LAUREL — Entering the high school track and field season, Buck Prather wasn’t on anyone’s radar in Class B.
The Columbus freshman is sure turning heads now, though, as he’s among the top four in Class B in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump.
Watch the video:
“Not this year," Prather said of making an impact as a freshman. "Especially since last year I was way slower. This year I got way faster. At the beginning of the year they were all faster than me, but I've upped it up and caught up to them."
Prather’s time in the 100 of 11.28 seconds is perhaps the most surprising, even though he has Class B’s best time in the 200 (22.51). He said he ran around 12.5 as an eighth grader, but he’s continued to drop his time throughout the season and even anchors the Cougars’ 400-meter relay team, which has the fastest time in Class B.
“I don't know how. I grew a little and I trained a little more," Prather said. "I just sprinted and ate healthy — ate meat and veggies."
Prather’s mix of events is similar to that of Columbus great Greg Stene, who still holds several Cougar records.
“I'm only a few point-seconds away, so it really motivates me and I'm only a freshman, so I think I can get it my senior year," Prather said.
Doesn’t look like it’ll take long for Prather to supplant some of those Columbus records while potentially piling up some hardware in the process. He gets his quest started this weekend at the Class B state meet in Missoula.
