Track and Field finals

 Gilroy -- Adversity came in bunches over the past 72 hours for Palma.
 How the Chieftains dealt with it over the course of one meet -- the meet that matters -- dictated its fate.
  "You have to live in the present,’’ Palma’s Eduardo Barbosa said.
 Barbosa, who failed to get a legal throw in the discus during Tuesday's trials, made amends in the shot put Friday, setting the tone for the Monterey Bay League Gabilan Division track and field finals.
 "At the end of the day, the only satisfaction is winning the team title,'' Barbosa said.
 Mission accomplished.
 The injuries, the mishaps.
 In the end, it only made the Chieftains stronger as a unit.
 Stepping up on the biggest stage as a team propelled Palma to its fourth straight Gabilan Division team title -- avenging an earlier season dual meet loss to San Benito with 153-122 win.
"This is the most gratifying win among the four,'' Palma coach Jason Smith said. "I had kids texting me, asking what can we do to win this meet. These kids cared so much.''
 While Barbosa set the stage in the field by winning the shot put, Marques Cannon provided a jolt on the track for the Chieftains, blistering the anchor leg of the 400 relay team.
 Two events into the meet and Palma already had 28 points.
 "My only focus was getting the baton and finishing,'' Cannon said.
 That's because Cannon was running the relay with the first team for the first time all year.
 "I did what I had to do for the team,'' Cannon said.
 That included winning the high jump and finishing second in the 110 high hurdles, providing Palma with 18 points.
 "The high jump was big,'' Smith said. "We didn't expect to get 18 points in that event.''
 Smith did feel a swing before the meet would be the 300 intermediate hurdles. In the end, it was a 10-point swing for Palma over San Benito.
 Still, what Smith called the turning point came when he had disqualify Stefano Pezzini in the 110 high hurdles after he finished second, but touched the final hurdle.
 "It's the rule,'' said Smith, in reference to disqualifying his athlete. "But he was able to refocus and provide big points for us in two other events.''
  Pezzini bounced back to place third in the triple jump and 300 intermediate hurdles, providing 12 more points for the Chieftains.
 Palma won just five events. None bigger than Justin Nobida edging teammate Vianni Fratangelo in the 100 meters in a career best of 11.19, securing another 18 points.
 With five events left, Palma built a 32-point lead.
  "The goal was to score more points than San Benito in the event,'' Smith said.
 Palma achieved that in nine events.
 "You know what was important to these kids was to win this title for the guys that were hurt and could not take part today," Smith said.
   Injuries riddled the Chieftains sprint corps in the past two weeks, stripping them of three relay members and arguably the two fastest 100 sprinters on the team.
 Depth and determination took over.
 "This is the meet where you want to rise to the occasion,'' Smith said. 
  Shraee Harrison was a double-event winner for the Balers, capturing the 200 and 400, as well as running legs on two winning relay teams.
 North Salinas' Raul Barraza defended his Gabilan Division title in the 1,600 and won the 800 while Gregorio Corona became the first Alisal athlete in 20 years to win the 300  intermediate hurdles.
 Alvarez defended its girls team title in the Pacific Division finals, securing a 149-83 win over runner-up Monterey.
 Carina Welsh won the 100 meters for the Eagles, holding off teammate and defending champion Deaysia Gamble.
"It helps having a jet like Deaysia next to you,'' Welsh said. "My start wasn't the best, but once I hit the middle of the race, I felt pretty good.''
 Welsh, who also ran a leg on the winning 400 relay team with Gamble, came back later in the meet to win the 200. Teammate Kelly Otherson captured league titles in the shot put and long jump for the Eagles.
 Alvarez produced 24 points in the 100 and 18 in the 200 and pole vault. It scored 10 or more points in eight events
 Skye Keller defended his Pacific Division titles in the 200 and 400 for Monterey, and anchored the winning boys 400 relay team.
 "I felt comfortable,'' Keller said. "I felt my preparation was good. I wanted to break 50 seconds in the 400 and came up a lean short. It's coming.''
 Ryan Hocog of Alvarez won the shot put and discus.
 Monterey's Fia Tautolo was a double-event winner in the girls division, capturing the 100 hurdles and 300 low hurdles.
 San Benito, behind quadruple-event winner Marisa Villegas, won the Gabilan Division girls title, holding off Salinas 132-102.
 Villegas won the 400, 800, 1,600 and 3,200, a first in league history.