Tustin’s DeGrammont Puts Personal Mark on Meet

SACRAMENTO — Dominique DeGrammont limped into the starting blocks for the boys’ 110-meter high hurdles at the state track and field finals Saturday afternoon.

Despite a strained left hamstring that flared up two weeks ago during qualifying, the Tustin hurdler nipped Sharif Paxton of Crenshaw at the finish line in a personal best of 13.48 seconds in front of a state record 15,875 people at Sacramento City College. It was the eighth-best time at a high school meet. Rival Ken-Yon Rambo of Long Beach Poly was third. Mike Smith of El Toro was eighth.

“I was scared there for a little bit,” DeGrammont said. “I had to give it a little bit of heart to win. I didn’t get the [best national mark of] 13.41, but I can deal with a 13.48 to finish off my high school career.”

He considered dropping out of the 300-meter intermediate hurdles later in the evening, but reconsidered and finished fourth. Al Williams of Irvine was third. Rambo won in 36.57.

Long Beach Poly won the overall team title. Tustin finished tied for sixth with Gardena Serra.

Defending champion Scott Moser of Huntington Beach set a state meet record of 203 feet 2 inches, on his second throw to win the discus, outdistancing his nearest opponent, Reedus Thurmond of Gardena Serra, by nearly 18 feet.

“The other guys didn’t throw as well, so after my second toss I felt pretty confident,” Moser said.

Defending state high jump champion Elliott Parks, who has cleared 7-2, wasn’t happy with his approach to the bar in Friday’s qualifying round and suffered in the finals. He failed to clear 6-10 and finished sixth. Tustin’s Lester DeRaad also failed at 6-10, but placed fifth because he had fewer attempts at a lower height.

“That’s about as high as I think I can go,” DeRaad said.

Parks said he just didn’t feel right during the meet.

“My legs just weren’t here today,” Parks said.

Fountain Valley’s Travis Vandrovec, whose personal best in the pole vault was 15-4, failed on three attempts at 15-6 and finished sixth.