Wall boys track and field coach Craig Slaughter saw Briggs Jones’ talent from his first leap off the runway before his junior year.
After practice, Slaughter joked Jones’ dad would need to bring a backhoe to practice because he was hitting the back of the sand pit on his jumps.
“I was like ‘Oh my God,’” Slaughter said. “It just looked unnaturally explosive.”
As Jones’ junior season continued, he consistently improved his best marks, culminating in a silver medal in the Class 3A triple jump at the state track and field meet with a personal-best distance of 46-feet and 5¼ inches.