Track titles are Agates firsts

• Caleb Hamp-Sill

Caleb Hamp-Sill takes off in the long jump at last weekend’s State Track Meet in St. Paul. He won the event and the triple jump for the first track titles in school history. Forum Newspapers.

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Even when Caleb Hamp-Sill mounted the winner’s platform after capturing his second state title, the Two Harbors senior barely was taller than runner-up C.J. Jackson flat-footed.

But the 5-foot-6 Two Harbors senior showed other factors such as heart and determination mattered more by winning the Class A boys long jump Saturday at the Minnesota track and field state meet at Hamline University. Hamp-Sill’s leap of 21 feet, 10¼ inches was more than half a foot better than Jackson of Thief River Falls and gave him a golden double after winning the triple jump Friday night.

“It’s not the height, it’s how bad you want it, I guess,” Hamp-Sill said. “I’ll remember this ‘til the day I die.”

Hamp-Sill wasn’t even in the top tier for the triple jump, but leaped nearly 8 inches longer than his personal record to take the lead into the finals. After West Central Area’s Beau Kashmark went 43-9¾, Hamp-Sill flew 43-11 to take first.

That put him in a great frame of mind for the long jump, in which he entered ranked No. 1.

“After that first place, there was nothing that could bring me down after that,” he said. “I thought, ‘I might as well go for the gold in the long jump, too.’”

It was the first time an Agate won a track title. And he had two.

Relays

Hamp-Sill also anchored the 800-meter relay and led off in the 400, which each finished seventh. The 400 time of 44.41 was close to a school record. Alex Horoshak, fourth in the long jump at 21-1, also featured in both relays along with Lee Myrdal and Jon McDannold

“We wanted to get the school record, but we were a couple tenths off,” Hamp-Sill said. “The competition was great here.”

Two Harbors tied St. Paul Humboldt for third place in the team competition with 36 points. Caledona-Spring Grove took home top honors with 57 points.

Girls

Two Harbors junior Stephanie McGregor finished fifth in the discus with a throw of 116-9.

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