Hillsboro senior Anthony Richards leaps way to state meet
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
When Hillsboro’s Anthony Richards makes a leap in a long jump event, he says the feeling he gets is that it’s like he’s flying. The senior isn’t lying, because when he leaps over 21 feet in the air, the view from the stands is, in fact, as if he’s sailing through the air.
Richards is the last Hillsboro athlete left standing for the 2021-22 athletic season, as he’s qualified for the 2022 Division II OHSAA State Track and Field Championships that will be held this Friday (June 3) at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, on the campus of The Ohio State University.
Reaching state has been a road with some twists and turns for the senior, as he explained he’s made some mistakes in the past, learned from them and has come out a better athlete and person. HHS boys track and field head coach Bud Marsh spoke highly of Richards, talking about his leadership abilities during his senior season.
“To see him and to see what he's been through and everything, and to end up at the ultimate (state meet), that should be your goal, for him to attain that. He's kind of turned himself around. He's turned into a leader, a team player,” Marsh said. “To see what he does for the other kids, it makes a difference when you have him on the team on a relay. It motivates other kids, but it says a lot for him. He showed leadership Saturday (at regionals) — he still had the (4x400-meter relay) to go, and he twisted his ankle, coming out of the blocks in the 200-meter.
“We took an alternate, but we had one kid that was sick. We got there at 9:30 a.m., and the kid was in the tent, and there until two o'clock, he was still sick. So I said, well, you guys decide. And they said, ‘well, (Anthony) has already made it to state. We don't want to do anything to jeopardize him getting hurt, jeopardize his opportunity to state,’ and that says a lot for what they think of him, his peers.
“That makes a major difference because I've never let kids decide whether they’re going to run or not, but in that event, I went over and I said ‘OK, what's going on?’” Marsh continued. “The kids said hey, we're not going to qualify, (Anthony) is already, and we don't want to do anything. And I said, it's hard to argue with that. What happens? (Anthony) probably would have recovered and ran. I didn't know the extent of the injury or twist of his ankle, but he has stepped up and shown a lot of leadership, and that will carry on.”
Richards started his track and field career in junior high as he made state in eighth grade, and since entering high school Richards has steadily improved at various events, including not only long jump, but he’s also raced in the aforementioned 4x400-meter relay event.
Hillsboro’s Richards was a regional qualifier in the 200m dash and the 400m dash races as well. He had some tough luck in those two events as he false started in the 400m race — a race where he was highly seeded — and in the 200m race he twisted his ankle, which affected the final result of that race as well, finishing in sixth place.
The HHS senior has been meet medalist at events in ’22, including the Hillsboro Invitational, and this Friday he’ll be one of the Top 16 competing in the state long jump event. Richards had a distance of 21-07.50, which made him regional runner-up in ’22.
At the Frontier Athletic Conference (FAC) Championships, Richards was the champion with a long jump distance at 21-05.00. During districts, the HHS senior placed second with a distance of 21-00.25.
So what is it like jumping 20-plus feet in the long jump event?
Richards explained the event, as the mild-mannered athlete spoke about how it has just become a “normal thing” for him as he’s been competing in the event since middle school, except for his lost 10th grade season due to all spring sports in Ohio being canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Now being senior year, it's kind of normal. It’s a normal feeling just because I've done it since eighth grade,” Richards said. “Growing up and just learning how to do it, I just put a lot more dedication into it, I guess you can say. Every time I mess up, I wouldn't really look at myself like, ‘oh, you messed up, there's no need to do it again, since you ain't good at it’ or this and that. I always looked at it as even though I messed up, I can still get better, and I can always persevere and push myself to the max.
“As long as I, like I said, do my best, I’m doing the best I can, but it was more of just staying determined to do it. Yeah, everything's hard, but you just have to be determined to do it all. As long as you're determined and you stay determined, you can do whatever you put your mind to.”
But the feeling of being in the air that long, what’s that like? Richards explained as only an athlete who can leap over 21 feet can do:
“You honestly feel like you fly. You feel like you fly. It happens so quick, you don't even realize it,” he said while wearing a blue Superman T-shirt. “In the moment of, in the air you’re just falling, just go, stay with the wind, don't look down, keep that head up, stay going, fly as far as you can.”
The story of Richards qualifying for state also includes him overcoming some adversity, including physical illnesses and injuries this season, but through it all, Richards said everything happens for a reason, and staying positive is a big thing in his life. The best part Richards said of his senior season is he no longer has a negative outlook, and not only the competition has been fun, but being with teammates and enjoying the moment has been important too.
“I put myself in this spot that I didn't want to be in at one point. And yeah, I dug myself in a hole, but I got out of it,” Richards said of various adversity he’s faced. “Everyone has their mistakes. Everything happens for a reason. It’s just staying positive is a big thing in life, and also never stay negative. Negativity can get you a long way, but positive will get you a longer way, that's for sure.
“It's been a lot of fun. I would say the most fun thing is after the track meets. We all go out to eat with everyone, and I just enjoy seeing everyone happy and living life, enjoying our time being around friends. It’s the last thing you ever get to do before you’re an adult.”
Coach Marsh also spoke about the adversity Richards has had to battle through this season.
“With Anthony, there's been some ups and downs with him, some injuries throughout the year there,” Marsh said. “We had to pull him off on some days there, and a couple meets he was sick, so you're really happy to see him [make state].”
Marsh then described the challenges Richards faced at regionals because the heat he jumped in — Heat 1 — was during a downpour of rain and wind. Seeing Richards battle through the inclement weather impressed Marsh, as he saw the senior athlete “rise to the occasion.”
“Anthony rose to the occasion because the weather Thursday (regionals) was just terrible. He was in the first flight and jumped in the pouring rain. He was just soaked, and soon as the flight was over, next flight, not a drop of rain,” Marsh said. “I think in situations like that, just mentally, you’ve got to be prepared, and it’s who's the mentally stronger. He stepped up and did his best.
“He had an opportunity at the end — his last jump, he didn't have to take because he already qualified and he was in second place. We came out of the bus, he had one jump left. I said, make sure you loosen up and everything and get run-throughs. I said he had 15 minutes, and I turned around 10 minutes later and they're jumping. I'm thinking, OK, we still have time left, and he didn't even take any run-throughs. I said ‘you want to jump?’ and he says ‘yeah, I want to, I want to beat the guy in first.’ He came and got his best jump on the last one in the rain, after being on the bus for a half hour. I mean, that says a lot for him, but I’m really, really happy for him.”
Marsh — who has coached for over 30-plus years in various sports — praised Richards both as an athlete and forwhat he’s achieved in track and field.
“If you look at him, he doesn't come across as really athletic in appearance, but he is definitely a top-notch athlete,” Marsh said. “This is the only sport he's done, but he's definitely one of the top athletes that I've had over the years, and he's a kid that just the second half of last year started running in the 400, and the 4x4 relay. I think that was his number-one race. It almost was pulling teeth to get him to run it, but he just got into it and the excitement, and that's it. He's a competitor. The excitement. I say the best race in track and field is the 4x4, and just the excitement of that, I think he really liked that, but he's definitely a competitor.”
Richards also wanted to give thanks to his parents, family, friends and coaches for helping along the way to state.
The Division II state long jump event begins on Friday, June 3 at 9:30 a.m. at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus.
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Richards is the last Hillsboro athlete left standing for the 2021-22 athletic season, as he’s qualified for the 2022 Division II OHSAA State Track and Field Championships that will be held this Friday (June 3) at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, on the campus of The Ohio State University.
Reaching state has been a road with some twists and turns for the senior, as he explained he’s made some mistakes in the past, learned from them and has come out a better athlete and person. HHS boys track and field head coach Bud Marsh spoke highly of Richards, talking about his leadership abilities during his senior season.
“To see him and to see what he's been through and everything, and to end up at the ultimate (state meet), that should be your goal, for him to attain that. He's kind of turned himself around. He's turned into a leader, a team player,” Marsh said. “To see what he does for the other kids, it makes a difference when you have him on the team on a relay. It motivates other kids, but it says a lot for him. He showed leadership Saturday (at regionals) — he still had the (4x400-meter relay) to go, and he twisted his ankle, coming out of the blocks in the 200-meter.
“We took an alternate, but we had one kid that was sick. We got there at 9:30 a.m., and the kid was in the tent, and there until two o'clock, he was still sick. So I said, well, you guys decide. And they said, ‘well, (Anthony) has already made it to state. We don't want to do anything to jeopardize him getting hurt, jeopardize his opportunity to state,’ and that says a lot for what they think of him, his peers.
“That makes a major difference because I've never let kids decide whether they’re going to run or not, but in that event, I went over and I said ‘OK, what's going on?’” Marsh continued. “The kids said hey, we're not going to qualify, (Anthony) is already, and we don't want to do anything. And I said, it's hard to argue with that. What happens? (Anthony) probably would have recovered and ran. I didn't know the extent of the injury or twist of his ankle, but he has stepped up and shown a lot of leadership, and that will carry on.”
Richards started his track and field career in junior high as he made state in eighth grade, and since entering high school Richards has steadily improved at various events, including not only long jump, but he’s also raced in the aforementioned 4x400-meter relay event.
Hillsboro’s Richards was a regional qualifier in the 200m dash and the 400m dash races as well. He had some tough luck in those two events as he false started in the 400m race — a race where he was highly seeded — and in the 200m race he twisted his ankle, which affected the final result of that race as well, finishing in sixth place.
The HHS senior has been meet medalist at events in ’22, including the Hillsboro Invitational, and this Friday he’ll be one of the Top 16 competing in the state long jump event. Richards had a distance of 21-07.50, which made him regional runner-up in ’22.
At the Frontier Athletic Conference (FAC) Championships, Richards was the champion with a long jump distance at 21-05.00. During districts, the HHS senior placed second with a distance of 21-00.25.
So what is it like jumping 20-plus feet in the long jump event?
Richards explained the event, as the mild-mannered athlete spoke about how it has just become a “normal thing” for him as he’s been competing in the event since middle school, except for his lost 10th grade season due to all spring sports in Ohio being canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Now being senior year, it's kind of normal. It’s a normal feeling just because I've done it since eighth grade,” Richards said. “Growing up and just learning how to do it, I just put a lot more dedication into it, I guess you can say. Every time I mess up, I wouldn't really look at myself like, ‘oh, you messed up, there's no need to do it again, since you ain't good at it’ or this and that. I always looked at it as even though I messed up, I can still get better, and I can always persevere and push myself to the max.
“As long as I, like I said, do my best, I’m doing the best I can, but it was more of just staying determined to do it. Yeah, everything's hard, but you just have to be determined to do it all. As long as you're determined and you stay determined, you can do whatever you put your mind to.”
But the feeling of being in the air that long, what’s that like? Richards explained as only an athlete who can leap over 21 feet can do:
“You honestly feel like you fly. You feel like you fly. It happens so quick, you don't even realize it,” he said while wearing a blue Superman T-shirt. “In the moment of, in the air you’re just falling, just go, stay with the wind, don't look down, keep that head up, stay going, fly as far as you can.”
The story of Richards qualifying for state also includes him overcoming some adversity, including physical illnesses and injuries this season, but through it all, Richards said everything happens for a reason, and staying positive is a big thing in his life. The best part Richards said of his senior season is he no longer has a negative outlook, and not only the competition has been fun, but being with teammates and enjoying the moment has been important too.
“I put myself in this spot that I didn't want to be in at one point. And yeah, I dug myself in a hole, but I got out of it,” Richards said of various adversity he’s faced. “Everyone has their mistakes. Everything happens for a reason. It’s just staying positive is a big thing in life, and also never stay negative. Negativity can get you a long way, but positive will get you a longer way, that's for sure.
“It's been a lot of fun. I would say the most fun thing is after the track meets. We all go out to eat with everyone, and I just enjoy seeing everyone happy and living life, enjoying our time being around friends. It’s the last thing you ever get to do before you’re an adult.”
Coach Marsh also spoke about the adversity Richards has had to battle through this season.
“With Anthony, there's been some ups and downs with him, some injuries throughout the year there,” Marsh said. “We had to pull him off on some days there, and a couple meets he was sick, so you're really happy to see him [make state].”
Marsh then described the challenges Richards faced at regionals because the heat he jumped in — Heat 1 — was during a downpour of rain and wind. Seeing Richards battle through the inclement weather impressed Marsh, as he saw the senior athlete “rise to the occasion.”
“Anthony rose to the occasion because the weather Thursday (regionals) was just terrible. He was in the first flight and jumped in the pouring rain. He was just soaked, and soon as the flight was over, next flight, not a drop of rain,” Marsh said. “I think in situations like that, just mentally, you’ve got to be prepared, and it’s who's the mentally stronger. He stepped up and did his best.
“He had an opportunity at the end — his last jump, he didn't have to take because he already qualified and he was in second place. We came out of the bus, he had one jump left. I said, make sure you loosen up and everything and get run-throughs. I said he had 15 minutes, and I turned around 10 minutes later and they're jumping. I'm thinking, OK, we still have time left, and he didn't even take any run-throughs. I said ‘you want to jump?’ and he says ‘yeah, I want to, I want to beat the guy in first.’ He came and got his best jump on the last one in the rain, after being on the bus for a half hour. I mean, that says a lot for him, but I’m really, really happy for him.”
Marsh — who has coached for over 30-plus years in various sports — praised Richards both as an athlete and forwhat he’s achieved in track and field.
“If you look at him, he doesn't come across as really athletic in appearance, but he is definitely a top-notch athlete,” Marsh said. “This is the only sport he's done, but he's definitely one of the top athletes that I've had over the years, and he's a kid that just the second half of last year started running in the 400, and the 4x4 relay. I think that was his number-one race. It almost was pulling teeth to get him to run it, but he just got into it and the excitement, and that's it. He's a competitor. The excitement. I say the best race in track and field is the 4x4, and just the excitement of that, I think he really liked that, but he's definitely a competitor.”
Richards also wanted to give thanks to his parents, family, friends and coaches for helping along the way to state.
The Division II state long jump event begins on Friday, June 3 at 9:30 a.m. at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus.
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