Muhlenberg’s Kyle Archie earns high marks as he jumps to Firing Meet gold
By Julie Pelchar Cohen — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent
Greg Johnson was so excited he couldn’t sleep the night before the county championship.
He sensed the next day would bring something special.
The Muhlenberg coach was right because star pupil Kyle Archie delivered a remarkable performance during Thursday’s opening day of the BCIAA Firing Meet at Shillington.
“My heart has been racing this entire day,” Johnson said.
Archie, a senior and relative newcomer to the high jump, cleared 6 feet, 6 inches to win his first county championship.
“This is unbelievable,” Archie said. “I was just so excited for today.”
Archie delivered a nearly flawless performance in an anticipated three-jumper showdown with Berks Catholic’s Josh McKoy and Fleetwood’s William Maurek. Maurek had cleared 6-4 heading into the meet, Archie 6-6 and McKoy 6-7.
They didn’t disappoint on this gray and drizzly evening that left Maurek and Archie as the last men standing.
While Archie hit 6-4 on his first attempt, Maurek cleared the height on his last try.
Maurek came up empty at 6-6, which Archie nailed on his last jump to tie a personal best.
“I couldn’t be happier for him,” Johnson said. “I’m speechless. I knew he wanted this badly.”
While Archie, a Gettysburg football recruit who also started on the Muhls basketball team, dabbled in the high jump as a sophomore he didn’t compete last year, opting to play AAU basketball instead.
His steady progression this spring has been impressive enough that college track coaches are calling.
Archie reached 6-4 in mid-April and added another inch a week later before winning last weekend’s Shaner Meet with a 6-6.
He’s looking to soar higher at next weekend’s District 3 championships.
“I’m waiting for a warm and sunny day to go after another PR,” he said.
While Archie was clearing bar after bar on the infield, something special was happening in the nearby jump pits.
Reading High junior Xavier Beatty unleashed a monster leap in the long jump. He hit 23-5½, a personal best by more than a foot and a half and the sixth-best mark in Pennsylvania this spring.
Beatty, who plays football and basketball, hit 23-0¼ on his first jump in finals, fouled his next one and uncorked the big one on his final attempt.
“He got all of the board and just exploded,” said Reading High coach Chris Yeshulas.
In a blink Beatty was chasing the school record of 23-7 held by Imani Brown, a collegiate jumper at Alabama and later Pitt.
Beatty’s personal best before Thursday was a 21-10¾ at last weekend’s Shaner Meet. He didn’t compete in the long jump last year.
“You could start seeing this coming in meets and practices as he’s getting more comfortable with technique,” Yeshulas said.
Beatty squeezed Thursday’s jumps between sprint trials. He qualified for Saturday’s finals in the 100 and 200.
Archie and Beatty were the stars on an opening day filled with highlights.
Berks Catholic’s shot put king Brady Mider made Firing Meet history. His colossal toss of 62-4¾ broke a meet record and added nearly a foot to the personal best he threw at last weekend’s Henderson Invitational. Thursday’s throw also ranks among the top 15 in the nation for the reigning Class 3 A state champion and Iowa recruit.
A pair of Gov. Mifflin senior distance runners won the night’s only track finals. Zack Zerbe outkicked Exeter sophomore Chase Choudhry over the final lap to successfully defend his 3200 title in 9:20.93.
Kaitlyn Highduch won her second straight 3200 county title by a comfortable margin over teammate Lydia Drago. A week after running the fifth-fastest time by a Pennsylvania runner this spring, Highduch cruised to an 11:03.17 in her final eight-lap race on her home track.
