Panthers’ Luke Martinez, Cougars’ Clara Engel jump to Firing championships

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By  Julie Pelchar Cohen — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent

Luke Martinez looked for the perfect spot to start his final trip down the runway.

It was his last chance to grab gold.

He spotted a clover. It caught his eye, even if it was one leaf shy of the traditional lucky variety.

“It only had three leaves,” he said. “But three were lucky enough.”

Martinez clinched a county title to punctuate an exciting long jump contest on the opening day of the 80th William H. Firing Memorial Victory Meet at Shillington.

Martinez was one of eight athletes to earn Berks bragging rights Thursday with his career-best leap of 21-10. Six finals were held in field events and two on the track.

Berks Catholic shot putter Brady Mider and Fleetwood high jumper William Maurek also won gold.

Freshman triple jumper Clara Engel led the girls winners in the field. Muhlenberg shot putter D’Mornay Woollery and Exeter pole vaulter Hayden Adams joined her as gold medalists.

Gov. Mifflin’s Zack Zerbe and Kaitlyn Highduch were 3200 winners in the lone finals on the track.

The meet resumes Saturday when nearly all the track events and most of the field event finals are contested.

While the start to the county’s track and field championships is typically quiet, the long jumpers certainly managed to make noise.

After the preliminary long jump flights, Martinez, Kutztown’s Connor Loeb and Reading High’s Braxton Coombs-Lopez were tied for the lead. If nobody jumped further in the final, Coombs-Lopez would’ve won on the tiebreaker.

No one challenged the frontrunners during the first two attempts in finals. But the last leaps were a different story.

After Twin Valley’s Ben Grundy and Elijah Wisler unleashed big jumps, Loeb grabbed the lead with a 20-11, leaving Martinez and Coombs-Lopez each with one more shot.

“I told myself I have to bring it,” Martinez said. “I really have to give it everything I have.”

Adrenaline pushed Martinez down the runway. He splashed the sand, popped out of the pit and delivered a double fist pump and a yelp into the evening air. The jump was a personal best by ¾ inch.

“It’s about time,” he joyfully yelled to kick off the celebration of his well-timed leap.

The victory wasn’t sealed until Coombs-Lopez missed the mark on his final attempt.

Panthers jumps coach Todd Reinert wasn’t surprised that Martinez, who entered the meet as the top seed, saved his best for last.

“You learn about your athletes throughout the season,” Reinert said. “I’ve learned that in round six the last few meets he would bring it more, but he would foul. I knew he would bring it on his last one. It was a matter of whether he would foul.”

Martinez is a contender for Saturday’s pole vault title.

Engel should contend for the weekend’s long jump and high jump titles. But she’ll relish her triple jump gold before returning to the runway.

“I feel pretty awesome,” she said. “As a freshman, winning counties and holding school records is awesome.”

Engel has proven to be a quick study in the jumps. Shortly after joining the junior high track team because a friend wanted company, Engel caught coach Larry Chester’s attention.

“The first time I saw her I was an official at a middle school meet,” Chester said. “She’s a really good athlete and a better person. I’ve been telling her parents she’s special for a year now.”

What makes Engel’s breakthrough victory most impressive is she only started triple jumping this spring because the event isn’t contested in junior high.

“I remember helping out at high school meets last year and asking about how it worked and how you actually do it as in which leg goes where,” Engel said. “This year I had to figure out how to execute it. In my first meet, I was just happy to get a mark.”

Engel hit her winning 35-1¾ on her last leap of the prelims. The mark was less than an inch off her personal best that ranks seventh in the state for freshmen. Less than eight inches separates Engel and Pennsylvania’s top-ranked ninth grader.

Exeter’s Aaliyah Ware, who finished second Thursday, led the pack of chasers who never caught Engel, which very well could become a familiar story for the next several years.