PEARL — When the bar came crashing down on her final attempt, Raven Thompson switched from a high jumping competition to playing the waiting game.

First, she had to wait for Madison Central’s Asia Poe to flub her last jump. Then, for officials to sort out the tiebreaker. And, finally, an agonizing moment as they read off the list of finishers.

When the waiting finally ended, Thompson had a moment to cherish forever.

The Warren Central senior won the MHSAA Class 6A championship in the girls’ high jump at Friday’s state meet, beating Poe on a tiebreaker. It was Thompson’s first state title in four trips to the state meet.

“I’m super excited. It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish,” said Thompson, a Mississippi State signee. “The past three years I’ve been in third, and the last time I was first. I’m happy. I’m satisfied. It’s the fourth time at state, fourth time making it in high jump, and I’m feeling good.”

Thompson and Poe had been engaged in a season-long duel. Thompson posted the best height in the state this season, at 5 feet, 10 inches, but Poe had won the last two weeks in the Region 2-6A and North State meets on tiebreakers.

Friday, they were the last two standing after four other jumpers failed to clear the 5-2 mark.
Thompson and Poe both cleared 5-4, and then the bar was raised to 5-6. Neither cleared it on their first two attempts, bringing it down to the final jump. Thompson went first and brushed the bar, bringing it down to the ground. Poe followed and did the same.

The gold medal then came down to a tiebreaker, the total number of attempts at the last cleared height. Thompson had cleared 5-2 on her first jump while Poe failed once. That was enough to give Thompson the state title.

“It felt really good. I was very laid back and chill. I was actually singing in my head to not think. I don’t even remember what the song was, all I know is it was very chill,” Thompson said. “Then I was also thinking about something one of the coaches said at the Clinton meet. He said if you want it, go get it. Then I looked at the bar and looked at it as a 5-foot jump. You do this every day in practice. So go get it. Just jump.”

Poe did claim a consolation prize. She won the long jump, which was being contested at the same time as the high jump. Poe missed the medal ceremony for the high jump because she was in the other event.

Thompson said Poe’s doubleheader might have played into the outcome of the high jump.

“I knew how it was going to go. She had been kind of off today. She missed the first couple of jumps. She was running back and forth between long and high jump, so I’m sure she was tired. I like fair competition, and competing against Asia is always fun,” Thompson said.

At the same time Thompson was competing, Mason Quimby was on the pad next to hers trying for a medal in the boys’ high jump.

Quimby was making his second consecutive appearance at the state meet and did much better than his first, but still fell just short of a medal. He cleared 6-2, then failed on three attempts at 6-4 and settled for fourth place after losing a tiebreaker to Gulfport’s Tamarcus Garrett.

Terry’s Arturro Bingham won with a height of 6-8, and Meridian’s Tito Chez Turner was second at 6-6.

“It’s good. Last year I didn’t even get to 6 foot, so 6-2 is good. I almost had 6-4. I don’t even know what knocked it over,” Quimby said. “I felt it hit something. I can’t remember what it hit, but in my mind it was like, ‘Aw, crap.’ I knew then that I got third and not fourth, and I wanted to get on that podium.”

Quimby finished last among the eight jumpers at the 2017 state meet. He took some solace in moving into medal contention this time, even if it was disappointing not to seal the deal.

“It’s a big disappointment, because everyone wants to succeed. But I’m out here jumping with the best in the state,” Quimby said.