The wait is over. It is officially PTFCA Championship Week. With an action-packed meet on deck - we want to ensure you're as prepared as we are.
Throughout the week, we will release event-by-event previews of the action and what you can expect on Sunday. Today we have previews of the Long Jump, Triple Jump, High Jump and Pole Vault. Make sure to click through to each event to read event-by-event previews of the action.
Pole Vault | High Jump | Long Jump | Triple Jump
Long Jump Preview
By Phil Grove
---
The Boys
There will be just a few familiar faces Sunday morning when the boys' long jump competition gets rolling at Penn State. Hickory's Luca Bertolasio (4th) and Father Judge's Momo Peters (17th) are the only returnees from the 2022 state indoor finale, with both being part of a large group of competitors heading to the state finale with at least one meet over 22 feet.
Bertolasio was the only non-senior in the top 10 of last year's field dominated by 12th-graders. This year's indoor finalists represent a little more grade level diversity as six juniors and two sophomores also made the field.
A two-sport star and baseball signee with St. Bonaventure, Bertolasio went deeper into the pit each time out at Youngstown State this winter, culminating with his PA#2 23-2.75 on Saturday. He also punched a ticket to PSU with a 7.04 run in the 60 dash on the same day.
Junior Kyle Moore of Emmaus had a busy December and January, topping 22-0 in all five of his meets and 23-0 twice. His PA#1 23-3.25 was put in the books way back on Jan. 8 at Ursinus.
Moore's state-leading mark is tied for 32nd nationally, while Bertolasio shares the No. 36 spot.
Six others in the field have topped 22-0 at least once this season, with Archbishop Carroll's Rodrigo Davis topping that group with a best of 22-5 and three meets over 22-0. Peters (22-2), Roman Catholic's Jak Kearney (22-1.75), Cathedral Prep's Demario Crawford (22-1.5), Harry S Truman's Raekwon Cummings (22-0.25) and George Washington's Shomari Richards (22-0) follow in that group.
The Girls
Once again, the oldest state indoor meet record will come under serious threat Sunday from one of the nation's best long jumpers, Avery Lewis (Friends Central).
Angie Brown of Villa Maria Academy set the PTFCA record of 20 feet, 1.25 inches in 1994. The event standard is one of only two remaining from the 1990s, with the 6-0 HJ record set in 1999 by Hyleas Fountain being the other.
A junior at Friends' Central, Avery Lewis jumped 19-11 last year to win at the Ashenfelter Indoor Track at Penn State and has outdistanced the indoor record on at least six meets in her career. One of those was this year's Dr. Sander Invitational at The Armory, where a 20-7.75 sixth-round jump by Avery Lewis moved her to US#3 on the year.
She leads the state list in 2023 by more than 2 feet, with only three other horizontal jumpers at 18-0 or better thus far in PA.
The battle for medals should be interesting as the defending champion is the only returnee from last year's scoring eight. North Penn's Madison Gee (9th) and Madeline Lewis (15th) and South Fayette's Grace Howard (19th) also are back from last year's final 20 jumpers.
Saige Forbes of Episcopal Academy leads what appears to be a contest for the runner-up spot. The junior has topped 18-0 at least once in each month of this year's indoor season, with a leap of 18-4.75 from December being her best.
A budding multi-eventer, Rustin's Keturah Darwon has marks in 10 different events this season. Both of her long jump competitions were at Ocean Breeze on Staten Island, with her leap of 18-3.5 back on Feb. 3 being her best.
Almost the entire field has jumped 17-1 at least once this season.