:16.64. Two other senior runners successfully defended their crowns. Shadow Ridge's LeNette Battle, who was disqualified in the 100 hurdles, came back to win the 300 hurdles (45.13). Palo Verde's Ashley Wimmer took the 1,600 (5:14.55).