Luke Jones always manages to fly under the radar in the early parts of the season, but come states time the kid is ready to roll. For Jones, it is all about constant motivation and dedication. He is driven by the fact that when he misses a day of training, others are getting a leg up on him. And he is confident because he knows he has not let anyone get that edge.
Jones stepped out onto the state course an experienced veteran. He knew the tricks of the course better than most and had an edge over much of his competition. After Rico Galassi flew through the first part of the course in an absurd 9:55 2 mile split. But Jones was unphased and began to real his D2 rival back in, using his veteran advantage and great hill running. Before long it was just a 2 man race for the title and a matter of if Jones would catch Galassi. The hill training and sprint training that Jones had focused on all summer came into play as he worked up the last hill and made a charge for Galassi. Unfortunately, Jones just missed catching him at the end, but he finished in one of the fastest times of the day at 16 flat, just a second off Galassi but just as fast as the AA champ Todaro and faster than his rival from a year ago Brendan Shearn.
For Jones, peaking at the state meet is not just a fluke anymore, its a trend and his Elk Lake teammates must have picked up a few tricks: they were second in the team battle. Jones was pumped to get out there and race again with his friends, enjoying the moment during his senior year. Maybe that is the secret to performing in the clutch.
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