A last-minute assist from a teammate kept Jonathan Henderson in the competition at the AAU Junior Olympics. The rest, he did on his own.

Henderson, a 2024 Warren Central graduate, cleared a height of 6 feet, 8 3/4 inches (2.05 meters) to finish second in the country in the boys’ 17-18-year-olds’ high jump.

Henderson is one of the best high jumpers in Mississippi — he won the 2023 MHSAA Class 6A championship and has signed with South Alabama — but admitted being among the best of the best on a national scale was overwhelming.

“I’m going to be real. It still hasn’t sank in. It’ll probably hit me tonight,” Henderson said.

Vance Harris III, from Owings Mills, Maryland, won the national title by clearing 6 feet, 10 3/4 inches. Henderson was among four jumpers who cleared 6-8 3/4, but he won a tiebreaker based on fewer missed jumps during the competition.

Henderson missed his first attempt at 6-4 3/4, and then not again until the final height of 6-10 3/4.

“It was kind of a wake-up call because I was taking it light,” he said. “I think I jumped a little lax on that one. It helped me focus in and realize we’re here now and it’s time to go.”

Although he wound up on the podium, Henderson almost missed the competition entirely. He brought the wrong length spikes for the high jump and had to borrow a pair from his Warren Central teammate Dwight Palmer.

Palmer is competing in the 200 meters at the Junior Olympics. Palmer and Henderson, as well as fellow Warren Central athlete Adria Burrell, are representing the Olympus Bound track club at the AAU meet in Greensboro, North Carolina.

“Dwight gave me his spikes this morning, so I’m very thankful for that,” Henderson said. “My spikes were too long. They have to be a quarter-inch or smaller and I ended up coming up with the wrong spikes. He helped me at the last minute. Teamwork!”

Palmer’s good deed was rewarded a few hours later. He clocked a time of 21.57 seconds in the semifinals of the boys’ 15-16-year-olds’ 200 meter dash to advance to the finals.

Palmer’s time was the sixth-fastest among the 24 semifinalists. The top eight moved on to the championship round scheduled for Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Burrell was also competing in the 200 meters, in the girls’ 17-18-year-olds’ division. She finished 38th in the preliminary round, however, and did not advance. The 2024 MHSAA Class 6A champion had a time of 25.25 seconds.

Burrell’s meet is not over, though. She did qualify for the semifinals in the 100 meters and will compete again on Thursday afternoon. The finals for the 100 meters are scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

“It’s nice to see people from Warren Central, or a little city like Vicksburg, coming out here and making a name for themselves,” Henderson said.

Henderson certainly made a name for himself this week. The Junior Olympics marked his final meet as a high school athlete. The next time he’s jumping over a bar it’ll be as a college athlete at South Alabama. He said the Junior Olympics were a good way to wrap up this phase of his career — especially since they ended with a silver medal.

“The whole competition level was different. Usually when I’m jumping in high school I’m the only one over 6-2, but now I’m jumping against seven people that are 6-8. It’s a big difference,” he said. “But I enjoyed it. It was a fun experience. The guys were real cool. Everybody I was out there with was real supportive. I feel like it was a good way to end my high school career.”