Valley Stream North's Ryan John a triple winner at state championship

CICERO, N.Y. — It was the ultimate test of leg power, mental endurance, flight command and focus. And like he usually is, Ryan John was the best at virtually all of it.

In his swan song to state track and field competition, the Valley Stream North senior won three of the four jumping events he entered at the state outdoor track and field championships this weekend at North Syracuse High School.

The capper came late in the meet Saturday, during what is typically the most consequential two hours of the two-day event. John won the Federation triple jump, flying 48 feet, 1 ½ inches — his second major championship in that event this school year. He won the indoor triple jump state championship on Staten Island in March.

“I felt good with my speed,” said John, a Clemson commit. “My steps weren’t on the board as perfectly as they could be, but I worked it out. My coaches told me to have more explosiveness, be faster, and just finish throughout the jumps.”

The win came at the end of a long weekend. John won both the Division I long and triple jumps on Friday, flying 23-3 and 49-8 ¾, respectively. Those victories highlighted John’s prowess among large-sized public schools, while Saturday’s triumph came against the best in the state regardless of school size or classification.

“I was definitely taking it a lot slower [Saturday],” John said. “I knew I wasn’t going to have to jump too often, so I tried to conserve myself. I used a lot more energy on my first and last jumps than I did throughout the second and third jumps. I was preserving my energy in that [way]. I sat down a lot, I wasn’t really on my feet often. I was using the time when I wasn’t jumping, to stretch.”

John placed second in the Federation long jump on Saturday, flying 22 feet, 11 ½ inches. Taconic Hills’ Neil Howard won by going 23 feet, 10 ½ inches. The event came a few hours before his triple jump win.

“I knew that I had more in me for the triple jump,” John said. “I kind of used the long jump as a warm up because it was a long weekend. I took a lot of jumps this weekend, but that’s no excuse … I used [long jump] to help me get used to jumping again and I just got into a mode.”

Elsewhere in the field, Whitman’s Chris Davis won the high jump, clearing 6-7. Great Neck North’s Adam Namdar cleared 6-6 and took second.

On the track, Connetquot’s Jermaine Thompson won the 200 meters in 21.64 seconds, narrowly eclipsing Cardinal Hayes’ Jaavier Jackson (21.79).

“I was feeling a little pain, so my coach told me to go easy until the last 100 [meters] and try to stay up tall,” Thompson said. “I just finished the race strong.”

That strategy, though easy sounding, is somewhat difficult. Thompson had to balance staying contained in the first half of the race, while not letting the field get away from him.

“I was just trying to keep it cruising in the first 100 to keep up with everyone, and just tried to pull away in the last 100,” Thompson said.

He also won the Division I 200 in 21.22 seconds and was second in the Federation 100 in 11.01. Shenendehowa’s Carter Cukerstein won the Federation 100 in 10.76 seconds.

Thompson said his start in the Division I 200 wasn’t as quick as he would have liked.

“I needed to get more vertical and stay in my drive phase more,” Thompson said. “It was better in the [Federation race]. I needed it to go through the head wind.”