Garrett Metscher was already having a great track and field season before the district meet rolled around, with top finishes in the long jump, high jump, and triple jump all season. But in the postseason, Metscher literally took it to a new level.
After a disappointing 4th place finish in the high jump at districts, Metscher put it into high gear. At sectionals, he not only took 1st place, he broke the Republic school record with a jump of 6’7″. The old record of 6’6 1/2″ had been set by Mark Stufflebeam in 1977.
Winning the state tournament turned out to be even easier for Metscher than winning sectionals, where he had to clear 6’7″ to top Chase Riley of West Plains. At state, the field of 15 thinned quickly, leaving only four jumpers as the bar was raised to 6’5″.
Metscher, who hadn’t missed yet, cleared 6’5″ first, then watched the remaining three jumpers fall short, leaving him with the title. Having won the championship, he raised the bar to 6’7 1/2″ to shoot for a Republic record, and achieved it on his third attempt.
Metscher entered state as the top seed, with the best result in sectionals of any state competitor.
“It made me more nervous because I had more pressure, but it gave me confidence that I could do it,” he says. And his confidence grew as jumpers started to fall out.
“That kind of surprised me,” he said. “It thinned out faster than I thought, and I just jumped my normal jump. I didn’t change anything, just thought of it as a regular track meet. It’s the perfect track meet to PR at.”
Metscher’s personal record, and his state championship, earned your vote as the #2 story of the year in Republic Tiger Sports.
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