With the State Meet just 1 week away, it is time to highlight some of the athletes who can challenge for the KHSAA Class 3A Track and Field State Championship. In this week's edition, we will focus on the Class 3A jumpers. Regardless of the current season best, this article highlights returners who will challenge for it all.
High Jump
The first athlete on this list is Barren County Senior Taylor Ogles. Ogles is the defending State Champion from the 2022 KHSAA Class 3A Track and Field State Championship. This season, he has improved his State Championship winning jump from last season by 2 inches posting the 2nd best mark in 3A this season at 6-8. He is also very consistent posting 6-4 marks all season. Given his combination of State pedigree and consistency, Ogles should be one of the favorites to defend his State Championship this season.
His biggest competition, however, will come from Devin Sealey of North Hardin. The Senior has the Class 3A State leading jump at 6-11. He also is the defending KTCCCA Indoor State Champion from this season. Nonetheless, his largest struggle this season has been consistent only clearing 6-6 one time this season. His other two jumps have been at 6-2. If Sealey performs to his 6-11 standard, he will be hard to defeat, however, if he jumps closer to 6-6, there are many athletes who could challenge for the State Championship.
The third athlete on this list is Sosthene Kamba of Eastern. The Senior did not compete at last season's State Championship but did finish 5th at the Indoor State Championship this season. Kamba has the third highest jump in Class 3A this season, but has jumped it 4 times this season. His consistency is his biggest weapon and could prove useful at the Outdoor State Championship this season.
Honorable Mentions
Jordan Mcintyre, Senior, Trinity (Louisville)
Jack Hethcox, Senior, Southern
Kaden Gardner, Senior, Ryle
Long Jump
The first athlete on this list is Samuel Reagan of South Oldham. The Senior is the defending State Championship in this event from last season. Reagan also finished runner-up at the Indoor State Championships in an impressive 21-11.75 jump. Reagan currently has the third highest jump in Class 3A this season, but this is just under a quarter inch from the State leading jump. It's anyone's contest in this event this season, but Reagan has as good a chance as anybody to defend his State Championship this season.
The next athlete on this list is the KTCCCA Class AAA Indoor State Champion, Myles Gentry from Male. The Senior currently has the State leading jump in Class 3A this season tied with the next athlete on the list. Last season, Gentry finished in 20th at the State Championship with his worst jump of the season. Hungry to bounce back, look for Gentry to be in contention for his first Outdoor State Championship this season.
The third and final athlete on this is James Burnett of St. Xavier. The Sophomore is also for the 3A lead at 22-10.5 inches. Last season, as a Freshman, Burnett finished runner-up to Reagan at the Outdoor State Championships. He followed that up with a 3rd place finish at the Indoor State Championships this season. However, Burnett did defeat Gentry in the Region Championship in this event and is the number one entry off of Region Performances. If he performs up to that Region Standard, Burnett should contend for the State Championship this season.
Triple Jump
The story in this event at the State Championship is the Class 3A Region 3. The top two athletes in this event are both from the Region. The first athlete to mention is last season's State runner-up, Jaden Smith. Smith built upon his runner-up finish outdoors by finishing runner-up at the Indoor State Championship this season. However, both of these runner-up finishes came at the hands of Samuel Reagan from South Oldham. Reagan will not be competing at the State Championships in this event this season clearing the path for Smith to claim his first State Championship.
The second athlete in this event is Quentin Gentry of Male. The Senior finished 10th at last season's Outdoor State Championship. However, he built on this success at the Indoor State Championship where he finished third behind Smith and Reagan. His personal best is less than 1 inch off Smith making him a serious threat to Smith at the Outdoor State Championship this season.
Honorable Mention
Antonio Harris, Sophomore, Male
Bryson Carpenter, Junior, Bryan Station