Kappen smashes PR in long jump to grab state title

MERIDIAN — That's right, the Bulldogs already have a champ down at state.

On Thursday night at Rocky Mountain High, senior Braden Kappen put everyone at the 4A state championships on notice with a leap of 23 feet, 1 inch in the long jump finals. The mark shattered his previous personal record and school record by 9 inches, giving him the state title.

"I really didn't have any words for it," Kappen said after the event Thursday. "I was just excited."

All season long, jumps coach Dave DeMers has been telling coaches across the region that Kappen is going to break 23 feet. Well, Kappen came through and now DeMers is looking for a lottery ticket.

"What Kap has done is just a culmination of a lot of hard work in the last four years," DeMers said.

Kappen said his adrenaline was pumping when he hit that jump.

"I definitely felt like I had it in me," he said. "I just really had to push for it."

Kappen took third in the long jump at state as a sophomore and he's had the drive ever since to turn that third into a first. Last year was taken away due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Kappen never stopped pushing. In fact, the lost season only made him hungrier.

"He came back with a vengeance," DeMers said. "He's worked harder than most of the kids that I could ever remember that wanted something really bad."

DeMers said Kappen is special and everyone saw that Thursday.

"When you mix speed with athletic ability and the mental toughness that Braden has," he said, "you're looking at a unique jumper, a unique person and someone that can definitely go to the next level, and so we are going to try to do everything we can to get him there."

The long jump and triple jump were moved to Thursday night due to pit issues at Eagle High, so Kappen took center stage in one of the first events at state. The rest of Sandpoint's state qualifiers were settling into the team hotel when Kappen hit his jump to win the state title.

Because of the long bus ride down to state, none of Kappen's teammates were able to watch his record-breaking performance. But DeMers said Kappen still had plenty of support from the fans and other athletes in attendance. He said Kappen was the crowd favorite and people even high-fived him in the parking lot on the way out.

"It was so exciting," DeMers said. "We knew that it was over 23 feet when he jumped, and the crowd was going crazy."

However, the state title didn't come easy. Just before Kappen's final jump, an athlete from Bishop Kelly had a mark of 22 feet, 6 inches. Kappen knew what he had to do and he exploded to take home the victory in his last attempt.

Kappen said once he got back to the hotel, the whole team was yelling and celebrating his win.

It was quite the start to state for Kappen — who will also have opportunities to medal in the 100, 200 and 4x400 relay — and the Bulldogs.

Kappen hopes he energized the rest of the team.

"I think we're all excited to compete the next two days and I think we're all ready," he said. "I definitely feel like it shows that it's possible that Sandpoint can do some stuff down here."

DeMers believes the Bulldogs will feed off the performance.

"The team has followed him all year and that's what you want out of your senior leadership," he said.

DeMers said the athletes on the track team always represent the school and the town so well, and Kappen did just that with his humility after the victory.

"He had Sandpoint written all over him," he said.