Brantley jumps into G.B. East record books, back to state
Jamyle Brantley was holding the mini, orange cone like an Oscar Award last Thursday at Schneider Stadium in De Pere.
The Green Bay East senior certainly put together an award-winning performance at the Division 1 Ashwaubenon track and field sectional.
Brantley produced leaps that broke a pair of school records to punch his ticket back to the WIAA state meet.
The 6-foot-2 standout first broke the school record in the triple jump with a leap of 46 feet, 4 inches on his second attempt in finals.
Brantley then broke the school record in the long jump with a mark of 22-8¼ on his last attempt in finals.
“It feels really good,” said Brantley, who is seeded third in both jumps for state. “I have been working the whole season. My coaches and teammates have had my back the whole season, and they’ve been pushing me and pushing me for this moment right here. Now, it’s just time to go to state and do what I do best and try to place, and maybe win it.”
Brantley, who also won Bay Conference and WIAA regional titles in the long and triple jump this year, has come very close over the past two seasons he’s been competing in track and field to breaking the school records.
One of his coaches decided he might need a good-luck charm Thursday to finally put him over the edge.
That’s why Brantley was using the mini, orange cone with the Red Devils’ logo on it as his starting mark at sectionals.
“One day in practice we didn’t have any chalk or tape on the runway, so she pulled out of her bag and had these mini cones in there,” Brantley said. “She grabbed one for me and put it where my mark was. I went from there and she said it was a good-luck charm. She brought it out here today and look what happened.”
Brantley broke a 27-year-old school record in the long jump. The previous mark of 22-6 was set by Say Baccum in 1991.
Brantley was particularly hoping to get the school record in the triple jump, which was 46-1½ and set by Eddie Boyce in 2008.
Boyce has coached Brantley in basketball. When Brantley decided to go out for track and field last year, he immediately knew which event he wanted to try after seeing Boyce’s name on the school-record board.
He came close on a couple of occasions with jumps of 46-1, but couldn’t get the extra ½ inch to match Boyce until Thursday.
“I wanted to stay in shape for summer (basketball),” Brantley said about the decision to go out for track and field. “I was just naturally good at triple jump. I picked it up pretty fast. Last year, I went to state but didn’t do too well. This year, is like redemption time.”
Brantley finished 19th in the long jump and 17th in the triple jump at state last year.
Not only do his sectional marks give him the third seed for each event this year, Brantley’s school-record marks rank among some of the best on the state honor roll for the season.
Brantley ranks fourth in the triple jump and seventh in the long jump, according to Athletic.net.
Although he’s working towards a podium finish in each, Brantley knows a state title isn’t out of the question, either.
Green Bay East has had 19 state champions for boys track and field. The last was in 2011 when Mike Fisher won the high jump.
Brantley would like nothing more than to make it an even 20 by capturing a state championship for his final act before going on to compete in track and field at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
“It would be insane,” Brantley said. “I’ve been working this whole season for that main goal right there. It has been a heck of a ride so far. I can’t wait to see what state holds.”
Awesome…just so awesome. 🙂