Twin brothers on Northwestern’s track and field team looking for big jumps at state meet

Northwestern track and field athletes Jayden and Jaylen Burris respectively finished first and second in the long jump at the South Carolina High School League 4A Region 3 Track Meet at York Comprehensive High School on May 4.

Jayden jumped 21 feet, 7 1/2 inches; Jaylen jumped 21-4 1/4.

The twin brothers also took the top two spots for the Trojans in the triple jump. This time, Jaylen had the best distance at 45-7 3/4. Jayden finished second at 44-7.

The 6-foot-1 juniors also were the second and third runners in the boy’s 4x400-meter relay. They helped Northwestern secure a win in that race with a team time of 3 minutes, 28.2 seconds.

Competition has an extra level for the two.

“Whenever it’s me and him going against each other, it’s more competitive versus going against anybody else,” Jayden said. “Because more than likely we’re both aiming to go number one, so I feel like it’s more of a push for the both of us.”

Northwestern’s boys track and field team earned 131 points at the regional meet, which was good enough for a second-place finish. The Burris twins accounted for 46 of those points.

Their individual performances had a big influence on the team landing a spot at the state track and field meet May 19 at Lower Richland High School in Hopkins. And that was the ultimate team goal.

“What we’re focusing on is getting there not where we will finish when we get there,” head track coach Chris Ardis said. “If we don’t get there, it doesn’t matter. So that’s our focus. We’ve talked about it all season, and we do this for this reason. The stuff we do is because of where we’re going, not where we are right now.”

The twins have significantly improved in their jumping ability over the past year. Especially Jayden.

He jumped 19-9 in the long jump at last year’s region meet. Good enough for a 10th-place finish.

Now the twins are eclipsing 21-foot jumps. Coaches attribute their progress to how willing the twins are to learn.

“Number one: they’re coachable,” assistant track coach Annette Alston said. “Since they’ve gotten here, they’re always asking questions. We had Coach Bobby Johnson (earlier in the season), who worked with the Jamaican Olympic team and sent a lot of guys and ladies who’ve gotten gold medals, and they started working with him.

“He kept teaching ... techniques and how to use their bodies and how to take your strides and get more of a jump, and these guys have been listening to him.”

The twins are also members of Northwestern’s football team.

Both play receiver. They combined for 34 catches, 523 yards and six touchdowns this past season for a Trojan team that made it to the state championship game.

The twins say the two sports complement each other helps them stay in good physical condition.

“It really helps because in football, you have to go to weight training almost everyday,” Jaylen said. “It builds you legs up and builds your muscles up.”

“The track builds up your endurance for the football field,” Jayden said. “So they collide together real well.”

Looking ahead, the twins have straightforward goals.

“For state, I want a new (personal record) for both (triple jump and long jump),” Jaylen said.

“For upper state, I want to jump 22 (feet), and then for regular state, I want to jump 23 (feet) in long jump,” Jayden said.

The Burris twins said by their senior year, they want to break Northwestern’s records in both high jump and triple jump.