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Evans sprints to victory in 800
Hempfield Area High School's Matt Evans leaves the pack behind
Barry Reeger/Tribune-Review
Paul Schofield can be reached via e-mail or at 724-853-2109.
That's because Evans, a senior at Hempfield Area High School, duplicated a feat his mother, Donna (Nutter) Evans, accomplished in high school.
Evans, 18, captured the Class AAA boys 800-meter title Saturday afternoon at the PIAA Track and Field Championships at Shippensburg University's Seth Grove Stadium. His winning time was 1:53.60.
His mother was the 1977 West Virginia state champion in the 880-yard run when she attended Nitro High School. She went on to run track at Marshall University. Her time was 2:22.
"It's kind of neat," Evans said. "Now we both have our state medals in the 800. When I was young, I asked my mom, 'So, what did you do in high school?' She told me she ran the 800, and (she) won the states. I always was going after her times after that."
Donna Evans coached her son in Junior Olympics and took him to meets. She was at the finish line yesterday yelling out his splits in the finals, but Matt didn't hear her.
"I really wanted to break 1:53 and become an All-American," Matt Evans said. "It just wasn't there. It really sucks because they (PIAA officials) weren't telling us our splits. You don't know how you're doing a lap into it. Normally, you can feel your pace, but in a big race you really don't know what the times are. It would have helped."
Evans was bunched in the pack until the final 200 meters. He then made his move. He sprinted off the corner and left the pack behind.
"All those guys have a big kick," said Evans, who will attend the University of Pennsylvania. "I knew I had to go. All season I thought I could win it. But until now, you always have your doubts.
"It really felt good, finally. I've never really run well here. I didn't want to do anything wrong. I knew it would come down to a kick in this race. I just tried to play it safe and kick the last 200."
Because Matt had his mom stationed at the finish line, she wasn't able to see the complete race. But when he rounded the final turn, she knew he was in good shape.
"I'm very proud of him," Donna Evans said. "Matt has worked really hard, and he earned every bit of that today. When I saw him accelerating out of the curve faster than everyone else, I knew he was going to win."
Matt Evans learned a valuable lesson from his disappointing finish year ago. He came into the state meet seeded second, but he got beat in the preliminaries when the pack let him pace the race.
"I really stunk," he said. "I didn't make the finals. But I did the exact thing they did to me last year. I held back until there was 200 meters left.
"This race isn't for time. It's a complete strategy race and who comes across the line first. Everyone has great speed, but I felt I had better speed than everyone else."
Before Evans' dramatic victory, the Hempfield track team wasn't having a good meet.
"We were having a horrible weekend here," Evans said. "I don't know what was wrong.
"I'm glad my teammates stayed around and watched me run. That made me feel great."
Hempfield coach Ron Colland was extremely proud of his gold medalist. His victory brightened a gray day.
"This one was special," Colland said. "Matt never balked at what we wanted him to do. I very happy for him. He really deserves it. This is the way to end things on a sweet note like this."
