CIF Track Finals: Kingsburg lands trio of medalists

The “Jump Squad” is now pretty well decorated.

Emmett Brooks led a trio of medalists from Kingsburg High, finishing second in the boys long jump Saturday during the 100th CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan’s Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Joey Souza (long jump) and Emmett’s twin brother, Seth Brooks, (triple jump) also reached the podium, each capturing a bronze medal on a historic night for the Vikings, who had never produced more than two medalists at the state meet.

“It makes me feel pretty good,” Seth Brooks said. “Especially because we’re from Kingsburg, a small town.”

Emmett Brooks was the biggest surprise of the talented trio.

Unlike Souza, who was second in the state last season and had the second-best mark in the state entering this year’s meet, and Seth Brooks, who was the state’s leading triple jumper heading into Saturday, Emmett Brooks only took up the long jump three weeks ago.

Emmett Brooks had the fifth-best qualifying mark based on performances at the state’s 10 Masters championships but was outside the top six marks overall on the season.

He was sixth in qualifying at 22 feet, 11.75 inches but had a likely 24-footer scratched when he crossed the line. But he said he knew he had a big jump in him, which came on his fifth attempt, when he sailed 24-1.0 to vault past Rio Mesa-Oxnard’s Gregory Vann to momentarily move into first place.

“I felt pretty good,” Emmett Brooks said. “When I was in the air, I could tell it was going to be a good jump.”

Vann, who entered with a state-leading and national No. 4 mark of 24-10.5, jumped 24-6 on his final attempt to surge back into first.

“I was a little mad when I saw that,” Emmett Brooks said. “But it’s all good.”

Souza came in as a strong contender to become Kingsburg’s first state champion since Rafer Johnson won the high hurdles in 1954 before going on to win Olympic gold.

Souza posted the top mark in preliminaries, launching a 24-2.5 on his first attempt before passing on his final three to protect a right hamstring injury suffered a month ago. He possessed the state’s second-best mark of the season, and tied for seventh in the nation, at 24-5.5.

But on the first of three preliminary jumps Saturday, Souza fouled. He also fouled on his second attempt, before popping a 23-2.75 on his third to get into the nine-jumper final round. Souza said he backed up a foot and a half before his do-or-die attempt.

“It was pretty nerve-wracking,” Souza said. “I was like, ‘Aw, man.’ But I only needed like 22-6 or something like that (to make the final round.) I’m confident I can get that even on a bad jump, so I was just trying to have as much fun as I could in the situation I was in.”

In the final round, Souza fouled again on jumps four and six, and sailed only 22-10 on his fifth to settle for third place.

“It wasn’t a series I was wanting, but it happens in track all the time,” Souza said. “You just have to get up and keep going. I’ve been blessed with the skills and talents I have and it’s not anywhere near over. It’s just the high school career didn’t end quite how I wanted it to, and that’s all right.”

Seth Brooks popped a 48-9.75 on his first attempt to take an early lead in the triple jump. But St. Mary-Stockton’s Ron Smith equaled the mark on his second attempt and Stuart Hall-San Francisco’s Drew Xandrine-Anderson surpassed it on his third (48-11.75) to force Seth Brooks to play catchup the rest of the way.

Brooks went 48-10.25 on his third and sixths attempts, which put him behind Smith’s 49-0.25 and Xandrine-Anderson’s 48-11.75.

“I would have been happier if I got first, but third is still pretty good,” Seth Brooks said. “I felt I could have done better, but it just wasn’t there.”

The Brooks brothers — who also star in football, Seth as a 1,000-yard running back and Emmett as a 1,000-yard receiver — will enter their senior seasons next year as the state’s top returners in the triple and long jumps.

“I’m going to win state next year,” Seth Brooks said. “For sure.”

Added Emmett Brooks: “This is crazy. I just want to keep practicing and keep getting better and better.”

This story was originally published June 6, 2015 at 10:59 PM with the headline "CIF Track Finals: Kingsburg lands trio of medalists."