Muir Boys Keep It Together

No one could blame the Pasadena Muir High boys’ track and field team for being distracted on an afternoon when its coach was arraigned on charges that he annoyed or molested two male students.

But Muir managed to squeak by with its closest dual-meet victory in decades, defeating rival Crescenta Valley, 69-58, on Thursday to win the Pacific League title and preserve a remarkable streak.

The Mustangs have won 167 dual meets dating to 1978.

“We preach to our kids that life is difficult,” said Jason Bornn, Muir’s interim coach. “It’s how you respond to adversity that makes you who you are.”

Bornn was substituting for Clyde Ezra Turner, who was in Pasadena Superior Court pleading not guilty to charges of illegal conduct involving students aged 15 and 16.

Turner, a one-time national track coach of the year, has led Muir to four state titles in a decade.

If his arrest this week wasn’t disconcerting enough, the Mustangs lost several athletes to academic ineligibility and were facing an unbeaten opponent.

They prevailed with strength in the sprints.

Sultan McCullough won the 100 meters in 10.9 and the 200 in 22.2. With Muir’s top two hurdlers ineligible, Terry Jenkins won the 110 high hurdles in 15.1 and took second in the 300 intermediate hurdles.

“We dug deep,” Jenkins said. “We did the job we had to do.”

Crescenta Valley kept the score close by sweeping the distance events, the pole vault and the high jump. David Barner finished third in the high jump and took second in the long jump and triple jump.

“It’s tough to lose,” Barner said. “We’ve been so excited, we haven’t been sleeping all week.”