Members of Fairbanks’ boys 4 x 200 relay team are from left, Kaleb Bosworth, Will Cochrane, Nate Timmons and Trey Good. The Panther foursome placed fifth during the Division III state finals.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
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If you’re old enough to remember, there was a sports television program from years ago that talked about “the thrill of victory” and “the agony of defeat.”
Those picture-painting words can really apply to the Fairbanks High School boys 4 x 200 relay team over the past couple of years.
This was an event in which the Panthers were disqualified during the 2018 state prelims. They weren’t given a chance to run during the next day’s finals.
Fast forward the calendar 12 months and there are four runners with “Panthers” across their chests who have won state medals and set a new school record.
“After being DQ’d in the prelims last year, Nate (fellow senior Timmons) and I wanted this so bad,” said FHA fourth-year man Will Cochrane after the team’s fifth-place state finish on Saturday.
The question heading into the season was which two runners would team with Timmons and Cochrane in their quest for redemption.
Those athletes turned out to be a couple of younger guys in sophomore Trey Good and freshman Kaleb Bosworth.
“I have a lot of respect for Kaleb coming in here as a freshman and Trey really stepped up this year,” said Cochrane after the quartet earned their Division III fifth-place state medals.
“I was just happy to be along for the ride,” said Good. “We all wanted to get to the podium and we got it.”
Despite the fact that four other teams – Columbiana Crestview (1:27.71); New Middletown Springfield (1:28.40), Fort Recovery (1:30.20) and Central District arch-rival Columbus Academy (1:30.82) finished ahead of them, the Panthers had every reason to smile.
That’s because the four names of Timmons, Good, Bosworth and Cochrane will be known – at least for a year – as the school’s new record holders in the event.
‘That (the 1:30.92 in the finals) was the best time we’ve ever run and it’s also the school record,” said Timmons.
“It’s great finishing our careers with the school record,” said Cochrane of himself and Timmons.
“It was a great race,” said Bosworth. “I think all of our handoffs were perfect.”
The Panther quartet broke the old school standard of 1:31.15 with their state effort.
What made the team’s accomplishment even more impressive was the fact they ran out of Lane 8.
That piece of real estate is perhaps the most difficult in high school races of this nature.
One of the reasons is that athletes cannot see their competition and judge their speed as well as in closer lanes.
“To place fifth in the state by running out of Lane 8 was awesome,” said Timmons. “I know we all gave it everything we had.”
With half of the team graduating, 2020 won’t just be a presidential election year.
Good and Bosworth will have to come up with two new teammates next spring.
That may not be all that easy.
“You can just can’t replace Nate and Will,” said both of the underclassmen.