Villasenor finishes 9th in 800

Appeal-Democrat

The sting of disappointment was still fresher Saturday than the pride Lindhurst High senior Joey Villasenor and Wheatland freshman Jessica Carpenter will ultimately feel for their accomplishments this season.

Villasenor finished ninth at the State Track & Field Meet on Saturday, clocking a time of 2 minutes, 4.7 seconds in the 800 meters.

"I had to give everything I had yesterday just to get to the finals," Villasenor said. "I think my legs were a little tired and heavy. They didn't have the usual spring in them."

Villasenor, who was coming off a school-record 1:54.53 in Friday's trials, said he really felt the difference at the start of the race when he didn't have the explosiveness he typically has out of the blocks.

Still, Villasenor never thought he would even get to the finals.

"So I'm pretty happy with how things turned out," said Villasenor, who wanted to thank the community for its support.

For Carpenter, the experience proved to be a bit too much. She finished seventh in her heat Friday and 25th overall in the 400.

"I think I did pretty bad," said Carpenter, who ran a flat 1 minute time. "I was really, really nervous and I brought that on to the track."

Carpenter had hoped her experience of running in the State Cross Country Meet would help her, but she said the competition was just a bit too heady. "The crowd, of course, scared me, but it was the times of the other girls. I was looking at what the other girls were running."

Carpenter said she will begin training for the cross country season in about a week. She also has joined a running club, and plans to go to some track camps this summer as well.

Villasenor finished a year in which he lettered in five sports, was part of a Section football championship for the second straight year, and capped it off with Golden Empire League championships

in the 800, 1,600 and 3,200.

He finished third at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters to qualify for the State Meet, then ran his record time to reach the finals.

It is an amazing end to his prep career.

He said only one thing could have made it better.

"I would like to have won a medal at State," he said.

Sacramento State has offered Villasenor a track scholarship.

Villasenor said he will likelyu concentrate primarily on the 800, though he may also run the 1,600.

In the meantime, he is considering joining the Hornets' cross country team as well

Sutter High sprinter Darius Ray, who won the Norhtern Section titles in the 100 and 200, opted not to compete at State because of a conflict with his graduation ceremony.

He will attend Butte College where he will continue to run.