He's never jumped before, but York County high jumper notches best effort in the state
Jalen Cook knew the question was coming.
And, no, the 6-1 Dallastown senior doesn't know what his vertical jump is. He's never had it measured.
It might be important to college coaches who like to take deep dives into stats like that, but as long as he can leap up to catch a football or grab a rebound, Cook was going high enough.
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That all changed when he gave in to the annual request by coaches to go out for track and field.
'I don't really do anything in the spring except try and lift for football; really work on my fundamentals for football,' Cook said April 25 on his home track for the Ray Geesey Invitational. '[Physical education teacher Patrick] Good was always in my ear about. He said I should come out for track.'
So, with the next chapter of his athletic career locked down – he will play football at East Stroudsburg in the fall – he decided to listen to the voices and give track and field a try.
Given his speed on the football field, it was suggested he try sprints. And he does to a certain extent. He runs on the 4x100 relay team.
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But it is the field where he truly excels. More specifically, the high jump.
It's not something he ever tried, but he clearly has a natural ability for the event.
YAIAA high school spring scoreboard: Scores, schedules
Dallastown's Jalen Cook easily clears 6-4 to win the high jump on his first jump at the Ray Geesey Invitational at Dallastown on April 25, 2025.
He cleared 5-10 in his first dual meet to finish third behind South Western's Ghage Schmelyun, one of the league's frontrunners coming into the season. That was on March 25. Cook didn't jump again in competition until the Herb Schmidt Relays at York Suburban on April 4, but what an improvement in just 10 days.
Cook cleared 6-9 to win the event and break the school record. It also matched the best height in the state this year.
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That was only a glimpse of what he can do.
'I'm still learning,' Cook said after winning the Geesey title with one jump at 6-4. 'Me and my coach talk all of the time. I go to him after every jump to try and see what I do. He tries to tell me. I think I just need to work it more in practice and rep it.'
Cook continued to jump at the invitational, clearing 6-8 before missing three chances at 6-10 that would have broken the meet record set by York Catholic's Garyl Moore in 1993.
He said he focuses on fundamentals in practice, consistently hitting 6-6. Without the adrenaline of competition and the focus of people watching, he said it's difficult to go higher.
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But he didn't have that problem at Shippensburg University, where he cleared 7-0 to win the high school invitational and hit one of the top 10 heights in the country this season. That height puts him in the neighborhood of the District 3 and PIAA meet records of 7-1 and 7-0.75, respectively.
Both meets will be held at Shippensburg University.
'I didn't know that,' Cook said when told how close he is to the records. 'That's cool, crazy.'
What's also crazy is to think what he might have done had he competed all four years in high school. He said, looking back he regrets the decision to focus so much on football and not give track and field a try as a freshman.
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'I thought it would take away from my time, from football,' Cook said. 'I never thought I would have this success. [People] would suggest it, and I'd just brush it off.'
He won't be so quick to cast the thought aside if the East Stroudsburg coaches come running next year. Cook could make an immediate impact on the Warriors' high jump squad, whose athletes cleared a high of 6-6 last year.
'If I was able, that is 100 percent a thing I would do,' he said of adding outdoor track and field to his football commitment.
Beware falling records
Two athletes broke three boys meet records.
The top three finishers in the boys 300 hurdles came in under Perry Addey's record of 39.86, set in 2022. The record now belongs to York High's Robert Salazar Rosell. His time of 38.99 also broke the York High record.
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New Oxford junior Brayden Billman broke a pair of meet records that each stood for more than 25 years. He added more than an inch to the long jump record of 23-1 set by McCaskey's Leroy McQueen in 1998. Billman launched a 23-2.25 and missed tying the school record by .75.
That came hours after he broke the triple jump record of 45-10, set by Central York's Brian Schiding in 1996. Billman won the event with a leap of 46-3.5.
Detour to Penn Relays
One of the area's biggest track and field names was missing from the Geesey, but she had a good reason. Bermudian Springs senior Lily Carlson was busy finishing third in the Penn Relays pole vault competition.
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The Texas A&M recruit cleared 12-7.25 to finish behind defending PIAA Class 3A and Penn Relays champion Veronica Vacca of Mount St. Joseph and New Jersey's Hannah Byrd-Leitner. Vacca cleared 13-3 on her second attempt to win the title and Byrd-Leitner cleared 12-11 on her second attempt to finish second.
Carlson and Vacca are likely to also meet in the PIAA meet over Memorial Day weekend. Carlson won the last two Class 2A titles, but will compete in Class 3A this season.
Penn Relays T-shirts and hoodies were seen around Dallastown's track, worn by many of the athletes who competed the day before in 4x100 and 4x400 events.
New Oxford team of Ava Palumbo, Vivian Millar-Kellner, Rilee Neumayer and Camryn Thoman finished fifth out 17 teams in their 4x400 heat. Their time of 4:13.92 put them 114th overall out of 267 teams.
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South Western's team of Landon Dull, Ghage Schmelyun, Isaac Melendez and Elijah Holly finished second in their 4x400 grouping of 16 teams in 3:29.65. That time ranked them 215th out of 648 teams from the U.S., Jamaica and Puerto Rico and fourth among participating District 3 teams.
A pair of 4x100 girls relay teams finished in the top third of 561 teams from the U.S., Jamaica and Bahamas. A Jamaican relay won the event in 44.55. York High's Nikole Rodriguez, J'Ontai Bailey, Leira Hinojosa and Ennesty Smith were ranked 88th after finishing in 49.33.
Central York's Anya Jordan, Melani Edwards-Wilson, Olivia Kennedy and Ajaya Jordan ran 50.21 to finish second in their grouping of 90 teams and 141st.
Dallastown and Central York's boys 4x100 teams were also in the top third of their class. Jalen Cook, Gabriel Annan, Christian Rodriguez and Christopher Cromartie combined to run 43.53 for 147th out of 627 years. Central York's Brendyn Smith, Jackson Roehrig, Caden Tarver and Andre Berry-Opher ran 43.64 to finish 161st.
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Teammates cheer as New Oxford's Brayden Billman leaps to a meet record 23-2.25 to win the long jump at the Ray Geesey Invitational at Dallastown on April 25, 2025.
Ray Geesey Invitational results
Boys
100 meters: 1. Christopher Cromartie, Dallastown, 10.89; 2. Rico Melton, Red Lion, 10.95; 3. Ethan Walter, New Oxford, 11.15.
200 meters: 1. Shane Pratt, Emmaus, 21.91; 2. Andre Berry-Opher, Central York, 21.99; 3. Rico Melton, Red Lion, 22.68.
400 meters: 1. Elijah Holly, South Western, 50.66; 2. Rayne Ogans, Dallastown, 52.30; 3. Christopher Varnell, Red Lion, 52.77.
800 meters: 1. Andre Flaud, Lampeter-Strasburg, 2:00.67; 2. Daniel Naylor, Red Lion, 2:01.74; 3. Jacob Roskovensky, Dallastown, 2:02.30.
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1600 meters: 1. Daniel Naylor, Red Lion, 4:25.15; 2. Caleb Hogan, Dover, 4:29.17; 3. Maxwell Marcini, Central York, 4:29.41.
3200 meters: 1. Parker Keiser, Red Lion, 9:43.97; 2. Ben Farbman, Dallastown, 9:44.83; 3. Aiden Granger, Dallastown, 9:48.56.
110 hurdles: 1. Robert Salazar Rosell, York High, 14.72; 2. Brody Eller, Kennard-Dale, 14.90; 3. Markus Edwards, Red Lion, 15.12.
300 hurdles: 1. Robert Salazar Rosell, York, High, 38.99; 2. Brody Eller, Kennard-Dale, 39.32; 3. Markus Edwards, Red Lion, 39.38.
York High's Robert Salazar Rosell leads Kennard-Dale's Brody Eller over one of the final hurdles to win the 110 hurdles at the Ray Geesey Invitational at Dallastown on April 25, 2025.
4x100: 1. New Oxford, 43.78; 2. South Western, 44.30; 3. West York, 44.58.
4x400: 1. Central York, 3:30.14; 2. South Western, 3:32.63; 3. Kennard-Dale, 3:32.68.
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4x800: 1. Central York, 8:23.62; 2. Dover, 9:39.02; 3. South Western, 8:56.30.
High jump: 1. Jalen Cook, Dallastown, 6-8; 2. Markus Edwards, Red Lion, 6-2; 3. Ghage Schmelyun, South Western, 6-2.
Long jump: 1. Brayden Billman, New Oxford, 23-2.25; 2. Ghage Schmelyun, South Western, 21-5.25; 3. Chance Keithan, Red Lion, 20-7.
Triple jump: 1. Brayden Billman, New Oxford, 46-3.5; 2. Jaedyn Jefferson, South Western, 41-3.25; 3. Messiah Martin-Mines, York Suburban, 40-11.25.
Pole vault: 1. Declan Smith, South Western, 12-6; 2. Patrick O'Brien, Susquehannock, 12-0; 3. Jarod Bradford, West York, 11-6.
Discus: 1. Javius Dent, Steel-High, 129-5; 2. Joseph Bryant, Red Lion, 138-3; 3. Chase Shultz, Spring Grove, 133-8.
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Javelin: 1. Wyatt Carbaugh, South Western, 170-9; 2. Dylan Brougher, New Oxford, 159-2; 3. McCauley Cranmer, Donegal, 156-2.
Shot put: 1. Matthew Muniz, Dallastown, 50-8.5; 2. Luke Watkins, New Oxford, 44-0.5; 3. Quan Padgett, Steel-High, 43-11.5.
Dallastown's Molly Mclaughlin edges West York's Tristen Thomas to win the 100 meters at the Ray Geesey Invitational at Dallastown on April 25, 2025.
Girls
100 meters: 1. Molly Mclaughlin, Dallastown, 12.48; 2. Tristen Thomas, West York, 12.62; 3. Jayanna Morant, Donegal, 12.87.
200 meters: 1. Molly Mclaughlin, Dallastown, 25.88; 2. Olivia Cleaver, Dallastown, 26.45; 3. Jayanna Morant, Donegal, 27.02.
400 meters: 1. Keira Peake, South Western, 59.87; 2. Camryn Thoman, New Oxford, 1:01.10; 3. Minh Nguyen, West York, 1:01.71.
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800 meters: 1. Natalie Good, Dallastown, 2:17.54; 2. Minh Nguyen, West York, 2:20.63; 3. Neila Granger, Dallastown, 2:20.83.
1600 meters: 1. Neila Granger, Dallastown, 5:08.81; 2. Lyla Eltz, South Western, 5:12.28; 3. Natalie Young, Dover, 5:19.05.
3200 meters: 1. Leah Navarro, Dallastown, 10:59.28; 2. Lyla Eltz, South Western, 11:13.55; 3. Keira Reider, Dover, 11:45.86.
100 hurdles: 1. Kayla-Rayne Quinones, Emmaus, 15.30; 2. Esther Fernandes, South Western, 15.54; 3. Meadow Shussler, Lampeter-Strasburg, 16.02.
300 hurdles: 1. Meadow Shussler, Lampeter-Strasburg, 47.32; 2. Lily Weaver, West York, 47.43; 3. Tristen Thomas, West York, 48.76.
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4x100: 1. York High, 49.26; 2. Dallastown, 49.28; 3. Emmaus, 49.71.
4x400: 1. Dallastown, 4:09.29; 2. Kennard-Dale, 4:15.91; 3. Susquehannock, 4:21.13.
4x800: 1. Dallastown, 9:59.92; 2. Lampeter-Strasburg, 10:24.17; 3. Susquehannock, 10:25.10.
High jump: 1. Emily Soullaird, South Western, 4-10; 2. Alonna Dowell, Dallastown, 4-10; 3. Isa Henry, Lampeter-Strasburg, 4-8.
Long jump: 1. Molly Mclaughlin, Dallastown, 15-11; 2. Olivia Cleaver, Dallastown, 15-8.25; 3. Kiersten Holloway, Susquehannock, 15-5.
Triple jump: 1. Rachel Maluk, Central York, 34-1; 2. Tristen Thomas, West York, 33-9.75; 3. Teanna Wakefield, Central York, 32-10.75.
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Pole vault: 1. Annalise Renner, Kennard-Dale, 9-6; 2. Sienna Seufert, Dallastown, 9-6; 3. Meadow Shussler, Lampeter-Strasburg, 90-0.
Discus: 1. Alayna Schopf, Red Lion, 120-8; 2. My'Angel Salisbury, West York, 118-7; 3. Maddie Marks, Susquehannock, 112-9.
Javelin: 1. Megan Thompson, South Western, 106-5; 2. Lois Falls, Dover, 102-11; 3.Taryn Gobrecht, South Western, 101-3.
Shot put: 1. My'Angel Salisbury, West York, 35-1.25; 2. Miley Heath, Hanover, 33-0; 3. Kassidy Hinson, Spring Grove, 32-11.
Shelly Stallsmith covers York-Adams high school sports for GameTimePA and the USAToday Network. Connect with her by email mstallsmith@ydr.com or on X, formerly Twitter, @ShelStallsmith.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Pa. track and field: Football player hits state's best high jump
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