Cheney sprinter hungry for more
CHENEY – Last season, Cheney High School sprinter Jesus Fregoso had the kind of finish at the Washington state track meet most athletes would dream about. Fregoso placed in the top eight in three different events, the 100 and 200 meters, and the 4x100 meter relay. For Fregoso, though, the state experience was less than pleasant.
“The way I ran in state last year was the biggest disappointment I’ve ever had in my sports career,” said Fregoso, who was seventh in the 100, and eighth in both the 200 and relay. “I was expecting way more. I ran the worst I ran all year at state. I was going in there expecting to win at state and didn’t do it. That’s just going to push me to work harder in practice and just get faster, so when I get to state I’m more prepared and it won’t even be close.”
Despite the senior’s self-described disappointing experience at the state meet, Fregoso’s journey last May has served as a springboard for better results this season.
“You can’t measure experience,” said Blackhawk head coach Todd Hering. “He had been to meets like Pasco, but to go into state over in Tacoma, I think that experience was huge. He knows what to expect now. The other thing is, he wanted more than he did last year. I don’t think his placings met his expectations. He came back hungrier. He came back saying he wasn’t satisfied last year, so I think this year he’s coming back for a little bit of redemption.”
Fregoso, who was a second-team all-league running back for Cheney this past season, is using the same determination in his track workouts that he would use on a 200 pound lineman in the fall.
“I’m definitely working on reaction time and working on moving my arms faster because if you move the arms faster, you move the legs faster,” Fregoso said. “I also have to work on staying relaxed when I’m running and not get tight. I just have to stay healthy.”
“The two things that are best for him are his strength and power getting out of the blocks,” said Hering. “If he’s at least with them getting out of the blocks, he’s got the power and the strength to take them. He’s got real good technique. It’s real solid, he doesn’t have a lot of wasted energy going sideways. He’s just a smarter runner now.”
Besides running the 100, 200 and possibly the 400 meters this season, Fregoso also leads his teammates as the anchor of the 4x100 relay team again this year.
“When I get that baton, if we’re behind a little, there’s nothing else I have to do but catch him,” said Fregoso. “I have to put my team’s trust in me that I’ll catch that guy and get a first.”
“In the close races, it’s the main reason he’s anchoring,” said Hering. “Not just because he’s fast, but he just refuses to lose. If there’s any way he’s going to win, he’s going to find it. It’s just that competitive nature about him. It’s what sets him apart from the rest of the pack. When he’s on the relay, the other three guys always run better. They know they have a chance to be successful, a chance to be great because they have Jesus to bring them through.”
The one thing Fregoso would love to do before his career at Cheney ends is to put last year’s state meet experience behind him like his competition.
“It’s going to take the hardest I’ve ever worked,” Fregoso said. “I have to use the experience I have running and put it all into that one day to show where it’s taken me. I just don’t quit when things are down, to keep strong and only do what I can do. You can’t control what anyone else does. You can only control what you can do and do your best.”