WOODVILLE &045; Brad Pritchard was a self-proclaimed nightmare for his elders growing up.

His competitive nature pushed limits dating back to preschool when he’d race a fellow ankle biter off the bus and to the schoolhouse.

The victor ragged the loser through naptime, lunch and recess. Pritchard admitted to taking a fair amount of the ribbing while also dishing it out.

&uot;I used to see what I could get away with,&uot; Pritchard said revealing a devilish grin and hiding half his face in his right hand. &uot;I’ve always been competitive. Anything I could do to find an edge, I’d do it.&uot;

No longer does the Wilkinson Christian senior push the bar with others, but against them.

The 6-1 string bean with bleached hair atop the stalk, set a Mississippi Private School Association Class A record in the high jump last year at the State meet and has his eye on the overall record of 6-8 1/2 heading into State at Greenville’s Washington School this Friday.

There’s little doubt Pritchard, who set the Class A mark at 6-5 1/2 last year, will accomplish the feat after he cleared 6-10 to win South State down at Silliman in Clinton, La., Saturday.

&uot;The higher it gets the harder it is,&uot; said Pritchard, whose goal is to become just the second high jumper &045; MPSA or MHSAA &045; to clear 7-0. &uot;You’ve gotta make sure your steps are right because if you get up there and stutter-step, there’s no way you’ll be able to jump. You have to have your momentum going to the mat.&uot;

In four years he’s only lost two high jump events &045; once as a sophomore at State and earlier this year to Porter’s Chapel’s Allen Cassell at the ACCS Invitational.

Oh, and this little side note: All of Pritchard’s accomplishments have come without WCCA offering him a place to get airborne.

Pritchard’s opportunities to practice his mechanics come on the day of a meet.

&uot;All over the country there are some kids that are real good high jumpers,&uot; WCCA track coach Paul Hayles said. &uot;But when (Pritchard) is only practicing at the meets, it attests to his athletic ability. We’re talking about a kid with a real gift.&uot;

Unlike most of his competitors &045; and, therefore, the norm in the sport &045; Pritchard typically does not arch his back when crossing the bar.

He tends to levitate and then relies on instinct to know when to kick his feet high at the precise moment.

Pritchard marvels at the forms of fellow high jumpers Cassell and Huntington’s Adam Trevillion, who he said both have better procedures to their jumps.

&uot;Me and Adam have jumped against each other for the past three years,&uot; Pritchard said. &uot;If I had the form he had, I’d be real good. He’s got me on that hands down.&uot;

Due to the short supply of high jumpers, the field tends to be very familiar with one another.

&uot;They’re all tight-knit and want to do their best. It should make for an interesting group,&uot; Hayles said.

The South is expected to sweep the high jump Friday, after first place at North State was 5-8. &uot;(WCCA’s) second jumper that couldn’t qualify for state would’ve won,&uot; Pritchard said.

After finishing second as a team at South State, WCCA has something to prove beginning Friday.

A receiver on the Rams football team last season, Pritchard also participates individually in the triple jump and high hurdles and is a vital part of three relay teams.

He runs the anchor legs on the 4×800 and 4×400-meter teams, and the second leg for the 4×200.

&uot;He’s not slow by any means,&uot; Hayles said. &uot;When you look at Brad, he’s got a track body. Plus he’s a tremendous leaper, which plays in his favor.&uot;

As he was doing Wednesday on WCCA’s clover-covered football field, Pritchard practices for the relays with the team’s other members.

However, despite seemingly always being in a constant state of stretching or getting his steps down, Pritchard conducts no leaps his bread-and-butter event.

But, heck, why mess with what already works?

&uot;I’ve always thought if I practice I might get worse,&uot; Pritchard said laughing. &uot;I’ve always known I could do whatever I really wanted to do if I put my mind to it.&uot;