Queen Creek's Krew Jackson went to the top of the triple jump with a 44-9.5 on Saturday.
Boys Long Jump Rankings
Boys Triple Jump Rankings
This week, and for the boys, we turn our attention to the horizontal jumps--the long and triple jump. For those dropping in new, the focus of these pieces is a team focus. Of course, we mentioned individuals here, but the big picture we're trying to tease out is which teams are shaping up as the leaders. Toward that end, we break things down by divisions.
Division 4
If you've been hanging around Division 4 much, you may already know the story here. Jayk Kelton and Blayk Kelton give Mogollon a serious leg up on the rest of the competition. In results to date, Jake leads the long jump at 21-10 (though that particular jump was not wind-legal) and leads the triple jump--by more than two feet--at 42-11.5. Blayk is third in the triple jump at 39-9 and is tied for seventh in the long jump at 20-1.
Right now, the best response anyone has offered to that has come from Chandler Preparatory Academy. At Chandler Prep, Nolan Kemper and Joshua Capel hold down the #5 and #6 positions in the triple jump. Kemper currently owns a 9th in the long jump rankings.
Brady Johnson of Arizona Lutheran is currently one of only two jumpers in the division with a triple jump over 40 feet, though he slips a little to a tie for 13th on the long jump rankings. Joining him in that tie at 13th is Preston Wilson of St. John's. Wilson currently ranks 4th in the long jump.
Christian Mutengela of Morenci is currently second on the long with a nice jump of 21-3, but Mutengela has--at least not yet--dabbled in the triple jump.
All that to suggest that Mogollon may make out like bandits when it comes to state points in the horizontal jumps. At least so far, nobody can match their 1-2.
Division 3
Riales Hopper (a nice surname for a jumper) of Mesquite leds the Division 3 crowd in the long jump, but barely, at 21-0. Currently, the top six jumpers are separated by 6.5 inches, which is to say that we have no clear leader at this point.
We do, however, have a team leader, and perhaps especially so if we expand our angle of view to include the triple jump. Mason Hunt is second in the long jump, and only half an inch behind hopper. Hunt, however, leads the triple jump at 42-6. Hunt jumps for Snowflake. And Hunt has company. Stuart West (and it's possible I have the spelling wrong on that first name) and Hunter Hall also triple jump for Snowflake and own the #4 and #6 positions in the rankings. That makes Snowflake the undisputed leader in the horizontal jumps in Division 3 at this time. West and Hall figure a bit further back in the long jump rankings (and with non-wind-legal marks), but they are on the radar screen.
The list of guys figuring in scoring positions in both the long and triple jump is short, but we need to give a nod here to Prescott's Jack Mason (5th in the long, 8th in the triple) and Lee Williams' Michael Goodgion (8th in the long, 6th in the triple). Bryce Chen of Arizona College Prep ranks, for now, an honorable mention with a 3rd in the long and an 11th in the triple.
Though he has a long history in high school of not competing in the long jump, Poston Butte's Octavious Joe warrants a mention here simply for being a strong presence in second place in the triple jump at 42-2.5.
Division 2
Division 2 has something the previous two divisions haven't yet produced--a clear leader in the long and triple jump who happens to be the same person. Centennial's Daxon Lindholm leads both with a 22-10 and 44-4.5. If you're new to the horizontal jumps, both are very nice marks. And, they're both wind-legal. For good measure, Centennial adds Roy Atkins at #5 in the long jump. Reckon Centennial as your favorite to leave the state meet with the most horizontal jump points in Division 2.
Quinton Patterson (Desert Mountain) and Jamel Jenkins (Desert Edge) command the #2 spots in the long jump and triple jump, respectively, but neither are yet within striking distance of state points in the other horizontal jump.
In fact, there's a general shortage of schools showing up on both lists. As of now, the horizontal jump wealth is spread surprisingly evenly in Division 2.
Ironwood Ridge has two top-ten entries in the long jump in Andrew Runyon and JT Thomas. Sunrise Mountain has two top-ten entries in the triple jump in Malachi Marshall and Steven Hoffman.
Division 1
At this early stage, Division 1 has none of the kind of standouts who threaten to take first in both horizontal jumps. Not even anybody remotely close, in fact.
Marlon Hauck of Desert Vista leads the long at 22-3. Krew Jackson of Queen Creek leads the triple at 44-9.5. Aiden Harvey of Sandra Day O Connor is just half an inch behind Hauck. Chandler's Jamere Haskell sits a mere 2.5 inches behind Jackson. There are no definitive leads to be found here.
Cole Nordman of Chaparral is currently the closest thing to a double threat on the board. Nordman checks in at #8 on the long jump board and #7 on the triple jump board.
Team-wise, Corona del Sol gives some reason for pause with Brett Wynn at #5 in the long jump and Devon Logan at #4 in the triple jump.
In addition to Jackson, Queen Creek is represented in a scoring position in the rankings by William Waddington at #7 in the long jump.
Suffice it to say that much remains to be determined in the Division 1 horizontal jumps. The triple jump marks should get steadily better through the season. Forward moves on the long jump won't be as regular, but they will be seen as well. It may be that no team in Division 1 ends up exercising any kind of domination in the horizontal jumps. We'll have to wait and see on that.