PHOTO COURTESY OF MILESPLIT MA
Tech’s Justin Lewis cleared 6-8 to win the high jump at the Massachusetts All-State track meet Saturday at Westfield State.
By STEVE KRAUSE
Lynn Tech’s Justin Lewis missed winning a state championship last season in the outdoor track high jump — failing to leap six feet, two inches — and made that his No. 1 goal this spring.
He achieved it Saturday in the all-state meet at Westfield State University. And in the process he smashed through that 6-2 barrier like it wasn’t even there en route to a 6-8. Lewis last week broke the state Division 4 record, also hitting a 6-8.
“I was pretty satisfied,” said Lewis, despite three attempts to hit the 6-10 mark.
Lewis said he was discouraged when he missed out on the title last year, but, “he made it one of his goals,” said Tech coach John Hogan. “He cleared the 6-8 on his first jump.”
Fernando Lamin of Burlington also hit 6-8, but it took him more attempts to do it than it did Lewis. In that case, Hogan said, the win goes to the person who clears the winning jump in less attempts.
This isn’t the end of the line for Lewis. He’ll compete next week in the New England regionals in Connecticut, and has qualified for the nationals later this month.
“If he gets within the top six, he’ll be an All-American,” said Hogan. “So that’s a big goal for him.”
Lewis is a three-sport captain at Tech, also playing football and basketball. And he credits his football coach, James Runner, Hogan’s assistant, with helping him train.
“Coach Runner is the guy for training,” Lewis said. “He helped me a lot with the things I did to get ready for this.”
“When he came to me as a freshman, he was a skinny kid from East Lynn Pop Warner who wanted to play offensive line, because that’s where he played before,” Runner said. “I told him no way, and that he’d be a wide receiver and that if he worked, he could go somewhere.”
Lewis will play football at Western New England University this fall. But Runner feels he could someday become an olympian.
“I tell him to go, get your education, and play football,” Runner said. “But I really think he could make the Olympics some day.
“The thing about Justin is that he learned early that you don’t just train out-of-season, but you have to train in-season too. He’s always working. He always wants to be better than the people around him.”
Lewis said his workouts consisted of jumps and squats and a good amount of swimming.
“It’s a good body workout and it’s easy on my joints,” he said.
In fact, even though he plays basketball in the winter, Lewis said swim coach Brad Tilley noticed how well he was doing in the pool.
“He’s seen me off the diving board and tell me I wasn’t looking too bad,” he said. “He said he wished he had me.”
“He lives near me and I’ve been able to spend a lot of time with him,” Hogan said. “He’s clearly a team leader. He’s also a good student.”
“Coach Hogan is always pushing me,” Lewis said. “Just about every day, he’d tell me he wanted to see me clear 7-0. I didn’t. Best I ever did in practice was 6-7, and 6-10 earlier this year in a meet.”
Lewis will be going to WNEU to play football, as the school does not have a track program.
Tech is still trying to raise money to send Lewis to the nationals in Greensboro, N.C. Those wishing to donate can send money to 80 Neptune Blvd., care of John Hogan, Lynn Tech track, 01902.
