Whiteland freshman Colton Watson looks forward to Saturday’s regional at Shelbyville after winning the sectional race on the same course last week.
Daily Journal file photo
In the split second needed for Whiteland freshman Colton Watson to peer over his shoulder, the course of his career changed.
The 15-year-old’s reputation would never be the same because, after crossing the first at the Shelbyville Sectional on Saturday, expectations moving forward were immediately heightened.
Maybe fair. Maybe not. But that’s what success does.
Whichever the case, Watson is both prepared and anxious to move forward with the rest of his first varsity season — the next steps being at Saturday’s Shelbyville Regional on the very same Blue River Memorial Park course.
“I’m ready to go,” he said.
In what was his postseason debut as a high schooler, Watson, a top-10 runner the first half of the race, eventually located a new gear. His time of 16 minutes, 6.8 seconds was a new personal best, and 10.4 seconds faster than Indian Creek senior Luke Neibert.
Imagine Watson’s surprise when he quickly looked behind him during the home stretch and saw … no one.
“I went into that race with nothing to lose,” Watson said. “At the 3K, I was about 10th, and the Roncalli kid (Sam Vaught) was 40 yards ahead of me. It was just a time where I felt I could do it. I was definitely surprised.”
Given his résumé, Watson shouldn’t have been.
As an eighth-grader, he finished second at the state middle school cross country meet. He proved just as much of a force in track, winning both the 800- and 2,400-meter races at the state’s middle school showcase.
And to think he once almost opted to instead play tennis.
“I’ve been running since the fourth grade. My mom (Amanda) made me pick a fall sport, and it came down between cross country and tennis,” Watson said. “Right off the bat, I was like, okay, I’m glad I did this.
“The mindset part of it is so awesome. If I’m going through a time, I can just go through a run and it clears my head.”
Having a sibling on the Whiteland squad has had the same effect. Junior Will Watson, another of the main reasons that Colton started running, is another accomplished competitor. He placed seventh at sectional in 16:30.8; another junior, Nolan Edens, took 10th (16:42.2) to propel the Warriors to a third-place finish in the team standings.
The third and fourth of the five Watson children, Will and Colton push one another to be better.
“It’s so awesome. I run with him every day, and it never gets old,” Colton said. “We run every single workout together.”
Whiteland coach Scotty Kern, previously in charge of the cross country teams at Clark-Pleasant Middle School, has watched Colton Watson’s progress as an athlete and as a competitor since the beginning. Once the young man flipped the switch, most anything would be possible.
“Colton’s sixth-grade year, he was our No. 3 or 4 runner,” Kern said. “In the seventh and eighth grade, he cared more. It just became that he wanted to train. He would come from basketball practices and he would run.”
On Saturday, Watson definitely has his work cut out attempting to capture a regional win to go along with what he accomplished at sectional.
One of the sectionals feeding into the Shelbyville site is Noblesville, where the top 15 finishers all broke the 16-minute mark. So, too, did the four fastest runners at the Mt. Vernon Sectional.
Last week’s win, though, made Watson that much more confident.
“I think if there’s a pack of 15-minute guys, I really think Colton will try to run with them, and maybe something crazy will happen,” Kern said.
IF YOU GO
Shelbyville Regional
When: Saturday, 10:30 a.m. (girls), 11:15 a.m. (boys)
Where: Blue River Memorial Park, Shelbyville
Advancement: First five qualifying teams and top 15 individuals from non-advancing teams qualify for state.
Admission: $10, children age 5 and under free. All tickets are digital and may be purchased through Eventlink. No cash. Present your purchase verification on your mobile phone at the gate for admission.
