Sue Wright has shared plenty of proud moments during her 30-plus years as the Wright City track coach. Few have paralleled the level of joy she experienced watching one of her athletes stand atop the medal podium during last weekend’s MSHSAA Championships in Jefferson City. Senior Deon Bradshaw became the school’s first jumper to earn all-state honors during Wright’s storied tenure in the district. “It’s awesome,” said the veteran coach. “He’s all-state. He’s going to get his picture on the wall, which is very exciting. He’s worked extremely hard, and he deserves it.” Bradshaw closed out his prep career with a third-place finish in the triple jump during the Class 3 state meet on Saturday. He also took seventh in the long jump on Friday, allowing him to bring home a pair of medals. “He gradually kept improving his distances,” said Wright. “Taking third in the state is awesome.” After falling short during each event at last year’s state meet, Bradshaw was able to accomplish his most distinguished athletic feat. While he didn’t feel that he had jumped to his full potential, he was happy to be leaving with a hand full of hardware. “I was hoping to get my PR here, but I’m happy with third place,” said Bradshaw. “That’s better than last year when I came out with nothing.” Bradshaw says he struggled to get loose before each event without the luxury of running the 400-meter relay, which had become standard procedure during each meet until that point. The lack of a sprint before preliminary jumps took a toll on him, but once the track cleared, he was able to prepare himself for the finals. “Once the 300-meter hurdles got done, I had the back straightaway to run on,” said Bradshaw. On Friday, he worked his way into the long jump finals but fouled on each of his final three attempts. His best recorded distance was 21 feet, two inches. “I could have done better if I would have got a jump in during the finals and maybe placed higher,” said Bradshaw. “I’m happy I placed though. I’m all-state, so that’s all that matters.” Bradshaw returned on Saturday to compete in what he calls of the stronger of his two events. He struggled to land anywhere near his personal best during the qualifying flight but still stood in fourth entering the finals. Each competitor, including Bradshaw, improved their distance during the finals. “When we got to finals, the competition got tighter, and I just wanted it more than most of the people there,” said Bradshaw. Bradshaw’s best jump of 44 feet, 11 inches put him in second place for a while, but he eventually dropped to third, as University City’s Darion Boure recorded a superior distance. “I felt I could have did better, but I was tight during the first prelims,” said Bradshaw. “I felt good about jumping 45 in the finals.” What frustrated Bradshaw was the fact that if he could have jumped his personal best, it would have put him within an inch of first place. Instead, Clinton’s Nick Ramirez claimed top honors with a final leap of 46 feet, 11 inches. “Nobody was really on,” said Wright. “Deon did a great job of stepping up during the finals to keep himself near the top. I was very proud of his effort.”He became the first Wright City athlete to medal at state since Megan Kowalik raced to a first-place finish in both the mile and two mile run in 2008. Having served as both a coach and mentor for Bradshaw over the past four years, it was a gratifying moment for Wright. “You always want the kids to get a state medal,” said Bradshaw. “Even moreso for him, because he works hard. He has his moments, but he’s a great kid.”