Melto matters: Northside wins Mustang invite

Northside Prep has one of the state's premier high jumpers in Eric Nelson and a group of distance runners who produced a cross-country regional title last fall.

There's another area that's been a bit thin, though.

"We need to have our sprinters step up," distance ace Charlie Mesimore said. "That's kind of been our weak link."

Maybe not anymore, now that Mac Melto has arrived on campus. Melto, a freshman, won one sprint race and set a school record in another on Saturday as host Northside won the Mustang Invitational 109-90 over Mather.

Melto won the 200 in 24.0 (a half-second off the school record), even though he was competing at something of a disadvantage. "All the other people were running with blocks, but I don't know how to do that yet," he said.

Earlier in the meet, Melto had run a school-record 53.65 to finish third in the 400 behind Urban Prep's Marlon Marshall (52.84) and Anthony Ponder. Not bad for a guy who was happy to break a minute during the indoor season.

"Indoors, it's so much harder," Melto said. "With the spikes and more straightaways, it's much easier outdoors."

Mesimore won the 3,200 and was second to teammate Wesley Laytham, a fellow sophomore, in the 1,600. Nelson was an easy winner in the high jump, clearing 6-3.

Urban Prep's Rayvaugh Hines swept the long and triple jumps.