Primm, Johnson shine at Arcadia Invite
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

One did it by land, the other by air.

On Saturday night at the Arcadia Invitational, Westlake High's Cory Primm and Agoura's Derek Johnson both put themselves into the national track and field record books- although by somewhat different means.

Primm ran a personal-best time of 1:49.50 in the men's 800 meters. It was the fastest high school time in the nation this year.

The Warrior senior, a state champion in the 800 meters last season, defeated his closest competitor by nearly a second and a half.

Johnson also blew away the competition. In the men's discus throw, he launched a 192-06 bomb, finishing in first place by more than 4 feet.

"I still wasn't hitting on all my throws," Johnson said. "If a few of them would've happened the way I wanted them to happen, there could've been some mammoth throws out there."

Johnson's toss at Arcadia ranks fifth in the nation and second in the state, Agoura throws coach John Amneus said.

"His week has definitely gone very well," Amneus said. "We backed off his training a little bit, and he's been a little bit fresher for it. That's helped him throw a little bit farther."

With field renovations underway at Agoura, the discus team was scrambling for a place to practice last week. Marshall Haraden, the father of Charger sprinter Nick Haraden, offered the team some land on his property to practice on.

"It's awesome that he was able to step up," Amneus said. "We're so appreciative and so thankful that Marshall was able to do that."

Primm and Johnson weren't the only locals to star at Arcadia.

Oak Park pole vaulter Aubrey Stark finished tied for fifth place with an 11-07 effort in the finals. Stark's teammate, junior distance runner Courtney Lightfoot, was an eighth-place finisher in the women's mile. Lightfoot posted a time of 5:05.79.

Oaks Christian's Chris Owusu ran the men's 100-meter dash in 10.95 seconds. He finished fifth. In the 200 meters, the junior, who also starred as a wide receiver on the Lions' state titlewinning football team, finished in 22.34 seconds, earning sixth-place honors.

In the women's 300-meter hurdles, La Reina junior Sasha Blanchard had a time of 47.44 seconds. She finished eighth.

Many local track and field athletes are gearing up for this weekend's national event at Mt. San Antonio College. Johnson, the discus thrower, said Mt. SAC will be an exciting atmosphere where records will fall.

"I enjoy Mt. SAC a lot," Johnson said. "At Arcadia it's all about the scene. At Mt. SAC you've got the big stadium and a lot of people. It's going to be fun."