Talk about one giant leap . . .

In 2022, Quincy Isaac qualified for the Division 1 MHSAA State Finals as a freshman for the Canton Track and Field team. He landed in 22nd place – not bad for a ninth grader. Flip the calendar ahead 12 months and Isaac lands in first place as a sophomore, moving up from 22nd to state champion in one year.

So, how did he do it?

“The reason for the big jump in improvement is just the practice and knowing what I'm supposed to be doing,” he said. “Being able to go to states as a freshman was a great experience even though I didn't place as well as I would have liked. Then having the experience from another year I was able to put everything together and perform better.”

He not only performed better but performed best, taking first with a leap of 22 feet, 11 inches.

Isaac returned to the winner’s circle this past season for the Chiefs. The junior defended his title in the long jump when he landed 23-3.75 at the D-1 State Finals June 1 at East Kentwood High School. Isaac competed in the long jump 14 times as a junior, taking first in each event.

Going back-to-back was pretty special.

“To win for a second time at states was an amazing feeling and having my furthest jump be my first jump took a lot of the pressure off and calmed me down, so I would better focus and prepare myself for the rest of my jumps,” he said.

And taking the pressure off can be the difference between first and say, 22nd.

“I deal with the pressure of big meets by focusing on the things that I can control and what I know how to do,” he said.

Isaac also took 16th in the high jump at 6-3 this past season. It was a strong event for Canton – teammate Nathan Levine, a senior, was fifth at 6-7. Isaac also ran the 200 meters, where he was 18th in the prelims at 22.69. At regionals, Isaac won the 200 meters (22.39) and the long jump (24-3.25). He also was third in the high jump (6-2) and ran on Canton’s winning 4x100 relay team.

Isaac, who also competes for the Dearborn Track Club, was first in the long jump with a personal record of 24-2.25 at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor meet on June 16 at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed against some of the best in the country.

“Coming into New Balance after already being there once was a completely different feeling than the first time,” he said. “I felt more in control and that I knew more of what I was doing.”

Isaac first started competing in long jump in the eighth grade and ended up being “pretty good” at it. He said he trains for long jump by breaking down each part of it individually and then focusing on that aspect of it.

“For example, I will focus on the run-up portion of it one day and then on another day focus on the landing,” he said. “Then during meets is when I will put it all together.”

Quincy, 16, is the son of Homer and Sabrina Isaac, and he leaps to an impressive 4.16 GPA in the classroom. He still has one more year left at Canton before he needs to figure out his future, where even bigger goals await.

“In the future I do want to compete in college and have started the process a little but I still have a lot of work to do until I can pick the college that best suits me and my future plans of being a doctor,” he said.