Freeman State Track Title Was A Real Team Effort

The last time Freeman won a boys state track championship was in 1974, during its first incarnation as a Class 1A school.

Since then, Freeman dropped into the B classification before moving back up.

The Scotties have done it again, scoring 67 points to claim the school’s second State 1A title last weekend in Cheney.

“We lost a couple of kids who didn’t turn out and didn’t think about a state championship at the beginning of the season,” said coach John Hays. “The beauty of track is self improvement.”

Hays expressed happiness for the honor, especially for three seniors who have been in his program for four years.

Among them was Bill DePell, who placed in four events. He finished third in the 100, fourth in the 200, ran on the second-place 400 relay team and had the race of his life for the 1,600 relay winners.

“This is the sweetest thing,” said DePell. “For 26 years it hasn’t been done. This is the sweetest thing I’ve done in track.”

DePell, who graduates from Freeman with 10 letters - three each in football and basketball and four in track - personified the way the Scotties brought it about.

Except the day’s finale, the 1,600 meter relay in which the Scotties weren’t even favored, none of the team qualifiers won an event. But they all scored at least five points to help in securing the title.

“I knew that the boys had to finish in the top four in each event for us to have a chance,” said Hays. “Everybody did except for Tyler Foster in the 3,200 and that was a bonus.”

Foster, a freshman, placed sixth in the metric two mile. Ahead of him in third was sophomore teammate Reid Carrell, who in two distance races compiled a dozen points.

By then, the Scotties were in good shape. Junior Andy Miller had a personal best 20-10 long jump and sophomore Jake DePell equalled his career best of 12-6 pole vault for third places.

Pivotal had been the 400 meters where junior Brandon Pratt and senior Tom Ward had gone three-four for 11 huge points. It was the first time, said Hays, that Pratt had beaten his teammate in the race.

“I was a little nervous about today,” said Pratt. “I was in lane seven and was in it last year and choked. All things considered, the weather was good, the competition was good and it was a good day.”

Ward wasn’t totally satisfied with his place, saying he paid for going out too fast at the beginning of the race.

But things worked out OK.

“I was expecting people to fly by me, but nobody did until the very end,” he said. “Brandon was third, which is fine, and we were in first place (as a team) when I lined up in the marshalling area,” he said.

Besides, Ward would gain a measure of satisfaction when the Scotties closed out the competition with victory in the long relay.

Hays sat in the stands taking it all in and commented to a colleague that this could be the first team that won a state meet without winning an individual event.

Seniors DePell and Ward, along with Pratt and Todd Reed made sure it didn’t happen. DePell was first after the initial leg of the race. Ward stormed home 10 meters to the good.

“I kind of floated on the back straight and kicked it in,” said Ward. “When I saw were still in first I ran hard.”

Hays gave full credit to his athletes for accomplishing a feat last done a quarter century before.

“As a coach it’s kind of icing on the cake to ever have this happen,” he said. “You work with them and teach them, but the kids got the job done.”