Track & Field, East Terrell McClain

East senior Terrell McClain was determined to do his best and make it to the state meet in his final year of long jumping.

McClain was inches away from making it his sophomore year.

“It hurt a lot,” McClain said. “I almost made it. I really wanted to go because I thought I was able to make it.”

An injury sidelined him his junior year, but McClain qualified this season with a jump of 23 feet 3 3/4 inches.

“After I got hurt, I went to therapy, got my leg strength back and got confident,” he said.

Despite the knee injury, McClain enjoyed participating in the long jump.

“Yeah, I do like it,” he said. “I did win a lot — that contributed to me liking it.”

In addition to liking the event, McClain believes it takes quite an athlete to be a long jumper.

“You got to have a lot of leg strength,” he said. “After a number of jumps, you get tired, so you have to have muscle endurance.”

McClain achieved his goal of making it to the state meet. Once there, McClain placed third with a jump of 22-10. He also won a regional title with a jump of 23-3 3/4 and set a district record a week earlier (23-1 1/4).

“It was fun. I met a lot of people, a lot of good athletes,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll see them at the next level.”

McClain also played basketball in the winter, and was grateful for the support of he received from both sports.

“Both coaching staffs they were all for me doing track and basketball,” McClain said. “Whatever way to succeed and get to college.”

McClain is unsure of his next step but he hopes that he can walk on at the University of Akron, where he looks to major in mechanical engineering.

“I’m not sure if they’ll let me,” he said. “We’ll just have to wait and see.

McClain is going to miss playing sports for East.

“I had fun,” McClain said. “I think I had a good high school career.”