I drove over to Murfreesboro on Wednesday morning to watch Jack Wallace run the 3200. It was the first and only event of the morning, scheduled to allow those that were running multiple events to have time to recuperate before the meet started in earnest later in the afternoon. It was a strong field with Jack Bowen (McCallie) and Zachary Youngblood (Chattanooga Christian) running.
Jack Wallace ran damn near a perfect race, starting in the middle of the pack, then moving up to the top three about halfway through the race. As his mom and I stood together along the rail and watched, he made his move with two laps left, which seemed a little early. Not for Jack, though. Not with the way he has been running lately. He pulled away from Jack Bowen, particularly on the last lap, and comfortably won the state title in the 3200.
I returned home to do some work, then drove back to Murfreesboro early in the afternoon. JP was running the first leg of the 4x800, which was set to go early in the meet, at 4:45 p.m. I arrived early, as I often do, so parking wasn't a hassle. I watched the pole vault, which is always fascinating to me. Henry Ambrose for MBA won the state title at 16' 1" and broke the school record.
Strangely, I wasn't very nervous before the 4x800, although perhaps I should have been. I walked over to the far side of the track, away from the stands, and ended up talking with several of the MBA coached and administrators who were there to support the boys. This, of course, was after watching the Division I and II girls' 3200 and the Division I boys' 3200.
When the race began, JP quickly settled into second place behind a Christian Brothers runner, who was pushing the pace. As they pulled away from the field, I was concerned that the pace was too fast. JP stayed three or four yards behind him for the first lap and a half, then began to fade a bit. By the time he hit the last turn, JP's tank was completely empty and he slowed considerably. Two other runners passed him as he neared the exchange point, baton in hand.
My view of the exchange was blocked by a tent on the infield. Suddenly, one of the coaches said, "they dropped the baton!" My heart sank. I though a disqualification was imminent, so it surprised me to see Charlie Wallace start running with the baton in hand apparently after he picked it up. What I learned is that, apparently, if a team drops the baton but doesn't impede another team, it's not an automatic disqualification. Still, as MBA's runner struggled to make up lost ground, I was devastated for JP.
In the end, MBA finished 5th, picking up four important points. More on that later.
From talking to the coaches before and after JP's race, I gathered that MBA didn't have much of a chance overall, as Christian Brothers had picked up 30 + points in the throwing events (shot putt and discus). MBA hadn't even scored in those events. Jude and I made the fateful decision to leave the meet, which is what we did last year. Big mistake, as it turned out.
A couple of hours later, as Jude and I were sitting outside on the back deck enjoying the spring evening, JP started texting us. The score was close. Jack Wallace had finished third in the 1600, then won the 800. MBA was in a battle with Christian Brothers for the overall lead. What in the damn hell?!? Whey weren't we there? Bad parenting, I guess.
JP texted us again. MBA was up by one point over Christian Brothers. One point! The only remaining event was the 4x400, anchored by Jack Wallace. It was simple. If MBA beat Christian Brother, MBA won the state championship. If MBA finished the race behind Christian Brothers, no state title.
My immediate fear - and it was paralyzing - was that MBA would a place behind Christian Brothers and, because JP dropped the baton, MBA would lose the state championship by one point. The thought was terrifying because I knew if it worked out that way, JP would carry it around with him the rest of his life. So would I.
Jude and I kept checking out cell phones for text messages from JP. Finally, we got the one we wanted. In the 4x400, CPA, MBA, Christian Brother went 1-2-3. For the first time since 2001, MBA had won the state championship in track and field!
Jack Wallace took the baton on the anchor leg about five yards behind the Christian Brothers' runner. By the first turn, he was even with him, then he pulled away. On Instagram, I saw a photograph of Jack crossing the finish line, baton raised high, eyes wide open. He has a look of such intensify on his face. It's a beautiful photograph that captured what undoubtedly will be one of the high points of Jack's life.
When I finally talked to JP, he was celebrating on the field with his teammates, as excited as he has ever been, I guess. Or at least as excited as he's been since our Dodgers won the 11U Cal Ripken state championship in Lawrenceburg. How many times in your life can you walk off the field, or the track, as a champion? Not many.
How did I feel? Jubilant. Proud. Relieved. Happy. Blessed. Did I mentioned I felt relieved?
The next morning, before school, JP was bouncing around the kitchen, almost dancing. For JP, who always is even keeled, this was real emotion, real happiness. He's understated from an emotional standpoint so to see him so happy meant everything to Jude and me. Everything.
MBA Track and Field. State Champions.
That has a nice ring to it, doesn't it.
Charlie Wallace, Jack Ferringer, Gabe Guillamondegui, JP. the 4x800 team.
JP and Jack Wallace.
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