A standout runner since his freshman year, Will Jefferson had tasted his share of disappointment in state track and cross country meets before.
In his closing act, the Whiteland senior felt nothing put pure satisfaction.
Jefferson pulled away from a star-studded field to close his high school career with a convincing victory in the 3,200-meter run during the boys track and field state meet at Ben Davis High School on Friday night.
He crossed the finish line in 8 minutes, 54.05 seconds, beating runner-up Kole Mathison of Carmel by seven and a half seconds.
Running with the lead pack early on, Jefferson took the lead on the backstretch of the third lap and gradually widened his advantage as the race wore on, doubling his lead over Mathison during a commanding final lap.
“I was just trying to maintain pace,” Jefferson said. “Once I took the lead, I felt a sense of urgency almost. It was my race to run, so I took it, and God gave me the ability to keep moving with it.”
Jefferson’s victory — his first in a state meet after years of county, sectional and regional dominance — put a stamp on a strong day for Johnson County runners. Center Grove, led by sprinter Brandon Wheat, wound up third overall in the team standings with 38 points, just two behind runner-up Brownsburg.
Carmel cruised to the team title with 68 points.
Wheat finished third in the 200-meter dash and fifth in the 100 while also anchoring the Trojans’ 4×100 relay team, which was a close second behind conference rival Warren Central.
Senior Connor Delp, who was also on the 4×100 as well as the sixth-place 4×400 relay for Center Grove, earned a third-place individual finish in the 300-meter hurdles.
The night, though, belonged to Jefferson. In a 3,200 field featuring four runners who had broken the 9-minute mark during the regular season, the Liberty University recruit was the only one who managed to crack that barrier on the big stage.
More state track and field coverage to come at dailyjournal.net.
