POWAY -- In three weeks, when the CIF San Diego Section postseason rolls around, Carlsbad High's Mike Goodger will be thoroughly focused on the mile.
But in Carlsbad's 82-54 victory over Poway in a Palomar League dual meet on Thursday, Goodger and coach Joe Angel thought the best way to prepare for CIFs was by entering the 800 and 3,200 -- and winning both.
"This week we tried to work on both speed and endurance," Angel said.
Goodger dipped under 2 minutes in the half mile for the first time (1 minute, 59.31 seconds) and came back to win the 3,200 going away in 9:56.13. In the latter race, he settled in behind Poway junior Ryan Jensen's right shoulder for the first 1,600 then ran a scorching 71-second lap that left the rest of the field in the dust.
"The fifth lap I decided to go," Goodger said.
The junior, who has clocked 4:24 in the mile this season, just 6 seconds off the school record, ran a negative split the 3,200, completing the first half in 5:00 and covering the second half in 4:56.
Another Carlsbad athlete who is closing in on a school record is shot putter Blake Asbill. He has been knocking on the door of 60 feet for the last few weeks, and took first against Poway with a toss of 58-7.
Asbill, a 6-foot, 220-pound senior, is the county leader at 59-8. He said the school record is 60-4 and that he has thrown 60 feet, just not in a meet.
"I hit it in practice just two days ago and I've had really good throws in my meets but just haven't quite clicked yet," Asbill said. "The school record's in my reach."
Poway won the girls meet 97-39, placing first in 13 of the 16 events.
The Titans had a slew of double winners in Christia Brockman (100, long jump), Brooke Gamble (200, 400), Katie MacGregor (1,600, 3,200), Kelsie Dickerson (high jump, triple jump) and Mariah Counts (shot put, discus).
Gamble won the most hotly contested event of the day, the 400. Although she didn't quite achieve her goal of going under a minute, she was clocked in 1:00.19 and held off Carlsbad's Kaylie Belk (1:00.14), Cecilia Beauchamp (1:00.62) and Brianna Gibas (1:00.81). Cecily Gibson of Poway was fifth in 1:01.68, so the top five placers were separated by a mere 1.5 seconds.
"I really want to break 60 (seconds)," Gamble said.
She said the tightly bunched field helped pull her to within an eyelash of her goal.
"It definitely did," Gamble said. "I talked to a guy from Carlsbad and I asked him, 'What's your girls' fastest 400?' And he said, '59.' I was like, 'I'm going to get it. I just know I am.' So I ran my hardest."
Belk, who has run 59.94 this season, grabbed second with a strong kick down the home stretch.
"I was off to a pretty slow start," Belk said, "but the last 100, I passed one of the girls into second.
"It was super close. I just knew I had to push it in."
Contact staff writer Tom Sheridan at (760) 745-6611, Ext. 2649, or tsheridan@californian.com.
