Sang Lee
BURROUGHS HIGH -- For one day, athletes from the Burroughs and Burbank
high track and field teams had a little more than just winning on their
minds.
Thursday, it was blue vs. red; north vs. south; rival vs. rival. It
was the annual showdown between the Indians and Bulldogs, the battle for
city bragging rights.
But it ended up being the Indians' day, as the Burroughs boys' team
topped Burbank, 80-56, and the girls did the same, 89 1.2-46 1/2.
The importance of the rivalry was not lost on the athletes and coaches
taking part.
"It's big. It shows who's the city's best," Indian Coach Steve Hubbell
said. "The kids were up for it. They did more events than they normally
do and they [were setting personal records]. I have to find the magic
trick to do this every meet."
Among the list of excited athletes was last year's CIF Southern
Section Division II 800-meter winner Carolyn Brown of Burroughs. Brown, a
sophomore, won the 800 in 2 minutes 33 seconds and the 1,600 in 5:44.60.
"It's a lot of fun. You run with people you know and wish them luck
before the race. It's friendly competition," Brown said.
Being a senior, Burbank's Cheryl Stone knows a lot about the rivalry
and the metamorphosis that takes place before the meet. She did her part
for the Bulldogs, winning the 200 in 27.75, a new personal record for the
year.
"I think [the Burroughs] meet is the biggest one of the year. Everyone
talks about it, but the actual day they stop talking and start getting
focused."
Despite all the anticipation for the meet, Burbank went in without all
its ammunition. A flu-stricken Sarah Wear competed in the meet but did
not run in the 300 low hurdles event, her best event, and one in which
she set a school record on April 5 against Canyon.
"I worked out on Saturday and it rained and then I started to catch
something. I felt so bad to get sick on this week, out of any week. Why
this week?' she said.
Bulldog Bernie Bartkiewicz knows that sense of school pride, having
played in the football edition of the rivalry. 'Track is not as
hard-core as football, but you can still feel it. You want to win.
Everybody works just a little bit harder," he said, after winning the 330
low hurdles in 42.69 and the triple jump with a 36-feet-5-inch effort.
His teammate in football, Sean Tolnay, stayed undefeated in Foothill
League competition in the shot put with a throw of 43-3.
But the Burroughs boys were too tough, as they were led by Tony Ahr.
Ahr won the 800 race in 2:03 and the 1,600 in 4:27.
