DOVER — The way Jaheim Cole remembers it, Dover High’s track & field team was practicing in the gym that day.

Cole, who stands no taller than 5-foot-7, jumped up and grabbed the rim on the basketball court.

Senator assistant coach James Kilby happened to see him.

“He was like, ‘That boy can do something out here,’” said Cole. “‘He can definitely jump.’”

Kilby was right.

Cole was already a pretty good sprinter. But about a month after he took up the triple jump last spring, the freshman won the DIAA Division I state title in the event.

He also placed second in the long jump.

With another year to work on his technique in both jumping events, Cole wants to see if he can add some more hardware to his growing collection as the two-day DIAA state championships get started this afternoon at Dover.

Last weekend, the sophomore won both the long and triple jump, ran the second leg on the Senators’ winning 400-meter relay team and finished second in the 100 meters at the Henlopen Conference championships.

Dover coach Jim Solomon said it’s in Cole’s DNA. His grandfather, Robert Cole, ran the 100 for the Senators in 1971.

“His grandfather had a lot of ability,” said Solomon, who was teammates with the elder Cole.

“They’ve done a great job with him as far as school,” he added. “You couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Solomon said Cole’s eagerness to learn and work on his events is why he’s excited about the youngster’s future. Cole was only a sprinter in middle school.

“He’s invested, he’s all in,” said Solomon. “He’s a student of jumping. He looks at videos.”

“Now he fell in love with it,” said Kilby, who works with Dover’s jumpers. “He’s a lot different (from last year). He’s a good kid. He likes training.

“He buys into a lot of things, that’s the good thing about him. ... He’s definitely got a future in track.”

Cole’s winning distance of 23-feet, five-inches in the long jump at the Henlopen is the top distance in the state in the event this season. Senator teammate Jakwon Kilby has the top distance in the triple jump at 47-3, a mark he put up early in the season.

Last weekend, Cole won the conference triple jump with a distance of 46-2.5.

Cole ended up with his personal top times or distances in all four of his events at the Henlopen. The meet started on Thursday but, after getting rained out on Friday, didn’t conclude until Monday.

Cole was anxious to get back out after the long delay.

“I was definitely ready,” he said. “After I ‘PR’ed’ in the long jump (on Thursday), it really gave me a lot of motivation going into the second day. So I was kind of mad when they canceled it. It felt like forever.

“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to transition the same energy but I did.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” Cole said about his performance. “Preparation and practice, working harder — mental preparation, too. I just felt a different wave of energy. I just felt like I was more locked in.”

Every day, Cole said he looks at what other athletes around the state are doing in his events. Even trying to win one state championship this weekend won’t be easy.

Cole, though, would love to capture multiple first-place medals.

“It means a lot to me, with all the work I put in,” he said. “Helping my team — that’s what’s most important.

“It was a lot of practice. Before, I had no form. I was just going out there. But this year I really worked on my form for both (jumping) events and it’s really helped me a lot to stay consistent.

“I like the competition,” Cole added. “It drives me forward.”

Extra points

•Besides Cole, a few other athletes put up the top time/distance in the state at the Henlopen. That group also included Caesar Rodney’s Gabe Harris (300 hurdles, 38.24), Cape Henlopen’s Bailey Fletcher (pole vault, 15-1) and Milford’s David Fuhrman (shot put, 50-1.5).

•The state meet is slated to start at 4 p.m. on Friday and at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

•Padua has won the last nine Division I girls’ team state titles while Salesianum has won the last four in Division I boys.

• Lake Forest was the last Downstate boys’ team to take a state crown, winning the Division II title in 2021. The Spartans also have the last Downstate girls’ team state champion after winning the Division II tile in 2016.