After track success, senior jumps at chance to lead Highlands back to playoffs

By: Michael Love
Thursday, August 14, 2025 | 8:39 PM

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Jahmar Wright bridged the gap between the majority of his junior season and the lead-up to his senior year with strong performances at the WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A track and field championships in May.

Wright, a senior at Highlands and one of the top returning talents for the Golden Rams football team, said he was energized by a bronze-medal finish in the high jump at WPIALs with a personal-best attempt of 6 feet, 5 inches.

It was his second straight WPIAL medal in the event as he was fourth in the high jump last year.

Wright then went on to claim 12th (6-4) at states at Shippensburg University.

Also running the 100-meter dash, Wright put his speed and jumping ability on display, something he hopes to continue to feature at wideout and defensive back this fall.

“It felt good to get back to WPIALs and states for track, and when that was over, I was really ready to get back to the team and prepare all summer for the work we were prepared to do,” said Wright, who earned Allegheny 7 Conference first-team all-star honors on offense last season.

Wright said he is optimistic Highlands can again make some noise in and out of the conference and that he can take that next step in his play and his leadership of the team on and off the field.

“It was fun to go up against the best (defensive backs) in the conference,” said Wright, who helped front a talented receiving corps last year along with graduates Montrell Johnson and Aiden Burford.

Wright finished last season with 20 catches for 515 yards and seven touchdowns.

“I felt I did a pretty good job,” he said. “I just wanted to do whatever I could to help the team win games.”

Wright said he was happy to see the Golden Rams make the WPIAL playoffs for the fourth year in a row.

“That felt amazing to go to the playoffs again. We’re doing everything we can right now to be able to do it for a fifth year,” Wright said.

Highlands, which finished 6-5 overall last year, routed Southmoreland, 56-20, in the Class 3A first round.

But a loss to No. 1 Imani, which saw the Saints rally from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 14-point win, left a sour taste in the mouth of Wright and his returning teammates.

Wright said the loss was motivation for everyone to refocus in the offseason, beginning with winter work in the weight room and elsewhere.

“We were really down after that loss, but we came back and came together like a family and got to work,” he said. “We had each other’s backs and just supported each other as we all tried to get better. There was a lot of talk about what we needed to work on when we got back together.”

Wright said improvement in every area of his game on both sides of the ball was on his mind as the winter and spring months turned to the summertime with a specific focus on speed, quickness off the ball, physicality, footwork and being more aggressive and active on defense.

Wright said a move from safety to cornerback will get him more involved this season.

He was pretty involved in last year’s defensive output. He recorded 44 tackles, intercepted a team-best four passes and recovered three fumbles.

“I will now be going up against the best receivers in the conference and hoping to lock them down,” said Wright, who checks in at 6-foot-2 and is up 10 pounds to 175.

“I also will be more exclusive to stopping the run game and be able to make more plays there. I actually wanted to make the move. I was doing 7-on-7 at cornerback, and I liked it. I asked (the coaches) to continue to put me there, and they said all right. Everybody felt it was a positive move. I am pretty confident the move will pay off.”

Wright experienced a minor hiccup in his progress as he tweaked a hamstring in the early summer. He was held out for a couple weeks while he healed, but he came back strong and performed well at a Fox Chapel 7-on-7.

“That affected me because I couldn’t afford to be injured,” said Wright, who played in showcase tournaments at Pitt and in Philadelphia with his Goblins Football 7-on-7 club team in addition to the summer work with the Golden Rams.

“I didn’t want to slow down, but I knew I had to take care of it and do what I needed to do to help it recover. It feels 100 percent amazing now. I came back and did work. I was pleased with how I did (at the Fox Chapel 7-on-7). I was really excited, too, with how we all did. We played as a team and saw some really good results.”

Wright attended a Pitt camp in early June, and he said he saw good results in front of the Panthers coaches.

“I really didn’t get to show my receiver talent, but I was able to showcase a lot of my (defensive back) talent,” Wright said. “They loved me out there, and it felt great.”

Wright continues the recruiting process. He owns an offer from Hampden-Sydney University, a Division III program in Virginia.

He spoke positively of his conversations with the coaches from Slippery Rock, and he hopes to make a visit to the campus next Thursday, the day before the Golden Rams open their season with a Week Zero matchup at home against Armstrong.

Wright said he hopes a strong fall season will help garner more college interest.

“I am ready to make an impact on offense and defense,” he said. “It gives me a lot of energy and pride to work to make a difference and show out with and for my teammates. I am excited to do what I can to make the young guys better and show them that they shouldn’t be nervous. They’ve put in so much work. They should be confident. We’re all out here now putting in the work. We’re ready.”

Wright said everyone is ready to test their mettle at 10 a.m. Saturday in a scrimmage at Southmoreland.

“We’re all happy and excited to go up against another team and hit someone with a different color jersey,” he said. “We saw (Southmoreland) in the playoffs last year, and that was good for us. Now, we hope for the same thing Saturday. We want to set a tone.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

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