It is one of the best titles in all of sports.
The fastest man alive.
The person who wins the 100-meter dash in the Olympics every four years, or the world record holder in that event, usually takes that honor as well.
Currently, Usain Bolt holds the record, and if you Google “fastest man alive,” his name is going to come up.
But who has the title in Battle Creek? Who is the fastest athlete ever in the city? Who is the fastest track star among the city schools in Battle Creek?
We have the answer, even if that answer might change by the end of the season (more on that at the end of this story).
The Enquirer dug up the list of the fastest times at each of the city’s high schools in boys track. And, why it’s maybe the best record to hold in all of high school sports
“It’s a cool record to have. All the records are nice to have because of the effort that goes into it. But, to have the record in the 100 at your school is kinda the best,” said Harper Creek track coach Larry Quick. “When you have that record, you have the title of the fastest man at your school ever.”
MORE: The all-time leading scorer in Battle Creek boys basketball may surprise you
Battle Creek Central
Some of the best sprinters in Battle Creek have run track for the Bearcats – going back decades. Which leads us to our first, shall we say, hurdle in this research study.
Many of the track records you might see on the wall at the local gyms at the city high schools are based on meters. All of the city schools now run on tracks that are set up by meters. But, before that, many of the tracks were set up by yards. And, thus, the 100-yard dash records have one set of times and the 100-meter dash records are something else.
There is a conversion chart that is used by many schools, and it is the one we are using here. To take a time run in a 100-yard dash and compare it to a 100-meter race, we are adding 0.9 seconds to the time.
Gene Brown, who was part of Battle Creek Central’s Class A state championship track team, is the fastest ever Bearcat in the 100. Brown has a converted time of 10.5, running a 9.6 during his senior year for BCC. That time was also the state record that season.
Just behind him at BCC at 10.6 is Darnell Drain (1986) and Chauncey Evans (1991).
The Bearcats’ Larry Caper set the All-City Track Championship meet record in the 100 in 1978 with a time of 10.7. That is matched in BCC history by Daryl Jones (1984), Tony Colen (1984) and Darin Canales (1983).
Harper Creek
Harper Creek has had a lot of recent success on the track, winning back-to-back state championships at the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association Team Championships.
But you won’t find the fastest-ever Beaver on any of those teams.
But you will find one of the most decorated Harper Creek track athletes as Zach Labrecque used his sprinting skills to earn a spot on the Notre Dame men’s track team after leaving Battle Creek.
LaBrecque has the record in the 100 meters for the Beavers at 10.7, set in 2004 – making him the fastest athlete ever at Harper Creek (so far – another tease for later in the story).
Lakeview
We had to get our conversion chart out again for Lakeview’s fastest athlete. Despite some impressive track athletes in the last two decades for the Spartans, the Lakeview record for the 100 goes back to the 1970s.
Tim Hartson holds the record for the 100 at Lakeview at 10.6, set in 1979.
Pennfield
A rival of Larry Caper, who we talked about in the Battle Creek Central chapter, was Pennfield’s Dana Sanders. The two had a controversial finish at the All-City Track Meet – where there was a photo finish in the 100. That time of 9.8 in that meet set the school record at Pennfield and has been converted to what the current mark is of 10.7.
St. Philip
The time of 10.7 has come up a lot in this exercise and that’s what we see at St. Philip as well. Set in 1980, Phil Mitchell holds the record for the Tigers in the 100, making him the fastest ever at St. Philip with a time of 10.7.
Which leads us to…
Who is the ‘Fastest Ever in Battle Creek?’
Gene Brown owns the title of “Fastest Ever in Battle Creek.” Brown of Battle Creek Central set his mark in the 100 in the 1960s, and that time still stands as the fastest ever. With some of the greatest athletes BCC has ever seen roaming the halls of that school in the 1960s, with a state championship in football and track to show for it, there was a lot of athletic ability all around.
But, will his record hold on?
Harper Creek’s current top sprinter is DJ Wood. Wood won both the 110 hurdles and the 300 hurdles last spring at the state championships. He currently has the top time in both events in the state this year and holds the school record in both.
He is chasing the 100 dash record at Harper Creek as well. And if he gets that at 10.7, might he also bring down the record for fastest in Battle Creek at the same time. He has a few weeks to get it done.
“I am proud of the records I have, but I really want the record in the 100 more than anything,” Wood said. “To have the record in the 100, that’s the best record to half. It’s the event everybody knows. Everybody kinda always knows who has the record in the 100.”
Fastest Athletes in Battle Creek (with their times in the 100 dash)
Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on X/Twitter @billbroderick.
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Enquirer answers the question: Who is the fastest athlete ever in Battle Creek?
Reporting by Bill Broderick, Battle Creek Enquirer / Battle Creek Enquirer
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