By Chris Parker
West Plains senior Jared Kraft had his back against the wall in the Class 4 state high jump competition.
The bar sat at 6’10.25. De Smet’s Braden Butler had missed three times at the height, ending his competition. Kraft, who had seven misses to Butler’s four in the competition, needed to make the height to win the competition.
His thought process was simple.
“I have to jump high and get over this bar,” Kraft said. “My heart was racing. I have cleared that height before, so I knew I could do it. I just had to put together a good jump.”
Part of getting a good jump were some minor adjustments from the first two attempts.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE MEET
“I scooted out a little bit which my coach told me to,” Kraft said. “I had a good approach and my footing was right. As soon as I jumped, I knew I was going to clear it.”
Kraft approached the bar and soared over to clinch the state title.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Kraft said. “I had so much excitement and so much adrenaline. It was awesome.”
Kraft, who finished fifth last season, saw his dedication in the off-season pay off in a big way.
“I took my offseason a lot harder,” Kraft said. “My junior year, I didn’t really focus on high jump. I got fifth and I really wanted to get first, so I worked hard all offseason and worked hard in practice.”
