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Prior to breaking the school record, Memorial junior Ke’Andre Jones said his goal was to at least tie it.

On Friday, he literally raised the bar.

Jones recorded the tallest high jump in school history by clearing the 6’9” mark. The previous high was 6’6” set last year by Maleek Jones.

After the feat, Memorial Head Coach Darrell Granger went over to congratulate Jones, who had just competed in his first high jump event of the season two weeks ago at the Bulldog Relays in Nederland.

After coming away with the first place, he realizes that the sky is the limit for him as the district meet approaches.

Granger stopped Jones after he jumped 6’2”, but Jones said he felt like he could’ve kept going if needed.

Last year, Maleek Jones jumped 6’4” at state, which was good enough for fourth place.

“Last year, I couldn’t get past 6 foot,” Ke’Andre Jones said. “This year, I am getting it with ease. It would be good to go to state.”

After breaking the record, Jones said he still has a lot to work on.

“I’m not going to lie, my form is not good,” he said. “If I can develop some form before district, I will be good.”

Granger said Jones, who made the All-District team in basketball, has a good chance to go far with the field events.

“You basically just do a layup,” Granger said of the high jump. “If you can do that and learn a little technique, you can go really far. He is in a good position to be a state qualifier if he just sticks with it and come out here and gets better everyday.”

Granger looks for students that can jump and have a little speed.

“He can run for a tall guy,” Granger said. “If he uses that and puts it all together, he can go really far. I think he is a 22-foot long jumper.”

Granger said track and field helps student athletes look more attractive to colleges.

“College coaches will look and see that they have an athlete that can do multiple things,” he said. “Most colleges want kids that can play multiple sports. Maleek is playing football and running track at Tarleton.”

Jones, who can already jump out of a basketball gym, said he hopes the experience only makes him better.

“With my fast-twitch muscles and stuff, this helps it transfer to the basketball court,” he said. “My goal is to get past 20 feet in the long jump and get my form right. I don’t have any form right now.”

The district meet will start April 13 in Barbers Hill.