SIMPLY THE BEST: Canton’s Isaac cements historic track & field legacy
Quincy Isaac points to his name that is listed on the P-CEP Men’s Track & Field record board four times, with a fifth addition imminent.
In the 50-plus years there have been high schools located near the intersection of Canton’s Joy and Canton Center roads, thousands of athletes have launched their bodies off the long-jump board on the south end of the P-CEP varsity stadium, striving to land on the awaiting sand as far from the board as possible.
Nobody has done it better than Canton High School’s Quincy Isaac.
In his final three years at Canton, Isaac captured three MHSAA long-jump state championships (setting the finals record this year), repeatedly broke his own P-CEP records in the event, and posted the best high school indoor long-jump effort in the country early this year.
‘Deep-seated desire to win’
Headed to the University of Michigan in the fall to continue his academic and athletic career, Isaac’s unparalleled high school career was capped in early-June when he was named Michigan’s Gatorade high school track and field athlete of the year.
“First of all, what makes Quincy such a great long jumper is his intelligence,” said Canton Track & Field Head Coach Jon Mehl. “Secondly is his deep-seated desire to win that goes above and beyond what most competitive athletes display.”
A member of the Canton High School student council, Isaac has volunteered locally delivering meals to the homeless and repurposing used clothing to make toys for shelter animals,” a Gatorade press release noted.
“He has also donated his time as a tutor in math, Spanish and chemistry in addition to serving as a youth basketball and track coach,” the release added.
“Consistency was key for Quincy Isaac, who finished up his prep career as one of the premier leapers in the land over the past two years,” said Rich Gonzalez, editor of PrepCalTrack.
Isaac doesn’t simply win long-jump competitions, he routinely blows his opponents out of the sand.
For instance, when he broke the Michigan high school indoor record this past winter with a leap of 25 feet, 1.75 inches at the Michigan Indoor Track Series State Championship, he had out-leaped runner-up Jordan Paige by close to three feet.
It started at a camp
Isaac’s record-breaking legacy has humble beginnings.
“I attended a track & field camp in middle school or late-elementary school,” recounted Isaac, who attended Pioneer Middle School. “I tried every event and long jump was what I was best at.”
Isaac said reaching the pinnacle of his sport hasn’t come easily.
“It definitely took me a while to get good at it,” he admitted. “I didn’t learn how to land properly until I got to high school. There’s so much technique that goes into it.
“It’s a difficult event because everything has to be perfect in order for the jump to be right. You have to make sure you push off from the board at the right time, you’re technique in the air has to be perfect — there’s a lot to focus on, which is what I like about it.”
He’s leaped over adversities
Isaac has cleared so many health obstacles the past few years, you’d think he was a hurdler.
Fueled by an admirable work ethic, he has battled back from labrum and meniscus surgeries — and a recent ankle ailment — to maintain his lofty status among Michigan track & field athletes.
“I’d say recovering from my torn labrum was the toughest physically,” Isaac shared. “The torn meniscus recovery was more of a mental challenge.
“The time I surprised myself the most was my first competition after tearing my meniscus last summer. I jumped 24-8 my first meet back. That’s kind of when I realized I could overcome any adversity that got in my way if I worked hard enough.”
Academic all-star, too
The son of Michigan State University grads Sabrina and Homer Isaac, Isaac is as accomplished in the classroom as he is in the long jump.
With a weighted grade-point average of 4.1, it’s no wonder many of the elite academic/athletic next-level track & field programs were heavily recruiting Isaac.
“I visited Michigan State because that’s where my parents went,” he said. “While I loved everything about Michigan State — I’ve been a Spartan fan since I was little — it came down to the University of Michigan and Stanford. Michigan won out because of the coaches and people I met there.”
Set to study Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the outset at U of M, Isaac said he may ultimately pursue a degree in business.
Representing U.S. on his radar
The way he has ascended to great heights in track & field, could the Olympics be in his future?
“The winning jumps at the past few Olympics have been in the 28-feet-and-up range,” Isaac revealed. “If everything works out, I don’t see (someday making the U.S. Olympic team) as being unreachable. But I’m just taking things one step at a time.”
Unable to long jump early this past high school outdoor season due to a gimpy ankle, Isaac attempted the 100-meter dash for the Cobras.
His debut was dazzling as he posted a personal-best time of 10.61 seconds — just less than a half second off the P-CEP record set by former NFL wide receiver Devin Thomas’s mark of 10.4 set in 2003.
It’s unclear where Isaac’s talent and hard work will ultimately lead him.
What’s certain is this: He’s taking the fast lane to get there.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
