LAKELAND — Haines City senior Isaiah Deyant is something of a late bloomer in track and field. He didn’t compete in high school until his sophomore year and by his own words choked in the postseason of his sophomore year.
Deyant, however, kept his focus on getting better and saved his best for last. Although he won’t be competing in track and field after this season, he leaves with no regrets after having his best meet of his career in his final event.
Competing in the Class 4A state track meet, Deyant set personal records in the triple jump and the long jump en route to finishing fourth in both events. In fact, Deyant’s long jump mark came on his final attempt.
Deyant is The Ledger’s Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year. He more than surpassed his goal for the season.
“My goal was to go to state because last year I choked so bad at regionals,” Deyant said. “I beat myself up about it. I knew I could have made it, but I was just scared because when I was at regionals last year I felt like I didn’t belong there. I felt it was just luck. So I was really scared in my head. And so I said next year like I’m really going to lock in and I’m going to go there because I know I deserve to be there so I’m trying to get there.”
Deyant is something of a late bloomer. He competed in middle school track in the seventh grade — he didn’t have a ride to practice in the sixth grade — but Covid cut the season short. In high school, he sat out his freshman season with a medical issue then finally completed as a sophomore.
“I always wanted to do track since I started watching the races,” he said. “I always thought I was going to be a sprinter. I looked at the 100 and the 200, and I’m like, yeah, that’s my thing. But I was never really that fast. So instead of like being hard-headed, let me try all these other events.”
Deyant competed in five meets as a sophomore, competing in the 200 in three events with his best finish being 27th place in the 200 at the Ridge meet. He competed in the long jump twice with a 13th-place finishing being his best result.
As a junior, Deyant found his niche as a long jumper, although he competed in the 200 in four events, including the district meet.
However, in the long jump he won an event for the first time in the Bulldogs Field Invitational (6.56) then peaked for the season with a second-place finish at the Polk County Championship with a then-PR of 6.78. He managed a fifth-place finish at districts but had a poor showing at regionals (21st place).
Then came his senior year to remember. Deyant won the long jump in his first meet at the Cypress Creek Earl-season Meet with a jump of 6.27. he kept improving with a couple of blips, one of them being at the county meet.
After winning the Mike Williams Class with a then-PR of 6.65, Deyant slumped to 6.17 to finish fifth at county. However, he bounced back to finish first at districts (6.89) and second at regionals (6.6).
This season, however, Deyant added the triple jump and immediately excelled. He won the Cowboy Invitational with a jump of 13.74 and also won the Mike Williams Classic, albeit with his lowest mark of the season (12.76). His marks kept getting better over his last four events.
Deyant finished second at county (13.57), won districts (13.6), finished fourth at regionals (13.7) to qualify for state in his second event.
“I was ecstatic,” he said. “It was a great day. I was just I was happy. I was bouncing around the whole rest of the day all smiles and laughs.”
At the state meet, he couldn’t have asked to be any better. He jumped 6.96 in the long jump and 14.12 on his final jump of his career in the triple jump. Both were personal records and gave his his fourth-place finishes.
His two medals at state was an accomplishment by a Haines City track male track athlete that hadn’t been done since Ricky Johnson had third- and fourth-place finishes in 2001.
That he peaked his senior year isn’t a surprise to him.
“This year, it really, that’s when I really like learn how to do it,” Deyant said. “Last year I didn’t know what I was doing. I barely knew my steps. I didn’t know how to jump off the board, sprint off the bar. I knew nothing really. It wasn’t until my coach (Jamorris Hill) came. I feel like that’s when I really started learning the techniques and steps.”
Getting his steps right proved to be the big key to his success this season.
“I would jump a foot behind the board because I was so scared,” he said. “I would look down, stutter and then jump, and I would mess up.”
Deyant won’t be competing in college. There’s a one-year program at Valencia State College that he plans to take then work with his brother in a company that fixes robotics.
Deyant leaves high school in a senior season where he ranked 20th in the long jump and ninth in the triple jump in Polk County over the last quarter century.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Haines City’s Deyant capped career with his best performances as boys top track athlete
Reporting by Roy Fuoco, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
