If there’s one thing Raven Thompson has learned in three previous appearances at the MHSAA Class 6A state track and field meet, it’s the danger of thinking.

The Warren Central senior high jumper said she’s done it often when she’s competed on the sport’s biggest stage at this level, and it’s cost her. She’s finished fourth twice and third once, all good showings but not quite good enough to get the gold.

For her fourth and final appearance, Thompson is vowing to let it rip.

“This year, my mindset is don’t think. That’s what gets me every time. I think too much and I end up messing up. I’m going in easy flowing, laid back, and let it happen,” Thompson said. “I’ve gotten third every year, but I went in knowing what I could do. I went in pressuring myself to do what I knew I could instead of relaxing and just letting it happen. It’s muscle memory. I started thinking and overthinking. That’s why I’m going in and just letting it happen and jump.”

Thompson will be part of a Warren Central doubleheader in the high jump at the Class 6A state meet Friday at Pearl High School. Mason Quimby will compete in the boys’ event at the same time Thompson is jumping in the girls’ final.

The Class 6A high jump competition is scheduled to begin at approximately 12:30 p.m. Other field events start at 11 a.m., and running events at 2 p.m.

Quimby and Thompson have formed a bond over the course of their high school careers. They both reached the state meet last year — Thompson finished fourth and Quimby eighth — and have often helped each other to fine tune their craft.

“It was a lot of recordings. It was a lot of videos,” Thompson said with a chuckle. “We went back and watched and watched and saw where we were stepping wrong and had to go back more, or had to drive, or flop, all of that. But, eventually, it worked. Clearly, it worked. We made it to state.”

Thompson will enter the girls’ high jump as a favorite to at least medal, if not win. The Mississippi State signee has posted the best height in the state this year, at 5 feet, 10 inches, and figures to be locked in a duel with Madison Central’s Asia Poe.

Poe has finished as the Class 6A runner-up each of the last two years, and beat Thompson on tiebreakers the last two weeks at the Region 2-6A and North State meets.

To finally defeat her rival when it matters most, Thompson said she’s gone back to what worked best in the middle of the season.

“I’m working out at a higher height. I come in at 5-2 for warmups, and I jumped 5-6 a couple of times (Monday) until I cleared it so many times,” Thompson said. “We’re going to try to keep that process going, because that’s what I was doing when I PR’d. Then I laid back some to give my legs a rest and work on form. Now I’m trying to get back up.”

While Thompson is a favorite, Quimby is coming in as a bit of an underdog. His personal best this season is 6-foot-4 and he won the Region 2-6A and North State championships, but Terry’s Arturro Bingham and Meridian’s Tito Chez Turner both surpassed Quimby’s best at last week’s South State meet.

Bingham won the South State title at 6-foot-8, and Turner jumped 6-6. Gulfport’s Temarcus Garrett was third at 6-4, and Biloxi’s Michael Jordan jumped 6-2 to finish fourth and match Quimby’s winning mark at North State.

“You’ve got to work on form and make sure I keep my feet when I get over the bar. But I’ve probably got to get around 6-6 to get on the podium. It’s completely possible,” Quimby said.

Quimby jumped 5-10 at last year’s state meet and bowed out of the competition early. This year, he said a more analytical approach has helped him take a step forward.

“I’m making sure I have my correct steps. This year I’m taking measurements to make sure I know where my steps are. Last year I just tried to pace them off and I wasn’t accurate enough,” he said. “Once I start jumping, I get into a zone where I know what I’m messing up on if I do mess up. But I’ve been doing it for four years now, so I know how to correct it. It’s just watching how other people do it and adding that on to yours.”

Having Thompson there to act as a coach and teammate also helps, he added.

“Me and Raven have always helped each other with the technique and stuff,” Quimby said. “Me and her always watch each other at meets and tell each other what we’re doing wrong. I loved having (teammate Jalen Glass) here, someone I could jump with in practice and at meets. We haven’t had that lately.”

MHSAA STATE MEET QUALIFIERS
Warren Central girls
Raven Thompson – High jump
Hannah Huntley – 1,600 and 3,200 meters
Warren Central boys
Mason Quimby – High jump
Raymond Rimmey – 300 hurdles
Brandon Fischer – Pole vault
Jaylen Whitaker – Shot put, discus
Relays – 4×100 meters

MHSAA STATE MEET SCHEDULE:
Class 2A/4A/6A: Friday, 11 a.m., at Pearl H.S.
Class 1A/3A/5A: Saturday, 11 a.m., at Pearl H.S.