A wealth of talent returns in the boys' long jump this spring, as 23 boys come in with best jumps over 22 feet from last year. Five of those had jumps of 23 feet or better, and after a big indoor season, we can add even more to that list.
Let's start in AA, where Brendan Sparr of Schuylkill Valley will be shooting for his third consecutive state title. The senior always jumps well outdoors when the stakes are the highest and he'll be gunning for the three-peat. But he'll have his fair share of challengers, including John Reichenbach of Salisbury Township (above). He pulled out a career-best jump of 23-05.5 at the District 11 Championships last year. He was sixth at states. There's also Dock Mennonite's Austin Kratz, the sprint specialist who can jump really well. He was third at states last spring in the long jump.
Two other AA boys to watch for are Dantae Ranieri of Hopewell and Julian Fleming of Southern Columbia. Both missed out on the medals at states, but registered jumps of 23 feet...
