To start the day Elvis Percy who was a surprise qualifier in the shot put earned a 6th place finish with an opening throw of 46-4.75.

His second throw was a 41-7 heave where he lost his balance. His furthest throws of the day were his final 2 fouls. Both much further than his original throw on the day.

Elvis caps this season playing 3 varsity sports for the league champion football, basketball, and track & field programs. He was also an All CIF selection for football and his 6th place finish earned him all CIF in shot put as well.

The division was won by John Sua of St. Joseph's of Santa Maria who was making his 4th CIF finals appearance. His teammate Zach Perrin took 2nd earning 18 points for St. Joe's and in 3rd place was Jason Harrell of Serra (Gardena) earning valuable points to keep hopes for their dominating CIF championship streak alive.

Jared Demoss qualifed in the 100m and 200m after finishing 8th and 5th respectively at the CIF preliminary meet in Carpinteria last week.
His 6th place (all CIF) 100m time was 11.11.

The 100m divisional champion was Serra's David Spann a junior who ran an 10.70. Three Serra runners placed taking 23 points in the 100m.

The top 100m mark of the day went to UCLA bound senior Randall Carroll of Cathedral with an amazing time of 10.39 and a 2.8 wind.

In the 200m Demoss ran a time of 22.51 with a 2.5 wind. He edged out sophomore Jonathan Berry-Smith of Oxford Academy with a better thousand of a second time to earn his second All CIF performance of the day.

The division champion hailed again from Serra, junior Robert Wood who lead 4 Serra runners earning the Cavaliers 25 points in the race. His time was 21.43.

Randall Carroll ran a 20.93 with a 2.6 wind to have the top time of the day leading into next week masters meet.

The Wildcats finished the day with 9 points and a 15th place finish overall.

Coaches Comments:
Jared was a consistent contributor to this program for 4 years and it's sad when you lose a natural talent like him. We will not replace him in the near future and I don't see his record (100m 10.89) falling anytime soon. He broke a record that was almost 30 years old. His ability will be sorely missed next season and the seasons to come.

Elvis went through a tough season and to finish out with an All CIF performance feels good. PRing at his biggest meet of the year is the way it is supposed to be done. He has been a pleasant athlete to be around the last 3 seasons and I will miss him greatly.

The preliminary meet is held in Carpinteria, California.
It is the same location as our Russell Cup meet (April 18).

This meet is over 230 miles away it will be a long day.

We ask that athletes are sent PREPARED. They should be armed with sunblock, an umbrella, layered clothing, equipment/uniforms, and snacks/water/gatorade at the very least.

We will leave 6:00am sharp from the HS, we will cruise, eat breakfast together, then head to the stadium. My goal is to arrive at the stadium at 10:15.

Please bring extra money since we will be eating breakfast and dinner. The district provides $5 per athlete.

The Athletic Director has stated that NO ATHLETES will be riding with non authorized personnel or parents. You cannot ride with so & so's parents.

Vehicle assignments:
Coach Morton
Juwan
Billy
Danuelle
Ariel
Elvis
Zach

Parents please read the letter sent home with your child FRIDAY (15th) giving you some basic information about this trip.

Admission Prices
$7.00 for adults
$5.00 for HS students w/ ID
$5.00 for children 13u

CANOPIES AND OTHER OVERHEAD COVERINGS WILL BE PERMITTED IN THE TOP ROW OF THE SPECTATOR BLEACHERS ONLY AT ESTANCIA HIGH SCHOOL. SPACE IS LIMITED AND ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED BASIS ONLY.

The following athletes advanced to the CIF Preliminary meet in Carpinteria. Marks are not included but may be posted at a later date!

Danuelle Boone (Jr.) 200m, 4x400m
Shontae Brown (Sr.) 4x400m
Jared Demoss (Sr.) 100m, 200m
Ariel Nesbit (Sr.) 100m, 200m, 4x400m
Ashley Nixon (Jr.) 200m, 4x400m
Elvis Percy (Sr.) SP, DT
Caldwell Perrine (Sr.) 800m, 4x400m
Juwan Rice (So.) LJ
Lenore Roberts (Fr.) 100mIH
Sara Roberts (Fr.) 3200m
Billy Smith (So.) TJ
Gabe Tafoya (Sr.) 4x400m
Kellie Weiczorek (Sr.) 4x400m
Isaac Zapata (Sr.) 4x400m

More information will be posted about the meet.
Please click on our CIF playoff bulletin to see if what you may be looking for is located! Or head to this site, it is the Track & Field Bible for California Track & Field!

Team Pictures will be Monday @ 3:00pm sharp.
Bring your uniforms and sweats!


League finals are this Thursday @ DHSHS.
You must qualify for CIF at this meet.

League qualifying standards are posted in the HANDOUT section.
CIF standards are in the column to the left.

On April 22nd The Wildcat boys and girls track teams traveled to Yucca Valley to take on the Trojans for the De Anza league title for 2009. The trojans have been the the league defending champions for the past several years and were not ready to abdicate the throne.

The wildcat boys team consisted of 17 determined athletes and knew they would have to be at their best to upset the defending champs. The meet did not start well for the Wildcats losing the 4x100 relay and the valuable 5 points that went along with it.

In the 1600 meter run Issac Zapata running injured managed to run a courageous race to place second and pick up 3 points for the team. Issac repeated his feat in the 3200 meter run also picking up 3 valuable points. Down early in the meet the Wildcats battled back With Jared De Moss winning the 100 and 200meter sprints and 10 much needed points for the wildcats.

In the hurdles Keith Ross picked up another 10 points winning the 110 and 300 hurdles with Gabe Tafoya grabbing 4 valuable points also in the hurdles. Elvis Percy won the shot put and 5 points by throwing his all time best when the team needed it most, Elvis also scored in the discus. Zack Zietz finished second in the high jump and the wildcat jumpers Billy Smith and Chris Shotwell scored valuable point in their events. Caldwell Perrine and Alex Boice scored a total of 6 points in the 800 meter run with Caldwell finishing first and Alex, a courageous third. Perrine also scored in the 400 meter run.

When all was said and done the league championship would be decided by the winner of the 4x400 meter race. Short handed the wildcats turned to Gabe Tafoya to fill in for the wildcats. With the Trojans fastest runner against Keith Ross of the Wildcats in the first leg the cats fell behind but Ross stayed close enough to keep the cats in contention. Ross handed off to Gabe Tafoya who blew out of the start on a mission that would not be denied and made up the Trojan lead and more as he handed off to Caldwell Perrine giving him a 10 meter lead.

Caldwell who always is at his best when the team is concerned ran his fastest leg of the year opening up the wildcat lead by 10 more meters before handing off to Jared Demoss who ran a powerful anchor leg to secure the victory and the league championship for the wildcats. The wildcat team and fans erupted in celebration as the race was won. The last time the wildcats had won the championship was 2000.

The lady wildcats gave a valiant try but the scrappy little 15 women team came up shot to the powerful Trojan ladies for second in the De Anza league bettering their previous years finish of third in league. Stand out wildcat ladies athletes for the wildcats were Shontae Brown, Lenore and Sara Roberts, Breanna and Jackie Morrissey, Monica Tree, Danielle Boone, Ariel Nesbit, Kellie Wieczorek, Erica Hennings, Josie Harris, Shanna Brookins, Ashley Nixon, Stephanie Orozco, and Veronica Rodriguez.

The Wildcats compete in the Flying Tiger Invitational on April 25 and then League finals on May 7 to try to gain berths to the CIF playoffs.

WILDCATS CLAW TROJANS FOR 35TH DE ANZA LEAGUE TITLE

It wasn't pretty, nor smooth, nor graceful, and at times it was downright ugly. At the end of the day it was one thing, a victory.

For the first time in 9 years the Wildcat boys track and field team was able to take home the De Anza League championship. Home to a place where it had been more than 20 times.

In a season full of peaks and valleys the meet ran much the same way. The Wildcats started out by losing the first race in a blowout fashion. The Trojan 4x1 team dominated out of the gate and gave senior Jared Demoss no chance for a comeback victory in the back stretch.

Over the course of the day the Trojans and Wildcats battled back and forth. If we won first, they won second and third, and vice versa. Each event played out like a chess match, an extra point here and there for both sides.

In the 1600 meters Isaac Zapata squeezed in a second place finish while running injured. In the 800m the distance corps ran another two man finish with points earned by seniors Caldwell Perrine and surprise 3rd place Alex Boice who earned valuable points by running a strategically masterful race against the Trojans.

Elvis Percy PR'd in the shot put with a heave of 46 feet and despite a down day at discus it was enough to win the coveted 5 points with a toss of 125 feet. He beat out his best friend and former Wildcat athlete, Trojan senior, Daniel Evans by a couple of feet.

Towards the end of the meet, after the field events results came in the Wildcats were holding on to a slim lead with only 3 events left.

Junior newcomer, Zach Zeitz garnered cheers from the Wildcat crowd with a valiant 5-2 effort to have the bar moved up to 5-4 and remain in contention for much needed points. He wasn't able to clear the height, but still earned the coveted 3 points, with Billy Smith earning 1 for his third place finish.

Up next once again was captain Isaac Zapata with a courageous 3200m effort. He remained in the middle of two Trojan runners throughout the race only to come up short for first place in the last 200m of the race. However he earned valuable points to keep the Wildcats ahead by 2 points heading into the final race.

The 4x4 relay team consisted of 4 seniors, first leg Keith Ross, second leg Gabe Tafoya, third leg Caldwell Perrine, and anchor Jared Demoss. As each athlete performed wonderfully throughout the day in their respective individual events, it came down to this single 4 man effort. The title hopes rested on these legs.

Out of the gate Yucca went with one of their stronger runners to give the Trojans a 40 meter lead. Gabe Tafoya cut the lead quickly meeting up with the Yucca runner on the second, passing him, then giving gave Caldwell Perrine a 20 meter lead. At this point Caldwell came scorching out of the gate maintaining the lead and finally passing the baton to Jared Demoss. "White Lightning" flew out of the first turn and began to hit a wall on the straight away as the Yucca runner began to creep up intensely. Finally as Demoss hit the final turn, his hunting ground, he maintained his lead and cruised in to claim himself, the relay, and the Wilddcats
victorious!

The 29 Palms crowd began to cheer but awaited for the official results before the real celebration started, the announcer made it official: Wildcats 66, Trojans 61.

The Lady Wildcats competed earnestly throughout the meet but in the end came up short. The Trojans had too many horses against our 15 women. There were entire events where the Lady Wildcats didn't have a single competitor and in a dual that makes all the difference. Despite that, the Lady Wildcats finished their season with a respectable 2nd place finish in league, better than the third place from last season.

Outstanding Lady Wildcats were Monica Tree and Shontae Brown, both distance runners who truly forced the hand of Trojan runners making them run their race.

Other meet highlights:
Senior, Jared Demoss, double 1st place, 100m, 200m
Freshman Nofo Fe'ao, double PR, LJ (16-5) and TJ (34-6)
Senior, Stephanie Orozco, in her 2nd to last performance DT PR (57-5).
Senior, Keith Ross, double 1st place, 110HH and 300IH
Senior, Gabe Tafoya, double second place, 110HH and 300IH 2nd places


Coach Comments:
We got points from unlikely sources and it feels good to have kids step up when others stumble. A meet like this really reminds us that track and field really is a team sport. At this meet we were as close a team we've ever been this year and it's a nice feeling. It reminds me of the good old days.

At this point I'd like for Elvis to be further along. Maybe I am not pushing him enough. This weekend will help me gauge his progress and how we will approach training for league finals.

Jared Demoss asked me for words of encouragement right before the 4x4 race. A kid like that doesn't need words. Once I told him that I think he realized that at this point words don't do anything. He knows what needs to be done and they dig down deep and just do it. You either will or you won't. He decided that he would. I felt complete confidence that our relay team would bring it home for us because they simply had no other option. For seniors, there is no next year.

Our girls have made strides this year and if we can keep this group together and just make a couple of additions so we can have a few more girls doing field it will help out tremendously. They did all they could considering we started the meet automatically down 27 points.

This year the Flying Tiger will be the biggest ever. Their staff is anticipating over 1,000 athletes and this will be one of the longest run invites ever. Similar to Russell Cup, it's important that we attend this meet PREPARED.


Double and triple check your equipment (uniform, shoes, spikes)

Have your spikes put in on FRIDAY NIGHT so we don't have to deal with it on the bus.

Dress in layers.

If you have a small umbrella (or even a big one) pack it.

Bring something you can lay on.

Extra money may be needed as you will likely eat at least once during this meet (lunch) and we will still stop for dinner on the way home.

Easy snacks: crackers, oranges, bananas, tiger milk bars, etc

This meet is held at the wonderful facility at San Jacinto High School: Home of the Tigers. Here is a map to the school to view. Here are the directions to San Jacinto High School (from Stater Bros.)

Waking up at 3:30 in the morning and taking a 4 hour drive out to the coast proved to be well worth it. The Wildcats took home two titles and an outstanding athlete of the meet, complements of Senior, Jared Demoss.

Demoss successfully defended his crown as the fastest at the Cup with a blazing time of 10.89, a time only .05 seconds off the meet record on a day where many records fell at the Cup. He also dominated the 200 meter field and won despite hitting the wall with about 15 yards left to the finish. He ended the day with an outstanding athlete of the meet award and a trip to the beach for some intrasqad football!

Other highlights of the day included PR's by track newcomer Keith Ross in the 110HH with a time of 17.44 and a courageous tumble on his first hurdle of the 300 intermediates only to near win his heat. Track Captain, Isaac Zapata double PR'd with a 1600 time of 4:46.51 and ending the day with a 3200 time of 10:32.78 besting his previous times by 8 and 4 seconds respectively.

Freshman Sara Roberts bested her previous 3200 time by 9 seconds with a Cup time of 13:36.06.

Silent on the day were the field events as injuries and sick bugs kept most of the jumpers and throwers out of contention for PR's or medals. The top performer for the Wildcats was freshman Nofo Fe'ao who had another consistent performance in the triple jump with a mark of 33-9.75.

The next meet for the Wildcats will be for the De Anza League title against the Yucca Valley Trojans, Wednesday, 22nd @ 3:15. The Wildcats have not won a league title in 9 years (girls or boys) while the Trojans are the 2 time defending boys and girls champions.

For more information about the 90th Annual Russell Cup please click the link.


Coach Comments:
This wasn't the best meet for the team overall but Jared made strides with where he's at in the 100m. The 200m is a different story and it showed that his endurance is an issue. If we can nail down a solid workout with 4's and 8's I feel confident about how well he'll do at Cerritos.

The jumpers were a collective disappointment. They are a young bunch who is trying to get the mental part of a meet as well as the physical. They are having difficulty learning to internalize their prep. Nofo had another consistent performance and I hope he continues that against Yucca as well as at the Flying Tiger.

The following field athletes are qualified to attend the 90th Annual Russell Cup at Carpinteria High School in Santa Barbara County: Elvis, Stephanie, Billy, Colton, Juwan, Zach, Shotwell, Ariel, Danielle Boone, Nofo, and Kappus.

This is an early up-late back meet and we ask any parents who are willing to drive their athletes to this invitational PLEASE do so. It will allow max participation for the team.

The field squad will be riding with Coach Morton, distance/hurdles/sprinters will be riding w/ Jeremy.

Coach Morton would like athletes to arrive at 4:15 to fill up our drinks cooler with ice as well as coordinate anything with parents, etc. I plan to leave between 4:30-4:45. I want to arrive at CHS by 8:30-8:45.

Any field event parents that are driving up, please contact Coach Morton, I'd like to discuss meet arrival with you personally.

DIRECTIONS:easy (but possible traffic) 10, 101, exit 86
a little extra (extra frwys) 10, 210, 134, 101, exit 86
backway (magic mountain) 210, 126, 101, exit 86


COACH MORTON VAN:
Elvis (Nofo alternate)
Billy
Juwan
Zach
Colton
Shotwell
Ariel (likely switch w/ Kappus)
PARENT TRANSPORT:
Jared
Isaac
Caldwell
JEREMY VAN:
Monica
Shontae
Lenore
Sara
Keith
Kappus (likely switch w/ Ariel)

Our final league dual at Yucca Valley High School has been postponed until next Wednesday due to the winds.

Our boys and girls teams are both undefeated. The defending champion Trojans teams are also both undefeated. This dual will determine the 2009 De Anza League Champion.

It has been 9 years since the Wildcats have won league (boys & girls) in Track and Field.

The scheduled meet start time is 3:15 at Yucca Valley High School!

Mon Apr 6
Two Separate Practices
7am morning session @ Luckie Park
6pm evening session @ High School

Tue, Wed, Thr, Fri @ 5pm at the High School

The Wildcats traveled all the way out to Thermal to compete in a double De Anza League dual against the Big Bear Bears and the Desert Mirage Rams.

Double duals are unique from tri meets because of the nature of the scoring. Basically it's like 2 meets in one. 29 Palms competed SEPARATELY against Big Bear and Desert Mirage at the same time.

The boys and girls teams both won handily. While the girls score was a little closer, it still kept both teams undefeated in league at 3-0.
This sets up the league finale against the two time defending league champions Yucca Valley Trojans, whose boys and girls teams have dominated the league the last two seasons.

Juwan Rice PR'd in the triple jump with a 37-11 an inch from his goal of 38 for the day. Zach Zeitz also PR'd with a 31-0 in the triple.

Billy Smith tied for first in the high jump while Juwan Rice took 3rd against Big Bear.

Newcomer Ariel Nesbit took first in the girls long jump with an outstanding 14-2 and also competed well in the sprints.


Coach Comments:
It was a good day for the team but we can't really be pleased with ourselves. This is a momentum builder to work harder for this Yucca meet. We travel to Yucca two days after the spring break and that will something to overcome in itself.

Elvis is inching closer to the 150 mark. This is a mark he needs to get comfortable throwing heading into prelims. It's a solid goal and he can't have any bad days at meets if he wants to be a CIF champion. He's progressing better in the discus than the shot put right now, but that was expected.

Ariel has the tools to be a solid jumper. I was happy for her to get a victory so she knows she is capable of being a good jumper in our league.
Danielle is just beginning and once she hits that board look out, she will be fine, those scratches mean nothing right now.

The following athletes need to turn equipment that was issued to them for track & field: Eddie Garcia & Alofa Luke. I will be turning names into Slotta for reimbursement to the track and field team. We need these uniforms urgently as there are still athletes on the team competing WITHOUT UNIFORMS.

Wildcats vs. Desert Hot Springs High School Golden Eagles

The Wildcats traveled to their first league meet of the season at the DHSHS facility. This was not only our first league meet, but the only opportunity to compete at the site of our De Anza League finals.

The boys avenged last seasons controversial loss to the Golden Eagles. The girls started of the season with a win despite their small numbers.

The Wildcats won by a single point, led by Jared Demoss who earned 1st places in the 100m, 200m, and the BOYS SHOT PUT. Yes, that is the boys shot put with a throw of 37-0.


Coach Comments:
We weren't able to get all the HJ points because of clearance issues and we will work to rectify that for future meets. It shouldn't have come down to 1 point.

Fortunately, Jared asked to throw shot put while on the bus, possibly an hour before the meet. He's a natural athlete so it was obviously not even something I had to think about. If he doesn't throw today, we don't win.

I am using this FREE URL REDIRECT!
29palmstrackandfield.co.nr
http://www.freedomain.co.nr/index.php

This is our temporary quick link.

www.leaguelineup/29palms is also the website link!

PIG ROAST INFORMATION
Make sure you take the same bus as NOFO after school on Friday (3/27).
Most of you already know where you're headed.
Don't worry about transportation home, we'll figure it out.

BEAUMONT INVITATIONAL
The bus on Saturday (3/28) for BEAUMONT leaves at 6:00am.
We will not be stopping for breakfast.
We will be stopping afterward to eat on the way home.
Bring LAYERS the weather can go from "0-60" pretty quickly.

1ST DE ANZA LEAGUE MEET
Congrats to both teams for winning their first De Anza League meet against Desert Hot Springs on Thursday (3/26). Results and more information coming at a later date.

TRACK & FIELD-A-THON
This fundraising event will take place next Friday (4/03) at the TPHS track. All athletes are asked to earn at least $25.00 worth of pledges/donations.

FIELD SQUAD PRACTICE INFORMATION
Monday-Friday 2:00pm sharp @ the weightroom
If you want to compete in any of the following events you need to attend...
Long Jump
Triple Jump
High Jump
Discus Throw
Shot Put
Next week = Week 9

2009 FINALIZED FIELD SQUAD ROSTER
Colton Byers, Freshman, Jumps
Nofo Fe'ao, Freshman, Jumps
Joe Kappus, Freshman, Throws
Stephanie Orozco, Senior, Throws
Elvis Percy, Senior, Throws
Juwan Rice, Sophomore, Jumps
Chris Shotwell, Junior, Jumps
Billy Smith, Sophomore, Jumps
Zach Zeitz, Junior, Jumps

QUICK RESULTS
29 Palms Wildcats @ Indio High School Rajahs
Sr, Jared Demoss: 1st- 100, 1st- 200
Sr, Elvis Percy: SP (42-8) 1st place, DT (138-0) 2nd place
Fr, Nofo Fe'ao: TJ (32-1), LJ (14-6)
Fr, Colton Byers: TJ (30-5), LJ (14-2)
Jr, Zach Zeitz: TJ (31-0), LJ (15-5), HJ (5-0)
So, Billy Smith: TJ (38-0), LJ (17-6), HJ (5-6)
So, Juwan Rice: TJ (37-5), LJ (18-5), HJ (5-6)

Complete meet results were unavailable at this time. The boys and girls both came up short against Indio and their records are now 1-1.

Coach Comments:

Things didn't go the Wildcat way from the beginning. It's important to have a meet like this so that they can understand that adversity is part of the process. They were a little shell shocked at how not everything is going to be run according to how they think it should be. They are a little spoiled when it comes to being forced to learn proper track and field etiquette.

I get tired of hearing the "big school" excuse. Not all big programs are good. Not all small programs are bad. You just have to go out there and perform and it really is as simple as that.

The boys and girls teams faced off against the Coachella Valley High School Arabs today in a non league dual meet. CVHS is a division 1 school in the neighboring Desert Valley League.

The boys dominated the Arabs from start to end, beginning with the 4x100 meter race anchored by senior Jared Demoss.

The field crew also did some heavy lifting with virtually all newcomers this year led by senior Elvis Percy with a sweep in the shot put (42-1.5) and discus (137-5). Both were PR's for Percy.

On the jumps side, the sole returnee, sophomore Billy Smith was out due to sickness, but the jumpers didn't disappoint. Sophomore Juwan Rice took first in the long jump with a jump of 19-1.5, followed by junior Chris Shotwell with a second place jump of 18-4.

In the high jump Juwan Rice earned a second place finish with a clearance of 5-2.

In the triple jump Juwan Rice led all with a 37-4.5 and 3rd place went to Chris Shotwell with a jump of 34-10.5 Freshman Nofo Fe'ao also jumped 33-10 to give himself a solid starting mark for the season.

The Lady Wildcats also started their season 1-0. Considering the size of the team this was quite a feat as the girls have less than 20 athletes. Led by Shontae Brown and the freshman Roberts sisters our girls will also have a chance to compete for the league title.


Coach Comments:

This is a meet to see where your athletes are at in their training at this point of the season. It's a good gauge to see what technical work needs to be done in terms of actual competition versus the theory in practice.

The girls will have their work cut out for them. All titles go through Yucca and the Trojans have the numbers. They are a huge squad. I am working on getting just one more thrower and at least one jumper and I will more confident about our chances going into that last league meet.
Our distance corps has the most experience and is the most cohesive unit on the team. They will be the leaders of our team this year.

For the boys, overall I was pleased with what I saw. We have a young group of jumpers and while I expect peaks and valleys with their training I think our depth will help us in the hunt for the league title.

Elvis just has to continue to get better. This years titles are his for the taking.

Jared Demoss will be a sight to watch this season. I look forward to watching him progress as a sprinter and possibly a long jumper, discus thrower, or hurdler. If he's open to new things for his senior year he could be positioning himself to be the first athlete in almost a decade to earn an athletic scholarship. I would love to see him work hard this year so that I can make those drives out to watch him next year in another uniform.

DATE DAY MEET/OPPONENT
3/12 Thr Dual (home) vs. Coachella Valley
3/19 Thr Dual @ Indio
3/26 Thr DAL Meet @ Desert Hot Springs
3/28 Sat Cougar Invitational @ Beaumont HS
4/01 Wed DAL double dual @ Desert Mirage w/ Big Bear
4/15 Wed DAL Meet @ Yucca Valley
4/18 Sat Russell Cup @ Carpinteria HS
4/25 Sat Flying Tiger Invite @ San Jacinto HS
5/07 Thr CIF Qualifying Meet (TBD)
5/16 Sat CIF Prelims @ Carpinteria HS
5/23 Sat CIF Finals @ Cerritos College

Track & Field conditioning is taking place @ 3:30pm after school at the track. Athletes who are not involved in winter sports should be participating.

Potential 2009 Schedule:
DATE, OPPONENT/MEET/LOCATION
03/07, Ram Relays @ Desert Mirage HS
03/14, Relays of Champions @ Rancho Verde HS (Moreno Valley)
03/21, San Jacinto Relays @ San Jacinto HS
03/25, DAL Dual vs. Desert Hot Springs
03/28, Cougar Classic @ Beaumont HS
04/01, DAL Dual @ Desert Mirage HS (Thermal)
04/04, Michelle Perry Invite @ Paraclete HS (Lancaster)
04/08, DAL Dual @ Yucca Valley HS
04/11, High Desert Frosh/Soph Challenge @ Apple Valley HS
04/18, Russell Cup @ Carpinteria HS
04/18, San Jacinto Frosh/Soph Invite @ San Jacinto HS
04/22, DAL Dual vs. Big Bear HS
04/25, Flying Tiger Invitational @ San Jacinto HS
05/07, De Anza League Finals (CIF Qualifying) @ Desert Hot Springs HS
05/16, Division IV Preliminaries @ Carpinteria HS
05/23, Southern Section Finals @ Mt. SAC
05/29, Southern Section Masters @ Mt. SAC

We will not ALL of the meets listed above, however we will attend SELECT meets.

In a whirlwind month of May, two athletes represented the Wildcat Track and Field athletes at the 2008 CIF Southern Section Divisional Championships held in Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.

In a scorching 100 degree heat, Jared Demoss (100, 200) and Anthony Bennett (TJ) made the trek to the inland empire in hopes of PR's, points, and maybe even a longshot bid to the distinguished Masters meet.

Leading off for the Wildcats was Anthony Bennett, his first mark of 38-10.75 was one of only 5 marks in a round of failed attempts.

On his second attempt, he improved by a few inches and earned a 39-0.75 and his third attempt improved over a foot and he jumped 40-11 taking 8th place and earning a point for the Wildcats and well as All CIF status.

Coach Morton had positive "He ended with a foul but it wasn't indicative of how well he actually jumped."

The next event of the day was the 100m dash. Jared Demoss earned a time of 11.15 taking 5th place and earning All CIF Honors. In the 200m, Demoss nabbed the final spot earning a point and a medal for the Cats with a time of 22.52.


This meet marked the end of the high school season. A summer track program will begin for interested high schoolers after the 4th of July. The 13u youth may start practicing as early as June while Cross Country will start its regular training routine. The coaching staff will make announcements in the immediate future.

Six Wildcats travelled to Carpinteria High School to compete in the CIF preliminary meet in hopes of earning a spot at the Divisional Championship meet. Of the 6 athletes, Jared Demoss led the cats with two qualifying performances in the 100m (11.11) and the 200m (22.47).

In the mid distances sophomore Kelli Weiczorek ran the 800m in 2:40.10 while junior, Shauntae Brown ran in the distances. She earned a 12:55.78 in the 3200m.

Senior Jimmy Nguyen ran two personal bests in the 110m high hurdles and 300m intermediate hurdles with times of 16.99 and 44.71 respectively. Two other seniors, both jumpers, earned alternate status to next weeks meet with. Captain Shaquanta Caldwell represented the Wildcats in 3 events. Her 100m time of 13.32 earned her a top 20 finish, as well as her 200m time of 28.16. In the long jumped she missed qualifying status by less than 3 inches with a mark of 16.4.

Anthony Bennett's long jump of 19-9.5 earned a 21st place, however his triple jump of 42-2 was a 2 foot personal record. He attributed his specified workouts for the second phase in his jump as the primary reason for the improvement. He will continue to train hoping to make another improvement in the pit.

Starting next Monday, 3 Wildcats will train for Saturdays Championship meet. The event will take place at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, CA.

CIF-SS Association Rule eliminated: Allows for contact between coach/athlete outside of season

Los Alamitos CA

PRESS RELEASE #27
TELEFAXED: P.M. APRIL 24, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: THOM SIMMONS
CIF-SS ASSOCIATION RULE TO BE ELIMINATED

(LOS ALAMITOS) – For the first time in 32 years the CIF Southern Section will eliminate out-of-season restrictions on coaches working with their student-athletes. In a 41-37 vote of the CIF Southern Section Council, Rule 313 of the CIF Southern Section Constitution and By-Laws (otherwise known as the “Bluebook”) will be eliminated from the by-laws beginning July 1, 2008.

Rule 313, otherwise referred to as the “Association Rule” read: During the school year, prior to the established date for authorized before and after-school practice in a particular sport and following an individual’s or team’s last authorized competition, a student may receive athletic instruction in a CIF Southern Section approved sport only during one regularly scheduled physical education period in which the student is enrolled and earning credit for that particular sport. (Note: Before and after-school practice is authorized in all sports from May 12, 2008 until the close of school, maximum 15 days.)

The rule, in effect, eliminated any type of contact between an individual sports coach and a student-athlete in that sport during the school year and outside of the season of sport except for one hour. The responsibility
will now rest with individual schools on how much contact a coach and student-athlete can have during the school year.

In other CIF-SS Council matters a proposal that would have separated public and private schools in championship playoffs in all sports was withdrawn by the league (Century) that had proposed it with the understanding that it
could be presented as a first-read item again in October.

All athletes will be notified prior to the Yucca meet about the standards to enter the league CIF qualifying meet on Thursday May 1st. This meet will be held at DHS and you cannot participate in this meet w/out a qualifying mark.

CIF Preliminary entries are decided from THIS MEET.

CIF standards will be posted upon the completion of the league meet!

The 29 Palms Wildcats traveled to San Jacinto to participate in the Flying Tiger Invitational. Long hailed as a throwers paradise for TPHS, this seasons team took a different look to the meet. Only 13 athletes made the trip and only two of four throwers, both rookies, were on hand.

Top performers included captains Shaquanta Caldwell and Jared Demoss both earning 4th place finishes. In the 100m dash, both athletes ran against Hamilton athletes in what may be a preview of a CIF prelims. Caldwell earned 8th place with a time of 13.64 while Demoss tied for 4th with a time of 11.32. Anza Hamilton athletes Neisha Holt ran a 13.46 and Chappell Bell and Daniel Edwards clocked in with 11.50 and 11.51 respectively.

In the 200m Jared Demoss finished with a time of 23.44, while Shaquanta earned her 4th place in the long jump with a jump of 16-2.5

Team Stats:
Girls - 400m Relay (1:00.62)
Katie Ayala - HJ (4-4), DT (71-5)
Shauntae Brown - 1600m (6:05.39)
Shaquanta Caldwell - 100m (13.64), LJ (16-2.5)
Rayelle Elmore - SP (20-1), DT (46)
Sierra Pasol - HJ (4-2)
Monica Tree - 1600m (6:16.29)
Kelli "Wojo" - 200m (29.75), 800m (2:40.58)
Boys - 400m Relay (46.89)
Anthony Bennett - LJ (19-10), 100m (12.1)
Anton Carlo - 100m (13.06)
Jared Demoss - 100m (11.32), 200m (23.44)
Ryan Jones - 1600m (5:24.56), 3200m (12:22.82)
Jimmy Nyugen - 110HH (16.8), 300IH (44.97)
Billy Smith - HJ (5-4)
Gabe Tafoya - 110HH (19.15), 300IH (47.82)


Next meet:
Wednesday, April 23rd
@ TPHS Track & Field -
DAL dual vs. Yucca Valley Trojans

This weeks meet is at DHS.
Please be prepared and have your UNIFORM & SWEATS.
It would be IDEAL to already be WEARING THEM when boarding the bus.
Eat a good, ENERGETIC lunch, pack your bag intelligently.

Be sure to tell your parents about this meet, it's one of the CLOSEST we travel to.

Make sure they dress in LAYERS, DHS can get pretty windy and pretty cold.

We'd like to arrive at DHS at 2:30pm and I will add a bus departure time to this no later than TUESDAY TAX DAY!

This is a pivotal important meet...
#1) it's a league meet against TWO TEAMS at once
#2) it's our chance to get a feel for what league finals will be like since it's being held here.

WEEKEND REMINDERS:


Apple Valley is a FROSH/SOPH invite (not JV).

Our bus will be leaving promptly at 5:00am. Please be on time.

Please make sure to bring MEAL MONEY and we MAY NOT have time to stop for breakfast due time constraints.



RUSSELL CUP @ CARPINTERIA
This meet is actually still up in the air. As of Thursday's practice Coach Hartley has yet to secure TEAM TRANSPORTATION. For those riding with their parents your waivers needed to be turned in on WEDNESDAY. The final decision about Russell Cup will be made by tomorrows practice. Coach Hartley apologizes for this to all those who are affected by this.

Twentynine Palms Wildcats swept the Desert Mirage Rams in their inaugural home and De Anza league meet. The Cats were led by Jared Demoss (sprints), Elvis Percy (throws), Anthony Bennett (jumps) who each posted solid mid season marks heading into Saturdays Russell Cup.

The Lady Cats were led by Shaquanta Caldwell and Shauntae Brown, multiple event scorers, also heading to Russell Cup this weekend!

Detailed results will be posted up later.

This years CIF divisional preliminary meet will once again be held on the coast at Carpinteria High School. In anticipation of that meet, the Wildcat coaching staff chose a group of select individuals they feel primed for success at the CIF qualifying meet on April 30th (DAL Championships).

Anthony Bennett (jumps)
Shauntae Brown (distance)
Shaquanta Caldwell (sprints)
Jared Demoss (sprints)
Elvis Percy (throws)
Caldwell Perrine (mids)

The first event will start at 9:30AM. There is a road detour so please be sure to check meet website for directions. Ideally leaving Friday evening would be best!

http://www.warriorcountry.com/track/russellcup/home.htm

Individual Results are not available at this time.
Medalists included, but are not limited to:

Billy Smith (jumps)
Anthony Bennett (jumps)
Jared Demoss (sprints)

After a days worth of competition against some of the top schools in CIF the Wildcats walked away with their heads held high as the boys long jump came within inches of the meet record and earned 1st place at the Relays of Champions. The jumpers included junior Jared Demoss, freshman Billy Smith, and were led by senior Anthony Bennett.

Other notable performances were by Caldwell Perrine and the Hamburger 4x100 Relay (David Nomura, Ryan Bowman, Paul Boice, and Chris Fields)!

This year we were unable to get individual performance marks for all the events, however combined results are available here (cut & paste):

http://www.dyestatcal.com/?pg=dyestatcal2008TrackMarch08-Rancho-Verde-Relays

There are no meet results for this dual yet.
Top performers included Jared Demoss (sprints), Elvis Percy (discus)...
To be cont'd

Uniforms will be issued shortly before our first meet at Indio. All athletes should receive a proper fitting top and bottom. A pair of practice (and meet) sweats to keep your bodies warm.

Team shirts may be agreed on at a later date, or intrasquad shirts (i.e. distance, throws).

You will be given a SIZE and a set of numbers (sweatshirt and sweatpants).

All athletes are still encouraged to get their own practice gear and their own warmups (if you prefer nylon jumpsuits over a sweatshirt.

YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR TURNING IN ALL THAT YOU WERE ISSUED... (and equipment)

Welcome to the online home of 29 Palms Track and Field. Our site is currently under construction but please check back regularly for updates. We hope to put up results after our first League Meet (04/09). Past websites that have been specifically for the throwers squad have been MERGED into one. Those sites are now OBSOLETE.

I hope everyone is excited about the season and has been working hard in the off season to prepare for this spring!

DATES/DAY MEET(S)
Feb.11 M 1st day of T&F practice
Mar.01 A OPEN
Mar.05 W dual @ Indio HS
Mar.08 A Relays of Champions @ Rancho Verde HS
Mar.15 A OPEN
Mar.22 A OPEN
Mar.29 A Cougar Invite @ Beaumont
Apr.05 A OPEN
Apr.09 W DAL dual v. Desert Mirage
Apr.12 A High Desert F/S Challenge @ Apple Vly HS ^^
Apr.16 W DAL double dual @ DHS w/ BB
Apr.19 A Flying Tiger @ San Jacinto HS
Apr.23 W DAL dual v Yucca Valley
Apr.26 A OPEN
May.01 R CIF Qualify @ Desert Hot Springs HS
May.03 A OPEN
May.10 A CIF prelims
May.17 A CIF finals
May.23 A CIF masters
May.30 F STATE prelims
May.31 A STATE finals

^^ This is a Frosh/Soph invitational and we are looking to add a second meet for the varsity athletes. It will likely be Russell Cup @ Carpinteria HS. Stay tuned for more information.