The indoor season saw a few of our athletes takes their talent to another level.
Last year, Old Rochester's Danny Renwick generally hovered in the 6-2, 6-3 range in the high jump with an all-time best of 6-5 at the New Balance Nationals. Renwick captured the vertical leap this winter with a PB of 6-10, a height that tied for No. 8 nationally. In the long jump, Milton's outstanding tenth-grader Smith Charles leaped a PB of 23-2, more than three feet further than what he did as a freshman.
Could we see more athletes pick up their games this spring? Time will only tell.
Renwick, who was a runner-up at the New England Championships, is the person to keep and eye on this season in the high jump based on what he did during indoor. But he should have plenty of company to push him to new heights, and a possible seven-footer this spring. Three other high-jumpers that have cleared 6-6 or better this past season. St. John Prep's Nikolas Reardon finished second to Renwick at the State Meet with a PB of 6-8 and then took third at the New England Championships where he cleared a height of 6-7. Milton's Charles and Burlington's Fernando Lamin have both done 6-6. Lamin was third at the recent State Meet. He is also the top returnee from the 2016 outdoor championship where he placed second overall with a best of 6-8.
North Andover's Matthew Manteiga (third, 21-8.25)), Matignon's Yale Duffy (fifth, 21-5.75) and Martha's Vineyard's Ennis Foster (eighth, 21-0.25) all made it to the podium in the long jump at last year's State Meet. There's eight more that have gone further than 21 feet. But it's the versatile Charles that stands alone. He's the only person to exceed 23 feet. He'll be tough to beat in this event. Among the other 21-plus footers are Boston College High's Michael Mecha (22-1.5), a second-place finisher at the indoor states, St. John Prep's Reardon (22-1), Case's Jase Garner (21-4.5), North Attleboro's Omar Joseph (21-1), Attleboro's Isaiah Rodriguez (21-1) and Brookline's Sam Feingold-Gardener (21-1).