Zach Ibanez hasn’t mastered a technique.

Imagine when he does.

The Trinity High School senior took up track little more than eight weeks ago but, using his natural ability, has already soared to the top of the state rankings and planted himself on the radar screen of several high-level college programs.

On May 29, he flew past Class L competition in the long and triple jumps, leaving Concord as a state champion in each and earning a spot in the Meet of Champions on June 6. There, he took third in the triple jump and second in the long jump, moving on to New Englands, where he posted the second-best long jump in the region on Saturday, June 13.

Ibanez was also a key member off the bench during the Trinity basketball team’s state title season, and it was during the Class L finals in Durham when he caught the eye of track coach Bob Leonard.

“This kid, No. 23, comes of the bench, and he can fly,” said Leonard. “I knew right then, I’ve got to get this kid.”

With each meet at the beginning of the outdoor track season, Ibanez improved. He added several feet to his jumps, despite limited practice due to bad weather.

Roughly midway through the season, Ibanez was a threat to the competition.

During the Manchester City Track Meet, he decided to forego the high jump to focus on the triple and long jumps.

An opposing high jumper walked up to Ibanez and asked if he was competing. Ibanez said he wasn’t, and the athlete flashed a relieved smile. That changed everything. “I’m jumping,” Ibanez told Leonard.

Jump he did, clearing 6 feet and setting a personal best on his way to being named the meet’s Most Valuable Male.

Leonard and Ibanez’s father, Ed, realized Zach’s potential and began to send his numbers to colleges. Without ever meeting him, the University of New Hampshire offered him a partial scholarship.

Originally, Ibanez had planned to attend Suffolk University in Boston, studying international business and spending at least a semester in Spain, where he is a citizen. But after seeing the UNH reaction following Ibanez’s rapid rise, those plans were halted.

Now, schools like Boston University, Illinois and Oklahoma State aren’t out of the question.

“I am hoping that if I get to pursue this, they’ll be able to teach me some technique,” said Ibanez. “Recruiters really haven’t been able to say yet how good I can be. That’s what keeps me going. I know I haven’t peaked yet, so I am excited to see what I am capable of doing.”

Trinity basketball head coach Dave Keefe has also been helping in the recruiting process, making calls on Ibanez’s behalf.

Keefe has an idea of Ibanez’s high ceiling.

“He is one of the best jumpers I have ever seen in all of my years of coaching,” said the coach. “I’ve heard stories like Zach’s before, and knowing him the way I do, I think he could be one of the kids we could be watching in the Olympic Games someday.”

One play that sticks out in Keefe’s mind came during this year’s state final, when Ibanez came off the bench against Memorial.

One of his teammates grabbed a defensive rebound and threw a pass three-quarters of the court, far over Ibanez’s head.

In one motion, Ibanez leapt, snatched the ball from the air and effortlessly put it in the hoop for two points.

“It’s one of those plays where if you were just watching casually, you’d think it was just a typical play,” said Keefe. “But I was in awe.”

It’s not just his skill that has impressed Leonard, who was surprised by Ibanez’s quick rise to leadership on the track team.

During the Class L meet, Ibanez had already completed all of his events and was in the car driving home when he received a call on his cell phone.

One of the participants on the 4x400 relay team was unable to run, and the team needed Ibanez.

He turned around and drove back to Memorial Field, running the lead leg and helping Trinity earn its best time of the season.

Leonard said if Ibanez had joined the team as a freshman, he would be coaching a leading decathlon contender.

Of course, the longer Ibanez extended his track season, the more likely he was to draw attention from larger colleges, so he was hoping to use the Meet of Champions and New England meet as a showcase for his talents.

On top of that, he registered for the Nike Invitational after looking at the previous year’s numbers and seeing that his were comparable.

In his lengthy coaching career, Leonard has had his share of talented jumpers, but in terms of raw skill alone, Ibanez is unmatched.

“In the early 1980s, I coached two kids at Central that were No. 1 and 2 in the long jump and triple jump,” said Leonard. “It took me four years to get them where (Ibanez) is today. He’s done what some kids take a lifetime to get to, and he’s done it in six weeks.”

Even after coaching Ibanez for a full season, Leonard is still shocked by his progression.

“This is the equivalent of a kid picking up a baseball for the first time and throwing 95 MPH,” said Leonard. “There’s no telling what this kid can do.”