Seth Johnson wasn’t supposed to do anything special.
Two days earlier, the San Bernardino Cajon High track and field sensation had won the high school boys’ pentathlon at the Nike Indoor Nationals in New York. So for this March 15 dual meet against Beaumont, head coach Tracy Jackson convinced Johnson to rest. Just compete in one event, the high jump, instead of his usual four. Just notch a decent score and relax.
Sure, Johnson was listening. But he just felt
Taking photos on the side, his mother, Mia, told Jackson that her son was gearing up to hit a personal record. Before the coach knew it, his protege was bending his spine like a slinky over a bar six-feet, nine-inches high. With the smack of his back against the pad, Johnson was suddenly the state leader in the high jump.
