Posted on Tue, Feb. 19, 2008

As track-and-field rivalries go, it doesn't get much better than Coconut Creek junior Maya Pressley and Piper senior Krystle Schade in the high jump.

For the past two seasons, the City of Lauderhill summer track teammates have pushed each other to new heights and expect to do the same again this year.

With Miami Northwestern's Lizzie Harris -- the 2007 state champion -- graduated, state runners-up Schade and Pressley have emerged as co-favorites to capture the FHSAA Class 4A title in May.

''We both check each other,'' said Schade, who has signed with Alabama. ``We know how each of us stands through everything. It pushes both of us to succeed.''

Pressley and Schade were locked in another tense duel at the 2007 state finals. Both jumpers didn't miss until the bar was moved up to 5-10. Harris cleared the mark, but Pressley and Schade fell short and had to settle for silver.

A year earlier, Schade and Pressley met in a jump-off at the 2006 state finals. Although both cleared 5-6, Schade was declared the state champion based on fewer attempts.

''We have been bumping heads since middle school,'' Pressley said. ``Krystle won the middle school county championships at West Pines one year, and I won my 7th- and 8th-grade years at Margate Middle. She definitely gives me the competitive spirit.''

In three head-to-head matchups in 2006, Schade beat Pressley at county, regional and states. But Pressley bounced back to claim two of their four meetings in 2007.

Anticipation is already running high for their first showdown this season Feb. 27, which could be the first of possibly five meetings this season.

Both standouts put in heavy offseason workouts in preparation for winning state. Pressley said she already has noticed benefits from the intense box-jumping and parachute sessions she immersed herself in the past few months.

Schade said her biggest improvement will come from a weight-training regimen she added for the first time. That new strength paid dividends at the USA Junior Track & Field Championships qualifier this past June, when she finished first in a personal-best 5-10.

''This year I am hoping to break the state record [6-0],'' Schade said. ``I want to be able to jump 6-2. I have been practicing at 6-0 now. This year I have been doing more workouts. This is the first year I have trained in a gym. I feel it is a feasible goal.''

Although Schade and Pressley train together occasionally, they don't let any form of friendship get in the way of competition.

''I always believe I am first and will come first,'' Schade said. ``I look at Maya as the top competition, but I have confidence that I can beat her. I just say the best will win, and I consider myself first in the state.''

With both jumpers sharing a strong work ethic and desire to win, the state title could be decided by other factors.

Schade, who is 5-11, thinks her height and vertical jumping ability gives her an advantage because she can see over the bar.

Pressley uses a quicker approach to the bar and has better form.

''I think it is my year,'' said Pressley, who set a personal-best 5-9 at a dual meet last year. 'I have been coming so close. Within arms' reach of taking the gold medal. I think it is my time because I have worked so hard.''