AA Boys' High Jump Preview
Greg Lauray captivated crowds during his two seasons of competition. It culminated with him jumping 6-11 to win the AA state crown last spring. Lauray is off at Pitt, and what we'll get in the AA boys' high jump is a very close competition for the state title.
The top returner from the state meet last year is Darius Johnson of Valley. He took fourth a year ago as a junior. Now a senior, he'll look to cap it off with a first place finish. But he was second at the WPIAL Championships, as Hopewell's Dantae Ranieri won on attempts (both boys cleared 6-04 at districts). Ranieri was 14th last season at states.
The only other returning medalist in the field is John Reichenbach of Salisbury. He took sixth a year ago and will once again be in the hunt. At his conference championship, he jumped a T-PA-AA#1 of 6-08, and won the D11 title in some bad weather.
Then there's the indoor state champion, Kolt Byers of Bermudian Springs. He was a surprise in the winter, but Byers has been making noise all year. After not making states last year, he took first in the state indoors and jumped a career best of 6-08 during the regular season. He jumped 6-04 to win the District 3 crown.
Canton Area's Connor Hess will be in the mix. He went 6-04 to win District 4 and has a season best of 6-06. District 9 champion Samuel Hetrick of Redbank Valley should factor in with a PR of 6-05. Dylan Lanoue of Boiling Springs was second to Byers at D3 and will be worth watching for. He also has a season best of 6-05. Freshman standout Jake Hogg of Youngsville cleared a big PR of 6-04 to win the District 10 title and has thrown his name in the hat in this open field.
ENTRIES:
Event 612 Boys High Jump AA (24)
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NFHS Record: 7-06 2017 Vernon Turner, Yukon HS, OK
PIAA Record: 7-01 1992 Matt Benson, Sheffield 10
NFHS Hnr Rol: 6-10
6-04.00 SQS
Name Year School Seed Mark Finals
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1 Johnson, Darius 12 Valley 07 6-04.00 SQS
2 Hess, Connor 12 Canton Area 04 6-04.00 SQS
3 Ranieri, Dantae 12 Hopewell 07 6-04.00 SQS
4 Byers, Kolt 10 Bermudian 03 6-04.00 SQS
5 Hogg, Jake 9 Youngsville 10 6-04.00 SQS
6 Caputo, Dominick 11 Montoursville 04 6-02.00
7 Wilson, Noah 12 Sthrn Hntngdn 06 6-02.00
8 Pfister, Logan 9 Chestnt Ridge 05 6-02.00
9 Forker, Joshua 11 Faith Chrstn 01 6-02.00
10 Soltys, Dane 12 Pburg-Osceola 06 6-02.00
11 Meredith, Jacob 12 Tyrone Area 06 6-02.00
12 Rainey, Deavon 9 Greenville 10 6-02.00
13 Hetrick, Samuel 10 Redbank Val 09 6-02.00
14 Lanoue, Dylan 12 Boiling Spr 03 6-02.00
15 Reichenbach, John 12 Salisbury Twp 11 6-00.00
16 Cortina, Anthony 11 Saint Marys 09 6-00.00
17 Smith, Curtis 10 Gar Memorial 02 6-00.00
18 Coffey, De-Angelo 11 Brookville 09 6-00.00
19 Berdar, Michael 11 Beth-Center 07 6-00.00
20 Moyer, Zach 10 Nrthrn Lehigh 11 5-10.00
21 Blasiak, Shae 12 Lehighton 11 5-10.00
22 McQuiston, Conner 12 Riverside 07 5-10.00
23 Berry, Noah 12 Quaker Valley 07 5-10.00
24 Niemann, Michael 10 Lansdale Cath 12 5-06.00