Track and field La Jolla High School sent two representatives from its girls team to the California Interscholastic Federation State Championships on May 30, but neither qualified to compete in the finals of the two-day meet.
Nihal Kayali clocked a time of five minutes, 1.06 seconds in the 1,600 meters, which was less than a quarter of a second slower than her career best. The junior finished ninth in her heat, though, and only the runners with the top 12 times from two heats advanced.
"Nihal ran a great race in the prelims," La Jolla girls coach Roger Karnopp said. "(Her time was) nothing to be ashamed of. She ran a very smart race."
Junior Tess Plant-Thomas posted a time of 2:18.04 in the 800, finishing fifth in her heat but out of the running to be one of the nine competitors from the three heats to advance to the state final. Plant-Thomas ran the first 200 meters of her race in 29.5 seconds, a pace she couldn't maintain, according to Karnopp. "Both girls have super work ethics and are determined to be back there next year," he said. "They did enjoy their experience.
Baseball La Jolla Country Day won its third-round game in the CIF San Diego Section Division IV playoff game against Horizon Christian on May 27, beating the Panthers, 12-3.
Kyle Reese led the way offensively, going 2-for-5 with a home run, a sacrifice fly and three RBIs. Mike McKenna and Greg Wisenberg each hit their 18th career home runs, and Wisenberg pitched five innings in which he gave up just one run on two hits while striking out five. He earned the 23rd win of his high school career. Country Day scored three second-inning runs, and by the middle of the fourth inning, led 7-0.
The Torreys saw their season come to an end with a 7-6 defeat to top-seeded Coronado on May 28. Country Day battled back from deficits of 4-1 and 5-4, but after the Torreys took a one-run lead thanks to a pair of sixth-inning runs, the Islanders matched the two runs and held Country Day scoreless in the seventh. Reese and Derek Hatfield each went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Tommy Morris and Zack Campbell each drove in a run.
The Torreys finished the season with a record of 18-15, winning more games than in any season this decade, according to Country Day coach John Edman. The Torreys also advanced to the final four of the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
McKenna, Reese and Wisenberg were named to the All Coastal League first team, and Wisenberg was selected as the league's pitcher of the year. Ben Sweeney, John Hansbrough and Hatfield were named to the second team.
La Jolla High School dropped its CIF San Diego Section Division III third-round playoff game on May 27, falling to El Capitan, 13-12, in 10 innings. In a slugfest in which the teams totaled 35 hits, 20 belonging to La Jolla, the Vikings came back from deficits of 5-1 and 11-10, but El Capitan managed to push across a run in the bottom of the 10th and move on. Peter Sefton had two hits and two RBIs for La Jolla, and Zach Tonks also drove in a pair of runs. Trent Jemmett went 5-for-6 with two doubles, a triple, four runs scored and an RBI. The Vikings ended the season with a 20-10-1 record.
Gregory Ball Gregory Ball covers sports for La Jolla Light. He can be reached at ballgregory@yahoo.com.
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