Brophy high school senior takes an unlikely path to success

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — Brophy High School senior Brennen McHenry is the first Arizona high schooler ever to high jump 7 feet and long jump 24 feet. He’s even been named the Arizona Boy’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year by Gatorade.

“I’ve always been a natural jumper from basketball, so freshman year, I thought, why not go ahead and try it,” McHenry said. Originally he believed his thought was basketball, but when he was cut from the team, he said it gave him the drive and energy to pursue long jumping. During the COVID-19 lockdown, McHenry built a high jump set near his pool so he could dive right in.

“I went to Home Depot, built a little high jump set, and I started high jumping into my pool, and that really hurt,” McHenry said. “So, I ended up getting a little mattress and training on that all summer.” His secret, he says, is learning from his mistakes.

So far, McHenry has placed as the state champion in the long jump and recently finished 10th nationally in the high jump. “I think it’s an amazing story for me but especially for other people to hear, especially younger athletes who get cut from teams and think their sports life is over,” he said. “You can always start something from scratch and put in the work, and honestly, if you believe you can do it, it’ll happen.”

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.

Copyright 2023 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.