Khalid-Ertl duel closes classic

On paper, this meet didn’t seem necessary. 

The Monache, Porterville and Granite Hills track and field teams had already battled for supremacy earlier this month, but the intensity was upped considerably for the sequel. 

The girls’ triangular-meet competition came down to the final straightaway of the night’s last race — the 1600-meter relay -— at Jacob Rankin Stadium, Wednesday night.

Monache senior Faiza Khalid, who had already won the 100- and 300-meter hurdles, took the baton with a near 30-meter lead on Porterville freshman Savannah Ertl, who took first in the 400- and 800-meter races earlier.

Ertl, despite her having more mileage than her older opponent, reeled in Khalid with 100 meters to go and was about to cap an astonishing comeback with both coaches and cheering sections screaming. But Khalid wouldn’t let it happen. 

She out-kicked Ertl in the final stretch to push her team to a 4:27.1 time and secure a 70-65 win for the Monache girls. 

“It was just an exciting moment,” Monache coach Brian Cruess said. “I put Faiza at the end (anchor leg) because I thought she was our fastest and if it came down to it, I really felt like she could out-sprint anybody to the finish. That’s kind of how it happened. I didn’t really expect (Ertl) to catch her but when she did, Faiza did have the speed.”

Hailey Page, Darlin Hornsby and Mercedes Alcantar gave Khalid a decent margin to work with, but when she heard Ertl’s footsteps, it was the crowd and fear of failure that propelled her.

“That was the most butterflies ever,” Khalid said. “(I was thinking) just do it; even if you you die. Because everybody’s gonna be mad at me. What brought me in was everybody cheering me on. I think that’s what made me win.”

The Marauder boys had the win sewn up by the time the four-by-four teams took to the track, as they scored 69.5 points to the Panthers’ 65. 

“I can’t say enough about Porterville really. It’s just great to have this kind of competition in our city. They’re making us work hard. We kind of had our way for a while but it looks like Porterville’s not gonna let us do that anymore.”

Ertl shined brightest in orange and green Friday, as she won the 400 by a gargantuan four seconds (63.7) and upset the 800-meter favorite, Monache’s Darlin Hornsby, later on.

Ertl has had troubles with shin splints this season and was competing in the two-lap race for just the second time of the year.

“She is an animal out there. She doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘quit,’” Porterville coach Robert Steigleder said. “She’s kind of a secret weapon for us in that race.”

Hornsby had the lead at the halfway point but Ertl, like she did to Khalid, caught up to Hornsby and had enough to hold off the junior Marauder. Once Ertl hopped into lane two and passed her toward the end of the race, Hornsby tried to match the freshman’s kick but couldn’t and fell to the ground at the finish line.  

“She expected to win, she usually does,” Cruess said. (Ertl) ran an outstanding race. That was Darlin’s best time; I can’t fault her. She ran her heart out. She got to the end and couldn’t go another step.”

In the boys’ 800, the city’s middle distance kingpin, Granite Hills’ Tommy Brumfield, was also pushed to the finish by an underdog — Porterville junior William Samarin. Brumfield had to out-lean Samarin at the line to take a race he thought he had in control.

“I was equally impressed with the Porterville kid, who I hadn’t seen before,” Granite coach Chris Ross said. “He came up and really challenged Tommy. Honestly, at the finish line I couldn’t tell who was first. He wasn’t expecting it at all. He came up to me and goes ‘I didn’t even hear the kid.’”

Brumfield also won the 400 in 52.9. Ross said Brumfield likely will just run the 800 at next week’s EYL championship meet.

In sprints, Alex Shew, who joined the team just for this meet, won the 100-meter dash in 13.8 while Monache’s Adrian Rico edged Granite’s DeShawn Tisdale to win the boys’ race in 11.6.

Monache’s Ulyses Serna was the favorite in that race but pulled up 50 meters in, re-injuring his groin.

“I kind of think this is gonna be the one that’s gonna take him out,” Cruess said. “It did look bad. I was debating whether to put him in or out and he said, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine.’ But you just never know with these things. You could be fine then the next thing you know, you’re not fine at all.”

Monache’s Ulises Zaragoza and Porterville’s Josh Beer ran neck and neck throughout the 3200-meter run but Zaragoza outsprinted Beer, beating him by two seconds in 11:06.

Grizzlies’ hurdler Julian Espino won both hurdle events and Monache’s 400-meter relay squad nipped Granite’s by a tenth of a second (46 seconds). The Grizzlies’ 1600-meter relay team won by five seconds (3:48.3), however.

In the field events, Panthers Noel Garcia and Robert Herrera won both the long and triple jumps with Herrera adding the a high jump first as well. Freshman Grizzly Raul Mata won the JV shot put and discus and his 121-foot, 6-inch heave bested all varsity competitors as well. 

Other winners include:

Girls:

Alex Shew, Porterville - High jump - 4'8

Alecia Gonzales, Porterville - 200-meter dash - 29.0

Darlin Hornsby, Monache  - 1600 meters - 6:05

Alysa Alvarez, Monache - 3200 meters - 13:41

Porterville girls' 4 x 100-meter relay - 53.3

Mia Anderson, Porterville - Pole vault - 8'

Victoria Almanza, Granite Hills - Shot put - 30'4

Jakie Moton, Porterville - Discus - 105'

Boys:

Jordan McIntire, Porterville - 200-meter dash - 25.0

Michael Taylor, Monache - 1600 meters - 4:58.7

Jace Kelly, Porterville - Pole vault - 9'6

Israel Roman, Granite Hills - Shot put - 42'

Erik Ramirez, Monache - Discus - 118'9

Contact Sam Robinson at 784-5000, Ext. 1049 or at srobinson@portervillerecorder.com.

Due to a scoring error that was corrected on Thursday, the Porterville boys actually won this meet, 68.5 to Monache's 66.5