AREA STATE QUALIFIERS
Division I
(School, name, grade, event)
Springfield: JaVonne Brashears, 11, long jump.
Tecumseh: Donte Clark, 12, high jump; Kyle Terrell, 12, pole vault
Division II
Greenon: Dan Wallace, 12, shot, discus
Urbana: Kris Hamilton, 12, 110 hurdles, 300 hurdles.
Shawnee: Will Holmes, 12, 1,600; 3,200 relay (Seth Brouhard, 12; Drew Hickman, 12; Holmes; Jordan Penrose 12)
Division III
Emmanuel Christian: Caleb Moore, 11, 400; 1,600 relay (Drew Oller, 12; Isaac McDaniel, 11; Caleb Moore 11; Colin Toth 11)
Cedarville: Timothy Stevenson, 12, 400; 1,600 relay (Caleb Coe, 12; Timothy Stevenson, 12; Brian Wickline 12; sophomore Nick Christman, 10)
West Liberty-Salem: Kam Evans, 12, 300 hurdles
Mechanicsburg: Philip Cook, 11, pole vault; David Harvey, 11, high jump, long jump
To reach the state track and field championships this weekend, Springfield High School long jumper JaVonne Brashears unleashed a stunning leap.
The Wildcats team is ready to do the same next season.
Brashears, a junior, is the lone SHS representative at the Division I state championship that runs today and Saturday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus. He soared 22 feet, 7-1/2 inches at the regional meet to surpass his previous best by nearly a foot.
“It was surprising when they measured 22-7-1/2. That’s when I was like, ‘Whoa, that can’t be real,’ ” said Brashears, who enters state with the seventh-best qualifying effort.
“Honestly, I thought it was going to be a 20. Not a 22. I didn’t really feel like I jumped far. When I hit the board I did what the coaches told me. I opened my chest up and let myself fly.”
The goal at state is to land on the podium. The top eight finishers are honored. It would also earn Brashears a spot on the high school’s Wall of Fame as a state placer.
“If he can make it to the finals, anything from there is bonus,” coach Elliot Shuman said. “Hopefully that 22-8 is his personal best for only a few days.”
The Springfield area has a strong contingent with nine different schools represented. The Wildcats plan to send a larger contingent next season.
Freshman Dyier Smith missed state in the 110-meter hurdles by .16 seconds. Sophomore Anthony Embry (110 hurdles) qualified for the regional meet as did the 400 relay team of Embry, junior Saalih Muhammad, junior Xavier Garland and Brashears. Junior Derrick Crochran (discus), freshman Quincy Scott (long jump) and sophomore distance runners Joseph Sheehan and Tim Taylor have the Wildcats optimistic about 2016.
“We’ve got a real solid core and it’s a blessing to have,” Elliott said. “It’s keeping that intrasquad competition and keeping those guys hungry to maintain their spot on varsity. The future is excellent.”
For now the focus is on today and Saturday. Brashears said if he qualified for state he expected it to be in the 100 dash. He missed qualifying for the regional final by 0.01 seconds. As for the long jump, he went into the district meet not expecting to advance based on his qualifying leaps. It was the same for regional.
“I just stayed focused and did it,” Brashears said. “You can’t be looking at all the other distances. You have to do your own job.”
About the Author