York leaps into record book
Senior breaks 18-year-old KHS long jump mark
KINGFISHER’S COLTON YORK flies through the air reaching for as much distance as possible before landing in the long jump pit (top photo) in what turned out to be a new school record during last Friday’s home meet.
As soon as Colton York’s foot left the ground, he knew it was going to be a good jump.
He just didn’t know it was going to be THAT good.
The Kingfisher High School senior not only set a new long jump personal record in his final home track meet, but broke the school record in the process.
To top it all off, he also won the gold medal in the event at the Kingfisher High School Invitational last Friday afternoon.
Fresh off taking fourth place in the 100 meter dash, York returned to the long jump pit to soar 22 feet, 11 1/4 inches.
“My takeoff was perfect and I knew it was going to be a good one,” York said of the jump, which beat an 18-year-old school record held by Lamont Gunnings by two inches.
“And from the reaction of my dad, I knew it had to be a good one, too.”
But then his dad, Trent York, who was working the long jump as a volunteer, called out the distance.
That’s when both Yorks realized how good it was.
“Well at first I thought it was just going to be a personal record,” York said.
His PR entering the meet was 22-1. He sailed past that mark and kept flying.
When the elder York let the crowd know the distance, a wave of emotion hit the younger one.
He hugged his dad, then his mother Terri, who was also helping work the event.
“I wasn’t expecting the school record, so it hit me even harder than I expected,” York said. “It made it more emotional for me when he called it out.”
York will continue his track and field career at Missouri Southern State University, but first he hopes to finish his high school career with some hardware.
He finished fifth in the long jump at the 4A state meet last season. He currently holds the best long jump in 4A this season.
“I feel I’ve got a shot to win it,” York said. “But in state people jump out of their minds, so there’s definitely going to be tough competition.”
However, Friday’s showing might be the boost he needed.
AweekprioratChisholm, York had his worst showing of the year when he only leapt 19-6.5 in a second-place finish.
He improved at the Canadian Valley Conference meet last Tuesday when he jumped 21-1, but he knew he could be better.
Better - much better - happened Friday.
“It was definitely a jump I needed to get my confidence up for state and the future in college,” he said.
• Kingfisher finished fifth in the boys standings with 71 points. Marlow won the meet with 148.5.
• Cade Stephenson helped York sweep the two jumping events as he won the high jump with a clearance of 5-10. Between jumps, Stephenson also won the 100 with a time of 11.52.
• KHS freshman Braxton Mecklenburg set a PR of 5-8 in the high jump, good for fourth place. Mecklenburg just missed on 5-10, which was the height that won the event.
• Cashion freshman Justice Broadbent also set a PR, but in the long jump. His jump of 20-3 placed him sixth.
Boys Team Standings
Marlow 148.5 Thomas 93 Jones 87 Tuttle 75 Kingfisher 71 Mooreland 48 Woodward 28 Guthrie 22 Anadarko 18 Newcastle 18 OKC Storm 15 Marlow B 14 Cashion 5 Kingfisher B 4 Cheyenne 3 SW Covenant 1.5
Local Boys Placers
400 relay - Kingfisher, sixth, 47.63
3,200 relay - Kingfisher, fifth, 8:53.98
110 hurdles - Ben Reherman, fourth, 18.40
3,200 - Jon Henry, Kingfisher, second, 10:37.10
100 - Cade Stephenson, Kingfisher, first, 11:52; Colton York, Kingfisher, fourth, 11.72; Austin Vandruff, Cashon, fifth, 11.82
300 hurdles - Reece Lafferty, Kingfisher, second, 42.73; Reherman, Kingfisher, sixth, 46.23
200 - Vandruff, Cashion, fifth, 24.17
1,600 - Henry, Kingfisher, fifth, 4:54.04
1,600 relay - Kingfisher, fourth, 3:33.75
Long jump - York, Kingfisher, first, 22-11.25; Justice Broadbent, Cashion, sixth, 20-3
High jump - Stephenson, Kingfisher, first, 5-10; Braxton Mecklenburg, Kingfisher, fourth, 5-8
More track results and
sports news on Page 8A