Division III state title makes Gilmour’s C.J. Charleston rookie ruler

If ever an example was needed to prove you never know what caliber of track and field talent is in your school’s hallways, C.J. Charleston is Exhibit A.

At Gilmour, he already had plenty on his plate — two-way standout for the football team, point guard for the basketball team. But even he admitted the idea of participating in track and field was far from his mind even at this time a year ago.

He finally decided to give the sport a try for the first time as a junior — and remarkably June 1 during the Division III state track and field meet, he ended that first campaign as a rookie ruler in D-III long jump.

Charleston won the D-III long jump crown with a best effort of 22 feet, 5 3/4 inches. In the process, he became the Lancers’ first field event state champion — boys or girls — in school history.

From raw talent to reigning champion is not a bad ascent at all.

“It’s amazing,” Charleston said. “It’s an honor to be the first to win state in a field event. I’m just glad — happy.

“(Gilmour boys coach Jim Chappelle) just kept encouraging me. He was like, ‘We need you, and you will be at the state meet.’ But I didn’t think I’d win a state championship honestly. I never thought of it.”

Especially after his first trip to the long jump board in Gates Mills.

“In practice (at first), I was not jumping 22s at all,” Charleston said. “At Gilmour, I was jumping like 18 or something like that. I’m like, ‘I’m not going to do well this season.’ Then, as the season progressed, I started to get in the 22s, and I ended up getting my PR of 22-11.

“I started to get my steps down pat. Like going down the runway, I would maintain my speed every single time. My coach really helped me a lot with finding my starting point and my transition point. That helped a lot.”

Charleston had a breakout at the North Coast League meet, winning the White Division long jump with a meet-record 22-5.

He recorded his aforementioned personal-best 22-11 to win the D-III Cuyahoga Heights District, then secured the D-III Massillon Perry Regional crown with a 21-9 1/2.

Charleston was the third Gilmour boys long jumper in school history to qualify for state, along with Justin Hollis (2014 and 2015) and Mike Zulandt (1996).

If his journey wasn’t uphill enough, it became even more so June 1. Just as Charleston was finishing warmups for Flight 2 of state prelims, a lightning delay evacuated the stadium for an hour.

So Charleston had to come back in, warm up again — and if his first state trip wasn’t enough nerves, two-time state champion Demetrius Johnson of Galion Northmor was in his flight, too.

Then, during that flight, it was further delayed because of a wet board with a puddle on the runway that one jumper slipped on, so meet management had to bring in an electric blower to clear the water.

But Charleston popped a 22-0 3/4 on his first prelim jump to alleviate nerves, then got his vital 22-5 3/4 on his second attempt that drew a big smile from Chappelle and an exult from Lancers girls coach Jeff Klein.

“Coming out here today, I thought I was going to have to jump a mid-23 to win,” Charleston said. “But I didn’t have to.

“(The lightning delay) was very tough. I was all warmed up and everything, ready to go. Then the lightning delay came. I had to go sit on the bus. I got tight and I had come back out and re-warm up again. I kind of liked the delay, honestly. It wasn’t bad.”

Neither was his reaction to it. The 22-5 3/4 kept standing all the way through to the finals, but lurking was the possibility of Johnson hitting something special.

On Johnson’s final attempt, cognizant he had the lead, Charleston took a few steps more toward the board to see the jump. When Johnson fouled by a hair, Charleston turned around with wide eyes and an “ooh,” knowing fully what it meant.

“I would always go down to where the pit was just to see what that jump was,” Charleston said. “I knew I was going to have to jump the next one. He’s an amazing jumper, and I’m just happy to say I’m a state champion.

“The first thing that went through my mind on the last jump was, ‘Ooh wee,’ because I thought that was the one — definitely the one. And he fouled, but — that was the one. That was definitely the one.”

Now, Charleston is the one in D-III long jump — yet another example of why coaches and athletes should always work the hallways for track and field talent.

Because you — and they — just never know.

“At the moment, I could not believe it,” Charleston said. “I still honestly can’t believe it. Maybe it will hit me tonight that I’m a state champ, but right now, it hasn’t hit me yet.

“That’s exactly what my story is. I didn’t even think I was going to do track this year until my coaches came out. They’ve been on me since freshman year, and freshman and sophomore year I didn’t do it. This year I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll give it a try.’ I’m glad I came out and did it.”

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