Ruiz jumps his way to two state titles

It’s a big jump from high school to college football, but Northwestern Class of 2017 cornerback commitment Cameron Ruiz figures to be more equipped than most to make it.

After all, he makes big jumps all the time. Literally.

His last two big jumps won Illinois state championships over the weekend, as a matter of fact.

The junior from Lake Villa (Ill.) won both the long jump and triple jump titles with personal records at the Illinois Class 3A state meet on Saturday. He long jumped 24 feet, a big barrier in high school jumping. Then, he surpassed his previous best by more than two feet to claim the triple jump crown with a leap of 50 feet, 6 inches on his last attempt.

“Obviously, I feel good about what I accomplished, but it’s just starting to sink in,” he said.

Saturday was a busy day for Ruiz, who qualified for four finals. In addition to the two jumps, he placed sixth at 400 meters (48.89 seconds) and led off the Lakes 4x400 relay team that finished eighth (3:20.10).

Ruiz, who finished third at the state meet in the long jump a year ago, is especially proud of his 24-foot jump in the final. It came on his first attempt and represented a goal he set his sights on at the beginning of the season. It also eclipsed his previous best by nine inches.

“That’s a really big number,” he said, adding that it is probably one of the top 25 legal, non-wind-aided jumps in the nation this year. It also fulfilled a promise he made to his father to win a state title because the elder Ruiz finished second in the 400 when he was in high school.

It was the triple jump, however, that was the more dramatic of the two. Ruiz went into the competition with a personal best of 47 feet, 10 inches. But after DaVion Cross of West Aurora put up a 49-9.25, he unleased the triple jump of his life to win the gold medal.

“I really didn’t know what I was capable of in the triple jump,” said Ruiz. “I didn’t even hit the board on that jump,” meaning that he could have gone even longer.

Ruiz thinks that the skills he learns in track are directly translatable to football and that the jumps are good indicators of potential future success.

“The jumps show a lot of explosiveness,” said Ruiz. “Explosiveness is a big part of the game.”

That’s especially true for cornerbacks. Two other corners had great success in the long jump in high school before embarking on very impressive careers at Northwestern.

Sherrick McManis won the Illinois state long jump title as a junior at Peoria Richwoods in 2006. One of the most celebrated players of the Pat Fitzgerald era, McManis started games as a true freshman for the Wildcats and eventually became a captain, a first-team All-Big Ten cornerback and a standout special teams performer. He now plays for the Chicago Bears.

Current starter Matthew Harris was also an accomplished long jumper at LaGrange Lyons Township High School, placing second in the long jump his senior year in 2012. He also started games as a true freshman for the Wildcats and has 27 starts under his belt going into his senior campaign in 2016.

Ruiz certainly wouldn’t mind following in either of their footsteps, but, pardon the pun, he may have a jump on both of them. McManis won his state title with a jump of 22 feet, 1.5 inches, while Harris leaped 23 feet, 8.5 inches to finish second. Neither reached the magic 24-foot mark that Ruiz did on Saturday.

“I think I have the speed and explosiveness. You have to have a high football IQ, and I think I already have that. The only thing I’m missing is the weight,” said Ruiz, who packs just 165 pounds on his 5-foot, 10-inch frame.

Northwestern’s training table and weight room should take care of that.