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TOP JOBS

By HAROLD WILSON
Staff Writer

KILGORE - Tai'Shea Reese refers to it as the missing piece.

As in the only thing her high school career lacks: a gold medal to back the numbers that indicate she ranks as one of the best long jumpers in the entire state.

The Kilgore senior finished second at state last year in the Class 4A girls long jump. Blessed with a second chance, Reese plans on making amends.

Reese recorded a jump of 19 feet, 9 1/2 inches at Denton last week to claim the Class 4A Region II title. That distance bumped her to second on the texastrack.com state radar.

The state's top mark of 21-0 1/2 belongs to Beaumont Ozen's Alexus Brannon, the same girl who beat Reese a year ago at state after she jumped 19-5 on her last attempt to win by two inches. Brannon went 20-1 1/2 at her regional meet.

Getting the chance to meet back up with Brannon suits Reese just fine.

"It's a good thing," Reese said while standing approximately 20 feet into the long jump feet, the place she hopes to land at when she competes at state at 10:30 a.m. next Friday at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin. "It gives me something to work on.

"I know what to look for. I was real nervous the first time. I'll be nervous (this time, too), because if you're not nervous you're not ready."

The multi-talented athlete geared up for track season by staying busy, playing a second season on the varsity in volleyball before earning all-district honors in basketball and helping Kilgore make the playoffs.

Once track season started, Reese revved things up a notch. At the district meet, Reese advanced to regionals in four events, winning gold in the 400 and 800-meter relays and long jump, and taking silver in the 100 behind Vanessa Alderidge of Pine Tree. Reese redeemed herself in the regional qualifier meet, beating Alderidge in the 100 while clocking an East Texas-leading time at 11.59 seconds.

"She's a naturally gifted athlete," said Kilgore coach Kerry Strong. "She works so hard at everything she does. The ones special like her are the ones that take that athleticism and do something with it."

The regional meet failed to go as smoothly for Kilgore and Reese. On the first day, Reese false-started in the long jump and the 400 relay dropped the stick.

"We had a bad Friday and she went back to the hotel and was focused," Strong said. "Saturday she distanced herself and did what it took. She had the best day she's ever had."

Down to two events, and just one solo, Reese realized her chances of state gold were possibly slipping away.

"I was frustrated," said Reese, who has been offered a scholarship by the University of Houston, and is also being courted heavily by the likes of Kansas, North Texas, Stephen F. Austin, Texas A&M-Commerce and Texas State. "That made me focused more on long jump. I knew that was my only other individual event I could go to state in."

The same sense of urgency surrounded Reese after regionals, with one meet left. Reese wants to hit a jump of 20 feet or better, and preferably early in the event.

"I want to get the big jump early. I have to set the tone and I have to get my knees up," said Reese, who was selected to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches' academic all-state team. "That'll make me go a lot further. I can get first. I believe it."

She hopes to leave her place in Kilgore lore, much like Kenta Bell and Branden Craven before. Bell, a 1995 graduate of Kilgore who finished three years after Craven, placed ninth in the triple jump at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Craven competed in the 2000 Olympic Trials.

"I've been working hard in practice, jumping over hurdles," Reese said. "It's my last chance at it. I want to get first because I don't get no other shots at it."

Notes: Other state qualifiers in the Class 4A girls long jump, with their mark from regionals in parentheses, includes Whitney Gipson of North Richland Hills Birdville (19-6 1/4), Amarillo Palo Duro's Brittany Hemphill (18-2 1/2), Mercedes' Deandra Barroso (17-11 1/2), Huntsville's Kaylyne Wright (18-4 1/4), Kellie Trinkaus of Buda Hayes (17-2 3/4) and Greenville's Jessica Franklin (18-6). Bay City's Chandi Jones set the Class 4A long jump record of 20-10 1/4 in 2000.

Luling's Ychlindria Spears set the state record of 21-3 1/4 in 2001. Kathy McMillian of Raeford Hoke (N.C.) holds the national record of 22-1 3/4, established in 1976.