The Herald Bulletin
WEST LAFAYETTE — Highland’s Derrick Hill served notice Saturday that he will indeed be a force to be reckoned with in not one but two track events.
Hill cleared 6-foot-8 in the high jump to win the championship Saturday in the Hoosier Indoor State Finals at Purdue.
“He could have gone much higher than 6-8,” said Highland boys track coach Cary House. “But he just went high enough to win it. He wanted to save his energy for the long jump.”
Hill put up a distance of 21-9 in that event to claim fourth in the state.
The high jump title ended a long string of near-misses for Hill, who finished as the state outdoor runner-up last summer.
“It was finally a relief,” Hill said of standing on top of the podium. “For the past three years, I’ve always been in that second spot. It was a real good feeling to finally stand on top.”
Highland’s Sam Nunn was 12th in the 55-meter dash, while DJ Taylor was 14th in the two-mile event.
This concludes the indoor track season. The Scots’ first outdoor competition for the boys will be April 8 at Perry Meridian.
Hill said Saturday’s results only build his excitement for the spring.
“It just boosts my confidence up,” he said. “I’m going to try to get to higher and higher heights.”
