TRACK: Loaded in the longjump – KL, K-M and KW all have state challengers

He has uncorked his share of record-setting jumps during his time at Kentlake High.

Recently, however, Zach Smith uncorked another personal highlight when he announced that he will attend the University of New Mexico in the fall on a track & field scholarship.

There were plenty of reasons Smith chose the University of New Mexico, one of them being the fact that his older sister, Brittany, a 2005 Kentlake graduate, already is part of the track & field team at the Albuquerque-based university.

The other was he coaching, Smith noted.

“One of the coaches there, Leo Settle, I think can do a lot for me,” Smith said. “I just really liked the coaching staff.”

If Smith’s time at New Mexico is anything like that at Kentlake, the coaches will be certain to like him as well. After enduring his share of back injuries during his first two years of high school, a healthy Smith delivered one of the finest seasons around last year. He won the Class 4A state long jump title with a leap of 23-feet-3 inches.

Yet, if anyone in the South Puget Sound League North Division is prepared for an encore, it’s Smith. Because just a few weeks ago at the Nike Indoor Nationals in Boston, Mass., he uncorked another record leap, winning the long jump with a personal best 23-feet-11 inches.

Now it’s on to the regular season, where Smith entered the season a few weeks ago as a favorite to win one of the state’s deepest events.

“It’s my number-one priority,” Smith said of winning a second state title.

Of course, his competition — particularly in the SPSL North — is rather steep. Matter of fact, the deepest crop of talent in the state very well could be the long jump, Smith’s specialty. The top four placers at state last year — Smith, Oak Harbor’s Donavan Hunt, Kent-Meridian’s Brandon Harris and Shadle Park’s Bo Schuetzle — all are back this season. But it’s not quite that simple as Kentwood’s Devin St. Clair, who opted out of the long jump at midseason last year, also is back. St. Clair, one of the area’s most gifted athletes, holds the school record in the long jump and was pegged as a favorite when the season began last year.

“Just in the SPSL North, there are four 22-foot long jumpers … that’s phenomenal,” Kentwood coach Steven Roche said. “That’s better than a lot of small colleges. As far as the total caliber of talent … they’re just out there. If you’re not going over 21-1, your shot at state is basically nil.”

Kent-Meridian coach Ernie Ammons agreed.

“It’s going to be interesting just to make it out of the league meet,” he said. “There will be boys left home who could place at the state meet.”

Though Smith isn’t thinking about just placing at the state meet. And he’s not only thinking about gold, either.

Instead, he wants it all — a gold medal and the state record.

Peller Phillips of Garfield established the state record in 1988 with a leap of 25-9 3/4.

“Since last year when I won state, I saw that it was obtainable,” said Smith, who chose the University of New Mexico over Colorado State and Iowa among others.

But just getting out of the SPSL will be a task all by itself, Smith admitted.

“Man, I’d say we have six out of the top eight of the best jumpers in the state,” he said. “Our district meet is basically like a state meet. Hopefully it’s going to be one of the greatest years of long jump ever. It’s a real deep year and I expect the competition to be tough. Anybody could win it.”