Clear Spring junior Jacob Faith makes leap up leaderboards, into school record book

Entering last Saturday's Fort Hill Invitational in Cumberland, Clear Spring junior Jacob Faith had a personal high jump record of 6 feet, 2 inches.

He broke it for the meet victory. Then broke it again. And yet again.

When the action at Greenway Avenue Stadium ended, Faith was the school-record holder, having cleared 6-6 on his third and final attempt at the height. Through Tuesday, he was one of three athletes in Maryland, across all classifications, to clear 6-6 this season.

"It's crazy to even think about 6-6. It was unreal," Faith said. "When I landed and I saw that bar up, I don't even remember it. I was just in shock."

"We had a meet (at James Buchanan on Tuesday) and he was consistently over 6-6 again, so we know that is now our new normal," said Clear Spring coach Jaime Mason Lego. "It is very exciting, and he knows we're in a tough region and there are a lot of good jumpers across the state of Maryland, and he's amongst them now."

Soaring to new heights

Faith first cleared 6 feet during the 2022-23 winter indoor season, winning the county title at 6-1, the 1A West region crown at 6 feet, and the 1A state championship at 6-2. He matched that personal record outdoors last spring — coincidentally, also at Fort Hill.

Indoors this year, Faith cleared 6 feet three times with a top mark of 6-1, and placed second in the state 1A competition at 6 feet in February. He also cleared 6 feet twice early this outdoor season.

It had been more than a year since he had attained a personal record in the event. A breakthrough didn't seem likely last Saturday in gusting winds: "Saturday was horrible," Mason Lego said. "The pole vault, they had to keep holding the crossbar on until the kids would get close to it. It was not ideal, and he waited a long time to jump."

But in a span of less than a half-hour, Faith did break through. Three times.

"There was a really great jumper from Hedgesville (Demonte Martin) who I knew was capable of a lot, and I knew going into that meet I was going to have to jump my best," Faith said. "I was looking forward to that, and my teammates helped me through that with their encouragement.

"I won the meet with 6-4 on my second attempt. I was ecstatic. As soon as I got 6-2 on my first attempt, that was a sign that, 'OK, this might be a good day.' Once I got 6-4, I was like, 'Holy crap, this is happening.' Then 6-5 was just unreal. I got that on my first attempt. I got off the mat and looked up at it and thought, 'Did I just clear that?' It's so much higher and I was like, 'Man, this hard work is paying off.'

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What caused the breakthrough?

Two key factors contributed to Faith's career day last weekend.

The first was a technical adjustment.

"I've been working really hard on keeping my hips up, and that was the thing that really clicked that day," Faith said. "I told myself before I got 6 feet that I have to keep my head back, and as soon as I did that, it clicked."

"He is always looking for ways to fine-tune his steps and generate more power," said Clear Spring jumps coach Robin Papa. "He has been working hard in the weight room, as well. It is wonderful to see him pass the plateau of 6 feet that he was consistently jumping. There are big things in his future."

The second factor was mental.

"His age and experience have given him a growth and maturity that's allowed him to have mental strength in addition to his physical ability," Mason Lego said. "He's continuing to grow and is finding ways to adjust, where before he would get caught up in a mistake. Now that he's maturing, he knows what's happening and knows how to fix it. That's been a big part of his massive growth over the last week.

"He's become really flexible at adjusting to adverse conditions, whether it's weather or venue or the bus was late. As he's aging and maturing, he's learning to handle those things and use them as a way to fuel him instead of holding him back."

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Motivated to raise the bar

Faith's focus is now on the future, especially the championship meets looming in May.

"I can get to that mark and know I can do it now," he said. "I can go in with more confidence than I have been. … I'm going into every meet trying to break my record now. I know the competition. I've been looking on athletic.net and seeing what everyone is doing, and I know there is a lot of competition, and it's going to inspire me to do my best and get me to the height that I need, because I know if I can jump it, other people can, too. There's always competition."

There's also the motivation and inspiration he gets from Tyler Josenhans, Kannon Shives and Clayton Knode — teammates and friends who were killed in a car accident in August 2022. Faith was a freshman the year Josenhans won the state 1A indoor high jump title.

"Without TJ, I would not be where I am today," Faith said. "I looked up to TJ every day at practice. Watching him soar over the bar inspired me to get better and showed me that track and field wasn't that bad. TJ … wanted to strive and win every meet. I am trying to do the same for him.

"Watching Kannon play sports made me want to be the best version of myself. His hustle and his athleticism, on and off the court or the field, showed someone (who) really loved what he was doing. Kannon left his legacy at this school, and now I am trying to, as well.

"(Clayton) knew how to put a smile on anyone's face every day, no matter the time. No one had gratitude toward life like Clayton, and that inspired me to do the same to others."

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Clear Spring high jumper Jacob Faith soars to new heights