Boys track and field: Gerard shines in final meet for St. Francis
CHARLESTON - St. Francis senior Jackson Gerard had a busy morning on Friday.
Not only was Gerard preparing to compete in his first Class 2A boys state track and field meet, but he was also doing some homework.
Gerard, who committed to Dartmouth for football, said he spent part of the morning handling calls with his college coach to learn the football playbook.
"It's been a crazy (morning) especially with the weather," Gerard said. "Track is pretty complementary for me with football. It goes into football, but I felt I could compete this year and it was fun competing this year and being really good in track and getting to go to state was a whole new experience."
On the track, Gerard made sure to add some final touches to his memorable final season for the Spartans. After playing a key role in the Spartans winning all six of their games in football, Gerard capped his career with a highlight-filled track season.
And there's no better highlight than earning a state medal.
Gerard earned a sixth-place medal in the long jump with a top leap of 6.83 early in Friday's meet. As temperatures soared to a steamy 92-degrees and winds of 15 miles per hour, Gerard said he cherished his uncomfortable but memorable first time to state.
"It's kind of surreal to be down here at state since it's been a dream of mine since I was a little kid," Gerard said. "It's awesome being here. I felt good coming off the board and it was really good competition and I hit some good marks."
Gerard, who placed 13th in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.15 seconds, said he cherished competing against the best in the state.
"I thought I hit some pretty good marks," he said. "This was crazy and the weather definitely hindered some performances, but it was fun to compete. Track has really helped me with football. I missed just a personal record in the long jump. Coming here with my teammates and coaches for the first time was an awesome experience."
St. Francis' Shane Anderson helped his team score a few points with an eighth-place effort in discus (46.30)