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BOURBON - Very few things have stood in the way of Triton cross country runner Nate Gephart qualifying for the state finals Saturday in Bloomington.
In fact, just about the only thing that has stood in Gephart's way all season is a furry, four-legged creature.
"I was on a run through the woods," explains Gephart, a sophomore. "I was in first place and there was this deer on the path, like 10 feet in front of me. It scared me so bad. I'm just thankful that it didn't charge at me. I was pretty freaked."
That seems to be the only thing that has been in Gepharts way this season. With a seventh-place time of 16:31 in the regional he will be one of 31 harriers competing individually in Saturday's 1:45 p.m. race near the Indiana University golf course.
The 15-year-old has taken first-place in each dual meet he has run this season and placed in the top four in each invitational the Trojans have been in.
"I guess you have it or you don't," said Gephart at practice Wednesday, wind blowing and the temperatures cold enough for snow, of the desire to run cross country. "What I'm trying to say is you either like it or you don't."
Asked to describe Gephart in one word, or what he thought of when he thinks of Gephart, Triton coach Curt Kreft said: "Consistency. He's been real consistent all year. In the invitationals he's always finished somewhere around second or third. He finished third in the sectional and fourth in the regional. He's been real consistent."
One year ago, Gephart just missed out on qualifying for the state finals. He finished in 18th place at the semistate. He needed to finish in the top 15.
"It was one of my goals to make it to state," said Gephart. "I finished 18th in the semistate last year. I want to do well at state. I could've been there last year."
Had Gephart made it to the state finals a year ago, he would've been just a freshmen. Gephart won't turn 16 until May 28. According to Kreft, with the way his birthday falls in the school year, Gephart could be in this year's freshman class.
Kreft says his goal for Gephart is to finish in the top 25. Next year, he said, he wants him to finish in the top 10 in the state.
What's so interesting about Kreft's goals for Gephart is, he said, when you look at him you don't come right out and say, "Hey, that kid's a great runner."
"When I think of Nate, he always surprises me that he's that good," said Kreft. "You don't look at him and say he's a great runner. He just has a big heart."
Kreft later went on to say that Gephart, who has been training with teammates Errik Lemler and Chris Kauffman since the Trojans as a team bowed out of the state tournament, is the perfect example of a team player.
"He's a team player," said Craft. "He doesn't think of himself during the season. He might be a minute and a half ahead of everybody and he'll still be back at the finish line cheering for all the others."
But on Saturday Gephart's teammates will be cheering for him. What are the keys to getting ready for Saturday, Kreft was asked.
"We need to get him some rest this week," said Kreft. "We're going through light workouts at the end of the season. He's a little tired. More than the weather, he has to be mentally prepared. He has to focus. Kids tend to fall asleep and lose the pack."
In Indiana the weather is known for changing from one minute to the next. Gephart was asked what the ideal conditions would be for him Saturday.
"I don't want it to be warm," said Gephart. "I don't want it to be windy, either. It'd be good if it was in the 50s."
The last Triton cross country runner to advance to the state finals was Mason McIntyre, a year ago. McIntyre has graduated. Kreft said that McIntyre more or less took Gephart under his wing.
"He (Gephart) ran on Mason's tail last year," said Kreft. "I didn't know if he could do it all by himself. He's done most of it by himself."
He'll be by himself Saturday. But then again, he's been by himself all year and he's passed that test.
