Fischer Misses Chances to Climb to New Heights : Track and field: He clears 7-3 to win at Mt. SAC Relays but fails to set state or national record.

WALNUT — The state record in the boys’ high jump appeared to be in jeopardy, but Jeremy Fischer of Camarillo High decided to hunt bigger game in the Mt. San Antonio College Relays on Saturday.

After watching Fischer clear a meet record of 7 feet 3 inches on his third attempt, most fans expected the Wisconsin-bound senior to have the bar raised to 7-4 3/4 or 7-5, which would surpass the state record of 7-4 1/2 set by Maurice Crumby of San Francisco Balboa in 1983.

Fischer had the same thought initially, but the national high school federation record--a fancy name for the highest mark ever produced in a high school meet--of 7-5 1/4 beckoned, so he had the bar raised to 7-5 1/2 before missing three times at that height.

“We were going to go 7-5, but then we figured if I’m going to clear 7-5, I’m going to clear 7-5 1/2,” Fischer said. “It wasn’t like a half-inch was going to make a difference.”

Turns out it might have made all the difference necessary for a state record as Fischer’s first miss at 7-5 1/2 looked as though it might have been successful at 7-5.

“I felt like I had a good jump at 7-5 1/2,” Fischer said. “I just wish my (clearance at 7-3) had been at 7-5 1/2.”

Fischer had a couple of inches to spare when he scaled 7-3, but that turned out to be his best technical jump of the meet, prompting Camarillo Coach Dennis Riedmiller to plan ahead.

“The next time he gets up that high, the bar’s going to 7-5,” Riedmiller said. “I want to see him get that state record, then we can worry about the national mark.”

Arthur Lloyd of Rialto Eisenhower equaled his personal best of 7-2 to finish second, but Fischer took the lead in the competition when he cleared 7-0 on his second attempt and Lloyd needed three tries.

Fischer made 7-2 on his second attempt while Lloyd cleared that height on his third.

Fischer’s performance, which made him the first three-time winner of the boys’ high jump, was one of 10 victories by local performers.

Dolores Tuimoloau of Channel Islands, Jason Medearis of Hart and Jamaal Chase of Quartz Hill were the most impressive of the others.

Tuimoloau won the girls’ shotput with a regional record and state-leading mark of 47-0 1/4 to avenge last week’s loss to Gina Heads of Newport Harbor in the Arcadia Invitational.

Heads edged Tuimoloau by 3 3/4 inches at Arcadia, but was a distant third at 44-2 this time. Suzie Shanley of Tulare Union finished second at 44-4 1/4.

“Losing actually might have helped me,” Tuimoloau said. “Until then, I had been basically competing against myself all season. Losing there let me know that there are some other good throwers out there. That I have to keep pushing myself.”

Medearis was expected to renew his rivalry with Kenny Haslip of Pasadena Muir in the boys’ 110-meter high hurdles and 300 intermediates, but when Mustang Coach Clyde Turner decided to give his team a much-needed rest, Medearis assumed the role of favorite and responded with winning times of 14.13 seconds in the highs and 37.76 in the intermediates.

Medearis overtook fast-starting Tyson Murphy (14.25) of Santa Monica at the seventh flight of hurdles in the highs, then withstood a late rush by Bryan Jones (14.17) of Arroyo Grande.

Long Beach Poly freshman Kenyon Rambo (38.09) ran even with Medearis for the first six flights of the intermediates before the Indian senior pulled away in the homestretch.

Chase leaped 23-4 3/4 to remain undefeated in the long jump and bounded 48-2 1/2 in the triple jump to turn back Arcadia champion Von Ware (48-0 1/2) of Vista Rancho Buena Vista.

The Thousand Oaks boys were victorious in the distance medley and 6,400-meter relays.

The Lancer foursome of Kevin Marsden, Rob Scherrei, Chadd Aldrich and Jeff Fischer timed 10 minutes 29.41 seconds in the distance medley and Marsden, Aldrich, Brandon Del Campo and Fischer ran the 6,400 in 17:42.54.

Notes

Already established as the top high school 800-meter runner in the nation, Michael Granville showed he is capable of much more. The sophomore from Bell Gardens High altered his routine by dropping the 800 in favor of the 400 and 200 at the biggest meet of the season thus far. Before 7,000, Granville did not disappoint. He started the day by winning the 400 in 46.67 seconds, the nation’s fastest prep time this year. He followed that with a strong third-place finish in the 200 in 21.75. The performance came one week after Granville won the 800 at the Arcadia Invitational in a season-best 1:51.90.

Pat Johnson of Redlands won the 200 in 21.03, and Bryan Howard of Moreno Valley Canyon Springs was second in 21.22. Marques Holiwell of Bakersfield West won the 100 in 10.57.

National sprint leader Andrea Anderson of Long Beach Poly won the 100 in 11.86 and anchored the team’s 800-meter relay, which recorded the third-fastest time ever in 1:36.77.