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GULF SHORES -- Moments after failing to clear 6 feet, 6 inches on his third and final high jump attempt, Foley's Julio Jones knelt on the mat and cupped his hands to his head. Maybe next year, he thought.
Jones, a blue-chip football prospect and one of the favorites to claim the high jump at the 4A-6A state track and field championships Friday and Saturday in Gulf Shores, was expecting to win. His season high was 6-8, but a tweaked hamstring held him back a bit and his fourth-place finish Friday was a disappointment.
Then, just like that, it was forgotten.
It was time to move on to the next event.
Satsuma's Fabian Adams also had a rough day in the high jump, clearing 6-4 to finish tied for fourth with Jones. Granted, the Gators' four-sport athlete and Louisiana-Lafayette football signee had only begun to run track this year, but he was expecting better.
<center><p><a href="http://www.al.com/sports/press-register/index.ssf?/base/sports/117844366465390.xml&coll=3" target="_blank">The rest of the story</a>
By DEREK BELTS
ports Reporter
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A few hours later, Jones and Adams talked quietly while their competitors in the long jump leaped before them. They spoke of bouncing back after the high jump. They talked about finishing 1-2.
And that's exactly what they did.
Jones leaped 23-8½ to capture his second straight state title, while Adams flew 21-11 to finish second and secure his first-ever track and field medal.
"Me and Julio, we had to do good in the long jump," said Adams, who got some helpful last-minute tips from Jones. "He's the repeating champ, and he's going to tell you because he knows. He told me, 'Don't think about it, just do it.' I took that and I ran with that. It helped me out a lot."
Track and field is an exhibition of athleticism. It's also a test of character. Whether heaving a 12-pound shot put, legging out a close finish in the 100-meter dash or pacing eight long laps in a grueling 3,200-meter race, track and field's one constant is the sheer talent it takes to perform.
It's not surprising to see multi-sport athletes like Jones and Adams excelling in track. Maybe it's because of their natural athletic ability. Maybe it's their competitive spirit. Or maybe it's a combination of things, including mental toughness.
Whatever the case, multi-sport athletes often do well in track.
"In track you've only got one shot," said Homewood's Ladarius Woods, a two-sport star who's headed to the Air Force Academy on a football scholarship. "If you don't make it in just one time, there's no do-overs. In football, you can fumble a ball and next series you can go for a touchdown. But in track, if you drop the baton it's over. In that given moment, you have to perform."
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Woods finished second in a star-studded 6A 100-meter final Saturday after leading most of the race. Opelika's Tony McLeod -- a one-sport track specialist who will run for Troy next year -- dashed into the lead at the last possible moment and won a photo finish by 0.01 seconds. Alma Bryant's Antoine Broughton, a wide receiver for the Hurricanes, finished third. He also placed second in the 200 meters.
St. Paul's senior Meghan Austin, an all-state basketball standout for the Saints, set an all-classification state record Saturday in javelin, throwing 150-2 to win her third straight state title in the event. Likewise, Saints running back Mark Barron won state titles in the shot put and triple jump to help his team to its second straight state championship. The St. Paul's girls also secured back-to-back state titles.
Not every event is gold for the stars, though.
Hoover's 400-meter relay team finished third despite a lineup that consisted of four football players and two Division I signees -- Clemson's Brandon Clear and Navy's Kwesi Mitchell. Bucs coach Devon Hind said multi-sport athletes sometimes feel the pull from their other sports, which limits practice time and hurts their chances for success in track.
"Our high jumper won and he jumps all the time in basketball," Hind said of Hoover sophomore Anthony May, who upset Jones in the high jump by going 6-8. "Basketball helped him in that area, but it hurt him the last couple weeks because they had spring basketball. He was trying to do spring basketball and track and it wore his legs out. He couldn't even jump 6-0 two weeks ago.
"Same with football; it can help but it can also hurt. When they have spring football their focus shifts because track is not No. 1, and I don't blame them. If the other sports would play their sports in their seasons, track would be a lot better off."
The chance to excel in track is a draw for many athletes, and the head-to-head competition is what keeps them coming back.
"You see this guy next to you and you're conversing before the race, but once the gun goes off it's just straight competition," Woods said. "It's you focusing on your craft and he's focusing on his craft. Whoever wins, you shake hands with everybody and you go on about your day."
The ability to stay in shape throughout the school year is also a big reason many multi-sport athletes take up track.
"I don't practice (track) that much. I've got God-given talent," said Jones, who won his second straight triple jump title Saturday with a career-best leap of 49-1. "But I work so hard in the weight room and stuff. I jump a lot and it helps me in football. I work on my vertical and it makes me faster."
The overall athleticism on display this weekend was hard to miss. Even Dan Washburn, the outgoing executive director of the Alabama High School Athletic Association, was impressed.
"It's just awesome to see these athletes," said Washburn, who will be succeeded by former McGill-Toolen and Daphne football coach Steve Savarese, who also attended the two-day event.
"The speed that you see exhibited in these short races, the endurance on the long races, and the athleticism that you see in the high jump and all the little field events, these athletes represent what high school sports in Alabama are all about."
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