Franklin brings home medal from state meet
May 14, 2010

By DAVID CLAYBOURN
Herald-Banner Staff

AUSTIN -- A long wait was worth it for Greenville senior Jessica Franklin, who took third in the Class 4A long jump on Friday at the state meet.

Franklin and the other seven state qualifiers in the long jump were just finishing their run throughs when a series of thunderstorms hit, causing the University Interscholastic League State Track and Field Championships to be delayed for nearly 5 1/2 hours.

Franklin returned from the lengthy delay to leap 17 feet 8 1/4 inches, which was good for third place behind Franklin's state nemesis, A'Lexus Brannon of Beaumont Ozen (20-3) and Winifred Ileso of Mansfield Legacy (17-10 1/4).

"She jumped good," Franklin said of Brannon. "I jumped okay."

"It was kind of a hard day to jump but I tell you what, she stepped up and competed," said Greenville coach JoAnna Vaden. "She had some good jumps. She had a hard time hitting the board today."

Franklin said she was "ready to go" right about the time the first storm hit. The meet was suspended for 13 minutes and officials went back to work, preparing for the restart when the storm intensified, bringing another suspension. Lightning in the area caused further delays while a hard rain poured for hours.

The performers in the field events were the athletes most affected by the delay as their events were pushed back. The running events ran on schedule.

Caddo Mills senior Nathan Jeffery, who was to compete in the Class 2A long jump had to wait more than nine hours before his event began.

Franklin hit 17-8 1/4 on her fifth attempt. She also went 17-1 1/2, 16-1 1/2, 16-4 1/4 and 17-1 1/4. She scratched on her fourth attempt.

Franklin's bronze medal goes with another state bronze she earned last year with a third-place finish in the 4A triple jump.

All four times Franklin made it to state she competed against Brannon from Ozen and all four times Brannon had the advantage.

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Angleton senior Henry Josey, the son of Greenville's 100-meter national record-holder Henry Neal, took third in the 4A 100 with a 10.97 time into the wind.

Neal still holds the national record at 10.15.