Spirit Lake: Nick Puckett ‘a naturally gifted athlete’

SPIRIT LAKE – Nick Puckett always thought he’d play football in college.

He never envisioned his main athletic pursuit beyond high school would involve running on a four-corner oval surface.

Puckett, who rushed for more than 5,000 yards as a three-year starter at tailback and shattered all of the rushing and scoring records of consequence at Timberlake High School, has seen the last of his football days, though.

“It’s really hard to walk away because it has been so much fun in my life,” said Puckett, a senior. “It never seemed like track would be the avenue for me in college.”

Neither the opportunity nor the college with his major presented itself to Puckett. He took a visit to NCAA Division III football power Linfield in McMinnville, Ore., and liked everything about the school. But it didn’t have mechanical engineering.

Two schools that have offered scholarships in track – the University of Idaho and Montana State University – have his major. He must decide by Monday which school he will attend.

“I have letters of intent for both schools sitting at home,” Puckett said. “I’ve visited both schools. I have good offers from both.”

The offer from MSU, coupled with additional money for respectable scores on college entrance tests, means all but $900 of his annual expenses would be covered. He’s been offered a similar package at Idaho.

He says he’s leaning toward one of the schools, but won’t officially announce his decision until Monday.

Speed is what made Puckett such a terror on the gridiron. Speed is what he hopes will take him to further heights in track in college.

“What I’m thinking about now is being an NCAA champ or an Olympic qualifier,” Puckett said.

Lofty goals, perhaps, but when one dream ends, it’s time for another one to begin. At least that’s what Puckett believes.

Despite the horrible spring weather, Puckett and his team appear to be on pace to have a golden finish. Timberlake is seeking a third straight 3A state title, and for that to happen Puckett will have to have his best state meet ever.

He has captured 10 state medals since his freshman year. His first individual state title came last year when he broke through in the 200 meters. He also took third in the 100.

This year he has added the 400, truly a gut-buster for a sprinter, and he’s running the anchor 400 leg on the 1,600 relay.

Going into this week, he had the top times in the state among 3A athletes in the 200 (22.2) and 400 (48.9) and the second-best in the 100 (11.0). Timberlake has the top time in the 1,600 relay (3:32.6), but it’s a time Puckett says the Tigers will need to shave four to five seconds off by state to be in the chase for gold.

“Ideally, for us to win a state championship, I will have to win the 100, 200 and 400,” Puckett said. “Does that put pressure on me? We have a saying at my house – pressure is self-given. I want more than just winning those events. I want to break the classification record in the 200 and 400.”

So in Puckett’s case, the pressure is accepted.

He is especially excited about the 1,600 relay, because his sophomore brother, Derek, starts the race. A few times last fall, Derek saw some playing time as the backup quarterback and handed off to his brother.

“You know mom is really digging it,” the eldest Puckett said of the 1,600 relay. “It’s special. (Derek) is really coming into his own. We have two sophomores and a junior on the relay. I’ve been working with Derek a lot so he’s got that going for him.”

Puckett doesn’t enjoy the 100 as much as he does the 200 and 400.

“It takes me about 50 meters to find my stride,” he said. “What I love about the other sprints is the corners. That’s where I try to put the races away.”

Puckett is a country guy throughout. Call his cell phone and you’ll hear Gary Allen’s “Right Where I Need To Be” playing until he answers the call. The radio dial in his 1994 Mazda pickup is set on K-102, a country station.

“It’s the only music in the world,” Puckett said. “I listen to some classic rock because that’s what dad likes. I like K-102 because it has the best old country. I don’t necessarily like the newer stuff, but I’ll listen to old country.”

Timberlake head track and assistant football coach Brian Kluss has had a perfect vantage point watching Puckett blossom in both sports.

“He’s a naturally gifted athlete who also busts his butt in practice. That’s a scary combination,” Kluss said. “He always goes full-bore. He doesn’t cut corners.”

What Puckett is most proud of as he counts the days down to graduation is the evolution he’s made as a young man. He heard all the hype about how he was going to be the next great athlete at Timberlake long before he started high school.

“It’s the transformation I’ve made as a human being,” he said. “There was a lot of hype and that was the main reason I was so pompous as a freshman and sophomore. There were a couple of coaches when I was a freshman and sophomore that I didn’t see eye-to-eye with. It was all my fault. I was a jerk to be around. It was all about Nick Puckett. I was a classic jerk. I thought I was a lot better than I was.”

Kluss heard the comments about Puckett from other coaches.

“He still has his moments,” Kluss said. “You can’t deny him his competitiveness. He does talk and says some things he might regret afterwards. Most of it is his competitive nature coming through. He doesn’t intentionally try to be mean-spirited. He talks, no question. I don’t know if I necessarily agree with that. He still has that edge to him, but he has made some great strides.”

Puckett will leave a legacy at the Spirit Lake school.

“The things that never leave are the records and the legacy,” Puckett said. “I don’t want people to talk about the records I set as much as I want to be remembered as a good person. There are always going to be people who don’t like you no matter what. I hope I leave a good feeling with the people who matter to me.”