Berry did not realize his potential in the sport until he actually gave it a shot.

“I have been asked to do track the past four years and I finally decided to come out this year,” he said. “I started to take it more serious in the second week.”

And he wound up participating in the last meet of the season.

Last Friday, the senior missed his own graduation to compete in the 102nd California Interscholastic Federation State Championships at Buchanan High’s Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis. He made it out of the preliminaries, turning in the 10th best mark in the long jump at 22 feet, 8 ¾ inches. In the finals Saturday, he wound up placing 11th overall at 21-9 ½.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect myself to get this far,” Berry said. “I’m proud of myself for this accomplishment. It was an honor being able to compete in front of so many people and a lot of great jumpers.”

He was one of just five Manteca-area athletes to qualify for the state meet, three of whom advanced to the finals. Berry set a personal record in the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Championships, placing second with a 22-9 ¾.

Berry’s plan is to continue his track and field career at Delta College with hopes of landing a scholarship to a four-year university.

“I’m definitely taking this into the future,” Berry said. “After this year, I really gained more love for track.”