Coach's hunch paying big dividends for Moorpark's Dyce
Hamstring injury can't hold junior track star down for too long
By Thomas Gase tgase@theacorn.com

Max Dyce

Moorpark High junior Max Dyce was going to be a great sprinter, whether he liked it or not.

Although Dyce already excelled in the 110- and 300-meter hurdle events for the Musketeers, Moorpark sprint coach Gus Guardino saw a brighter future for Dyce.

"At the beginning of this year I was watching him in the relays and hurdles, and I noticed he has all the traits of a natural sprinter," Guardino said. "He has a short torso, is longlegged and has a huge explosiveness.

"I asked (Dyce) if he wanted to compete in the sprint events, and he actually told me no at first. I told him he didn't have a choice anymore- he was going to be too good."

During a practice soon after the conversation, Dyce competed in the 100- and 200-meter dash for the first time at MHS. Instantly he was hooked and became one of the quickest sprinters in Ventura County.

"I went into the whole thing with no pressure and with an attitude of 'What do I have to lose,'" Dyce said. "I realized right away that I was pretty good at the events. I knew I might be good at sprinting from running the relay events in the past, but I wasn't sure until I gave it a try."

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers ON THE RISE- Moorpark High junior Max Dyce has developed into one of the county's premier track and field athletes.

Dyce thought about competing in the sprint events the last two years, but the schedule at track meets held him back. Since his hurdle and relay events were either right before or right after the 100- and 200-meter dash, Dyce just didn't have the time to do both.

Guardino then talked to other Moorpark coaches about switching up Dyce's agenda.

"When a guy is running a 10.5 in the 100, a 22 flat in the 200 and 15 flat in the 110-meter hurdles, it becomes obvious- this guy is a sprinter," Guardino said. "All the other coaches agreed."

Dyce is glad someone saw his potential for sprinting, as the 100-meter dash is now his favorite event. "The 100 is simpler," Dyce said. "You don't have to worry about other aspects and technique as much as you do in the long jump and hurdles. You just run as fast as you can for a brief period."

While Dyce is now known as a sprinter, his results in the long jump aren't too shabby, either. Dyce held the county's longest leap at 22 feet, 11 inches before Royal High senior Phil Burks beat it with a mark of 23 feet at the Ventura County Championships last week.

During the championships, Dyce injured his left hamstring during the long jump, forcing his coaches to pull him out of a highly anticipated sprint later that day with Rio Mesa star Sean Alfino, who ended up winning the 100.

Although Dyce was upset he couldn't compete that day, he said he trusted his coaches to make the right decision. The decision turned out to be a good one, as Dyce set personal records in the 100 (10.59), 200 (22.01) and 110 hurdles (15.02) in a league meet Tuesday.

Dyce, who also plays cornerback for the MHS football team, said he prefers track and field because "I'm better in track and field."

Guardino agreed with the sprinter and said soon enough it will be other coaches that will be fighting over Dyce.

"Every coach at Moorpark just wants what's best for Max," Guardino said. "Soon it's going to be the colleges recruiting that will be fighting over him. Whoever wants to invest their time and money in him is going to be making a good choice in Max Dyce."