As Wright City’s only competitor at the Class 3 sectional meet, Ben Randolph was determined to represent well. He knew about two minutes existed between himself and the fate of the Wildcats’ …
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Randolph Represents Wildcats
Posted
By Derrick Forsythe, Record Sports Editor
As Wright City’s only competitor at the Class 3 sectional meet, Ben Randolph was determined to represent well.He knew about two minutes existed between himself and the fate of the Wildcats’ season. Whether or not he crossed the finish line among the Top 4 qualifiers, the junior was prepared to exert every ounce of energy during his 800-meter run.He even plotted post-race plans, finding a place to filter his exhaustion.And while Randolph discarded his lunch near the jumping pits following the race, Coach Sue Wright was assured he had indeed left it all on the track.“He obviously gave it his all,” quipped Wright. “There’s no doubt about that.”But even a gut-wrenching performance that drew blood wasn’t quite enough. Randolph’s time of 2:02.72 was only good for seventh, keeping him from last place but also out of the qualifying Top 4.“I was pretty excited about my time, but I think I could have done better if I wouldn’t have been boxed in,” said Randolph. “I’m not disappointed in how I ran, but more in how the race unfolded.”Randolph knew advancing to state would require a record-breaking performance, and that’s what he was aiming toward.“My goal was to try to get a 2:01 and tie Larry Paul’s record,” said Randolph.Unfortunately, it was just out of reach.“He wanted more, but I’m pleased with the way he ran,” said Wright.Paul’s record time wouldhave slid him through to the next round. The winning time was a 1:58, with Cardinal Ritter’s Charles Jones, Jr. breezing by all others.But a multitude of obstacles stood in Randolph’s way.“I felt really good after the first lap, but trying to dodge everybody takes a lot out of you, when you’re constantly speeding up and slowing down,” said Randolph.His desperate attempts to break into the open resulted in more adversity.“After the first 300 meters I tried cutting between two people and ended up getting spiked in the leg,” said Randolph.With the Top 4 runners slipping out of reach, the final 200 meters became more about time than qualifying. Wright says it showed the drastic improvement Randolph made throughout the season. “He was running in the 2:15 range at the beginning of the season,” said Wright. “We had a horrible training season, and so for him to come back at sectionals with a personal best is awesome.”Wright says Randolph was a worthy candidate to represent the program in the final stages of the season.“He definitely deserves it,” said Wright. “He works extremely hard and is kind of a role model for the team. He deserves to be the last man standing.”
Wright City junior Ben Randolph was the Wildcats' lone representative at the Class 3 sectional meet on Saturday.
