ADRIAN’S FAVORITE DISCUS-SION

MOORPARK — He has improved the school record in each of the last four meets, but Tim Adrian of Moorpark High says he’s just getting started when it comes to throwing the discus.

Adrian, a 6-foot-3 1/2, 267-pound junior, missed the first half of the track and field season because he was academically ineligible. But he has been on a tear since returning to competition last month.

After throwing 145-10 and 146-7 in his first two meets, Adrian has been on a school-record rampage. He threw 159-11 against Nordhoff on April 29, 165-2 in the Ventura County championships on May 1, 171-7 in the Frontier League finals on May 8 and 178-2 in the Southern Section Division III preliminaries at Long Beach City College a week later.

The 178-2 mark was 26 feet farther than Adrian’s school-record best set last year, but he’ll be shooting for a 185-foot throw and an upset victory over senior Reedus Thurmond of Gardena Serra in the Southern Section divisional championships today at Cerritos College .

The field events start at 11 a.m. and the running events at 1 p.m.

Thurmond, runner-up in the state championships last year, threw a national season-best 209 feet in the Arcadia Invitational at Arcadia High four weeks ago, but Adrian thinks Thurmond can be beaten.

“I have to get an awesome throw this week,” Adrian said. “But I had a throw that was close to 200 feet in practice. Now I need to do it in a meet.”

Discus throwers and shotputters are notorious for producing their best marks in practice or during warmups and then failing to match them in competition, but Adrian doesn’t figure he’ll fall into that category because of his improved technique and strength.

“I’ve got my technique down now,” he said. “Last year, I had a lot of arm strength with a little technique. I was still getting my footwork down. My footwork is much better now and I’m much stronger.”

Adrian has a best of 320 pounds in the bench press after lifting 250 last year.

He and his father, Bill, also have spent hours watching videotape of his throwing technique and critiquing it.

Although Adrian was disappointed with becoming academically ineligible, he said that being unable to compete gave him more time to work out and devote to his studies.

“I just spread myself too thin,” he said. “I have my own DJ company and I just spent too much time on that. I didn’t focus on my homework like I should have.”

Adrian, an offensive tackle on the Moorpark football team that won the Southern Section Division X title last year, is one of several region leaders who will compete in the Division III boys’ meet.

Seniors Justin Fargas of Notre Dame, Miguel Fletcher of Alemany and Dusty Herman and Matthew Torres of Nordhoff are some of the others.

Fargas, defending state champion in the 100, and Fletcher, runner-up last year, will meet for the fifth time this season in that event after splitting their first four races.

Fargas finished second and Fletcher was third behind then-senior Henry Jenkins of Paso Robles in last year’s meet and Fletcher is shooting for his third consecutive title in the 200.

Herman, runner-up in the West region cross-country championships in December, should contend for titles in the 1,600 and 3,200, with Torres doing likewise in the 800.

Matt Lea of Camarillo, Lauren Fleshman of Canyon, Sara Foster of Valencia, Bridget Pearson of Hoover, Elaine Canchola of Nordhoff and Porchea Carroll of Rio Mesa are some of the other athletes from the region who are expected to contend for titles today.

Lea, a senior, has the second-fastest time in the state this year in the 400 at 47.38 seconds and also will run the anchor leg on Camarillo’s 1,600 relay team in the Division I meet.

Fleshman, a junior, will run the girls’ 1,600 and 3,200 in the Division I meet, with sophomore Foster going for her second consecutive title in the high jump.

Pearson is the defending state champion in the pole vault, but the Tornado junior will be shooting for her first Division I title in that event.

Canchola, a senior, will attempt to win her second consecutive Division III title in the girls’ 1,600 and 3,200.

Carroll, a freshman, posted the fastest qualifying times in the girls’ 100 and 200 in the Division II preliminaries last week.

She also will compete in the long jump and run the first leg on Rio Mesa’s 400 relay team.