David Savage
Imperial High track and field
IMPERIAL — Last fall, Imperial High senior David Savage suffered a back injury in only the second game of the Tigers’ football season that sidelined the 17-year-old for his final year of football.
After a near five-month recovery period, Savage returned to his regular workout routine in preparation for the track and field season.
“They told me to take it easy, but I just started right away,” Savage said with a smile. “I went back to Gerald (Robinson) and he helped get me back in shape and to get faster.”
While Savage still needs to work around his injury, he’s making the most of his final track and field season after helping Imperial to a, 83-44 victory over Brawley Union High.
In the win, Savage won a total of four events including the 100-meter dash, the high jump and long jump, while anchoring the 100-meter relay with Raymond Beamon, Brandon Hueso and Rudy Avila.
Savage won the 100 dash in 10.76 seconds, edging the second-place finisher from Brawley by 0.14 of a second.
“He beat before at the Desert Classic Relays at Central (Union High), so I knew he was fast,” Savage said.
In the high jump, Savage earned a season record with a 5-foot-8-inch leap and in the long jump tallied 18-feet-5.5 inches.
“I like the 4x100 best,” he said. “It’s fun to see your team and as the anchor it feels good to be able to get the win for your teammates.”
On Saturday, the Tigers will participate in the competitive Jaguar Invite at Valley Center and Savage is hoping to have a strong showing along with his teammates.