COLUMBUS — Hayden Broadwell wasn’t born yet the last time a Felicity-Franklin athlete made it to the state podium.
Felicity-Franklin’s Hayden Broadwell clears the bar at 6 feet in the Division V high jump June 5, 2026, at the Ohio High School Athletic Association Jesse Owens State Track and Field Championships at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus.
Jake Dowling/The Clermont Sun
Now, twenty-one years later, the Cardinal senior is etched in the school’s athletic history.
Broadwell finished eighth in the Division V high jump June 5, marking a historic return to prominence for Felicity-Franklin athletics as the first Cardinal since 2005 to reach the podium at the Ohio High School Athletic Association State Track and Field Championships.
Broadwell, seeded 19th, found his result at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium unbelievable.
“I had no expectations. I’m in last place, no one expects me to do anything crazy, so I’m just going to go out there and try to PR,” Broadwell said. “I got 6 foot a little easier than I thought I would, then I got 6-2 and 6-4 comes around, and I think the environment got to me a little.
“But I want to thank God for this opportunity. It’s crazy as it is, no coaching, no training for it, to come this far, it wasn’t something I had planned.”
Broadwell entered with a personal-best of 5-11, set the week before at the Region 16 Meet. He cleared 6 feet on his second attempt and 6-2 on his first, making the final 12. He finished eighth after ending at 6-4.
“That kind of surprised me. I feel like the adrenaline really helped,” Broadwell said. “This is a big stage out here. I have never been here before. It’s just an honor.”
Broadwell played varsity track for only two seasons and competed in two regular-season meets, recording a mark once. He went on to place third at the Division V District Meet in Lakota East and fifth at the Region 16 Meet in Chillicothe with his 5-11 mark.
A stone bruise in his heel forced Broadwell to miss most of the season.
“I’m more of a runner, so I jumped with sprint spikes, and that has no heel support,” Broadwell said. “If I had cushioned shoes, it would have been fine, but I got that heel bruise, and it kept getting worse.”
LACK TAKES FIFTH
The West Clermont senior ends his high school career as a two-time state placer in the high jump.
After weather delays, Lack finished with a 6-7 mark for fifth place in Division I. Berea-Midpark teammates Riley Jones and Dontrelle Bailey finished first and second, jumping 6-9 and 6-8, respectively.
Lack cleared 6-2 on June 6 before the weather paused the meet. After a nearly three-hour delay, the OHSAA rescheduled the boys high jump to 8:30 a.m. June 7. Lack missed his first two jumps, cleared 6-4 on his third, and followed the same pattern at 6-6 before clearing 6-7 on his first attempt.
Lack leaves West Clermont with the high jump record of 6-9.