Darius Reid won a state championship in the high jump wearing sneakers. The Upper Perkiomen junior captured a gold medal last weekend at the PIAA Class 3A Championships indoors.

Darius Reid displays his PIAA gold medal.  The Upper Perk- iomen junior won the high jump while wearing sneakers.

            Reid won on his final attempt inside Heiges Field House at Shippensburg University on Saturday, May 24. He cleared 6 feet, 8 inches despite a slippery gym floor.

            Morgan O'Hara finished fourth in the javelin (141 feet, 9 inches). Andrea Conti posted a pair of top-three finishes. The senior earned a silver medal in the Adaptive shot put (15 feet, 11 inches) and a bronze in the Adaptive discus (39 feet).

            Inclement weather forced the high jump competition inside. According to Reid, some of the competitors didn't have the proper footwear.

            "It was a very difficult situation," said Reid, who had never attempted a jump in sneakers. "I had some doubts, but I did what I had to do."

            Due to his lack of traction, Reid attacked the bar straight ahead rather than from the side. He relied on proper technique, talent and poise to succeed, according to head coach Clayton Mowrer.  "It was awesome that he was able to adjust," the coach said.

            The Pennsburg resident passed on 6 feet, 7 inches.  He then cleared the bar an inch higher to end the competition and vault from fourth place to the top of the medal stand. Reid edged out Oxford senior Caleb Houston, Owen J. Roberts senior Joe Ryan and Council Rock South senior Nazar Pastukh by one inch.

            "All the jumpers understood that moving inside meant that anyone could win the title," said Reid, who became the program's first traditional athlete to win state gold since Ronnie Gillespie won the 200-meter dash in 2011. 

            Mowrer, who was outside watching O'Hara, let out a yelp when he learned of the finish in a text message from assistant coach Dave Dusza. The head coach said that after recent second-place finishes at the Penn Relays and the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association Indoor State Championship, Reid wouldn't want to settle for silver. Clearing 6 feet, 7 inches would have only moved him up to third place.

            Reid, the No. 1 seed, who captured the District One Class 3A title seven days earlier, said he visualized himself clearing the bar before the decisive attempt. He said he learned calmness while playing basketball.

            "That is the best way to succeed," said Reid, who picked up his basketball shoes when the bus made an impromptu stop at his home shortly after its departure. "I woke up [the following morning] with a sense of accomplishment. All my hard work paid off."

            O'Hara moved up two spots in her sixth and final throw. She missed her personal best by one inch despite challenging weather.

            The senior finished one foot short of a bronze medal, won by Addie Weaver, from Seneca Valley. Her Pioneer Athletic Conference rival -- Ava Flicker, a senior from Perkiomen Valley -- earned silver with a throw of 159 feet, 4 inches.

            "Morgan threw great," Mowrer said. "She knew she performed well. She was happy. It was a nice way to end a phenomenal career."