CLALLAM BAY — Soaking in a motel bath tub filled bucketful by small bucketful with ice isn’t how most soon-to-be-state champions spend the night before competition.
But Clallam Bay freshman Clayton Willis was in a bind.
He’d pulled the quadriceps muscle in his right leg in a 400-meter preliminary heat earlier that afternoon and still had his best event, the long jump finals, to go at the Class 1B state championship meet.
“I knew that I had to get top three to advance to the finals and I was barely third and I leaned too far and I tripped,” Willis said of his ungainly injury.
Clallam Bay coach Aaron Burdette said the team and coaches were “all kind of holding our breath” when they saw Willis take a tumble.
“He saw the track physician they gave him a massage,”
Burdette said.
“And when we got back we got buckets from the rooms and started filling up the tub from the ice machine.
“He doesn’t ever want to give up; he’s got a lot of heart. And he was able to keep it going.”
That might be an understatement.
Willis gritted through his 400 final as best he could before pulling up to save strength in his leg for his long jump attempts.
He still finished eighth in the 400, to go along with an earlier fourth-place finish in the triple jump.
“I decided to save it for something I could potentially win,” Willis said.
“After that, I just didn’t stop moving, stretching and jogging. I didn’t talk to anybody, I just tried to stay as loose as I could.”
Willis made the correct call as he was somehow able to muster the strength to not only win the 1B long jump crown, but set a personal record distance of 20 feet, 5 inches.
For his efforts, Willis has been selected as the All-Peninsula Boys Track and Field MVP by area coaches and the Peninsula Daily News sports staff.
Burdette said his expectations did change, however slightly, when he saw Willis injure himself.
“We were confident coming in before he got hurt, that he would do well in the long jump,” Burdette said.
“We didn’t want to say, ‘Oh yeah, he’s got this in the bag.’ But he had been No. 1 in the state all year.
“I still thought he was probably going to be really competitive just because of his resilience and the way he just fights through adversity.
“But I wasn’t expecting him to win the state title with a PR.”
Willis explained how it impacted his jumps.
“Every time I went into my drive phase I could feel it tightening up,” he said.
Willis jumps off his left leg, which makes the penultimate step with his right leg of prime importance in generating distance.
“It’s crucial,” Burdette said. “Taking off of that leg I was really surprised at how well he did.
“His speed is probably everything to him because we are still working on his form because he is so young.”
Burdette described his view of the winning leap.
“I knew it was a big jump,” Burdette said.
“He and his dad [Ralph] and I were watching from the side of the pit there. And as soon as I saw Clayton look down I saw disbelief on his face at first. Then a smile and then tears.”
Satisfaction came when he took his spot atop the podium and received his first-place medal.
“It kinda felt like all the hard work had paid off,” he said.
“The surprising part was coming in as a freshman and being able to do it.
“I wasn’t expecting it. I had the hopes and the confidence, but to do it was a whole different story.”
The win capped an outstanding season for Willis, and one that could have been even more satisfying individually.
Burdette said he came to Willis and three other Bruins, freshman Jamari Signor and seniors Alan Greene and Martin Cummings with an idea.
“Early on in the season I sat the guys down and was talking to them about the potential to do a 4×400 relay and take some guys to state that might not qualify as individuals,” Burdette said.
To do so, Willis decided not to run the 100-meter sprint in postseason competition.
The relay idea worked as Cummings, a senior who plowed open holes for Willis to run through for the Bruins’ football team, had the chance to compete at state — and enjoy the social aspects of the state championship meet.
“It felt pretty good to get Martin there,” Willis said.
“You could tell how happy he was just to be there. It felt good to help someone achieve a goal.
“Yeah, he was definitely a team player in football.”
Burdette said he felt Willis also started to make the connection between his talent and his future.
“Clayton really showed a lot of maturity this year,” Burdette said.
“He’s starting to see his potential now and what that could mean for him in terms of becoming a college athlete.”
The 400 may not be part of those future plans, however.
“Clayton is a sprinter and a jumper,” Burdette said.
“When you are a sprinter that lactic acid doesn’t dissipate during the 400, it just builds up.
“When he gets out there he does great for the first 300 meters but everything is gone for that last 100. He doesn’t have the burst and that’s where he can hurt himself.”
Burdette said Willis will likely resume training for the 100.
“Because he needs that explosiveness for his long and triple jumps,” Burdette said.
Now the task at hand is continued improvement — and even more first-place medals.
“I’m sure it’s Clayton’s goal as well, but I’d say it’s our goal to make him a four-time state champion,” Burdette said.
“I think he can get some more titles in other events, too. He just started the triple jump this year, and I hope we can turn him into a 100 and 200 champ.”
Willis knows he’ll have a target on his back next season.
“It’s a bit of an eye opener knowing that everybody will be gunning for me,” he said.
“Now I have to try to keep winning.”
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or at
mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
