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Weekend American Legion Baseball Tournament at Red Bluff High School Sun — Indy — Indianapolis 500, 9 a.m., ABC-7 MLB— Diamondbacks at Giants, CSNBA, Sat, 6 p.m., Sun, 1 p.m. MLB — Athletics at Tigers, CSNCA, Sat, 4 p.m., Sun, 10 a.m. Sun —NASCAR— Coca-Cola 600, 2 p.m., FOX-30 NBAPlayoffs — Sat, Lakers at Suns, 5:30 p.m.TNT Sports 1B Weekend May 29-30, 2010 Shoop 2nd in 800, Maloney third in pole vault Daily News photos by Rich Greene (From top left) Red Bluff’s Devin Shoop holds off the rest of the field, Friday, for second place in the 800 meters at the Northern Section Track and Field Championships at West Valley High School. Corning’s Mattie Maloney sprints toward the pole vault.Red Bluff’s Jeffrey Foster charges hard for fourth place in the 100-meter dash.Grant Blaser hands off the Spartans’baton to Marco Rodriguez during the 4x100 relay.Red Bluff’s Roxanne Luppino takes off during the 200 meters. Los Molinos’s Carolyna Salazar leaps a hurdle. Red Bluff’s Taylor Hickson clears the bar during the high jump By RICHGREENE DN Sports Editor COTTONWOOD — By the time dusk settled Friday at the Northern Section Track and Field Championships, Enterprise’s Anthony Williams had so many gold medals around his neck their clanking seemed to be playing a song. There was no question Williams’s performances proved he was the best athlete. But he wasn’t the only winner. There was more than one way to climb onto the podium at West Valley High School Friday. Being born with superb athletic talent could get it done, but so could hard work, determination and even a little luck. The Spartans used all of those ways, but more importantly took advantage of their opportunities as 10 Red Bluff athletes made the Top 5 podium ceremony across nine different events. Devin Shoop climbed the high- est for the Spartans, as he held on during the straightaway for a sec- ond place finish in the boys 800 meters. Taylor Hickson climbed the podium four times. He tied for third in the high jump competition, which was won by Williams with the sixth highest jump in section history. Hickson also took a fourth in the long jump, a fifth in in the 110- meter hurdles and teamed up with Grant Blaser, Marco Rodriguez and Jeffrey Foster for fourth place in the 4x100-meter relay. The Spartans relay team, who were the second alternate for the event, didn’t know until just a few hours before the race they would be competing. “To get a podium finish without practicing that’s pretty good,” Fos- ter said. Foster also placed fourth in the 100-meter dash. Corning’s lone competitor, Mattie Maloney, also made it to the podium, taking third in the girls pole vault. While she once again matched her season best, she couldn’t clear 10-feet. Still, she was able to put not just her season into perspective, but what qualifying for the section championships means for North State athletes. “I’m happy I made it this far — a lot of kids don’t,” she said. Los Molinos had three athletes compete Friday. Division IV champions Caroly- na Salazar and Kevin Garnica as well as Linzy Irle who got in through an alternate spot. Garnica, who competed in the boys discus, said the competition was tough, but he learned some things by being around the other athletes. “I was just trying to watch them to see their technique,” he said. Red Bluff’s Roxanne Luppino was another athlete on the alternate list hoping to just get an opportuni- ty. She did in the 200-meter dash and cracked the podium with a fifth place finish. “It was great. When I came here, I didn’t think I’d be racing,” she said. She even went home with two medals as the Lady Spartans 4x400 relay team of Luppino, Hai- ley Carlon, Savannah Carrillo and Erin Eicholtz finished fourth. Shoop, Rodriguez, Blaser and Colin Dahlberg then closed out the meet with a fifth place finish in the 4x400 . For Dahlberg, who struggled with injuries during his junior sea- son after bursting onto the track scene as a sophomore the finish was bitter sweet. “It’s never going to make up for it, but it takes a little of it back,” he said. Dahlberg can at least set his sights on next year — that’s some- thing the graduating Williams can’t do.