Lonell Watkins didn't instantly fall in love with track and field like a lot of incoming freshman at McCluer South-Berkeley High.
"He came out the first couple days and then we didn't see him anymore," said MS-B coach Tommie Dabney.
Watkins said he wasn't remorseful for leaving when the Bulldogs won a state crown later that school year, either.
"I just really wasn't into running for real," he said.
At the urging of some of his buddies on the team and the coaching staff, Watkins decided to give it another chance his sophomore year, however. Now, with the finish line of his prep career coming into focus, he's very glad he did.
So are a lot of other people at the area school.
"I guess it would have been a waste of talent," he said.
The Bulldogs certainly would have missed him. He won a third-place medal in the 400 relay and a second-place medal in the 800 relay as a sophomore at state and last year he won a second-place medal in the 200 and first-place medal in the 800 relay in Jefferson City.
As good as those performances were, Watkins is in position to double that medal total in his senior year. He will be one of the favorites at the Class 3 state meet this Friday and Saturday in both the 100 and 200 sprints and the two shortest relays.
"Everything I'm part of I'm making it my job that we take first," he said.
He showed this past Saturday at the Class 3 sectional meet in Mexico that he means business. He won the 100 in a personal record time of 10.87 seconds (his previous best was 11.05) and the 200 in 22.49. He also led the 400 and 800 relays to first-place finishes in 42.22 and 1:28.75, respectively.
"I thought he did pretty good," said Dabney of Watkins, who is the North County Journal Athlete of the Week. "Nothing he does really surprises me. I was very pleased with his performance."
Watkins liked it, too. Especially the time in the 100.
"It was my first time breaking 10 (seconds)," he said. "It was really big since I didn't run the 100 last year."
Watkins is the guy who must have a good state meet if the Bulldogs are going to fulfill their goal of winning their first state title since 2008 and its 16th team title overall. Dabney has little doubt that will happen.
"We're predicting he's going to do pretty well at state," the Bulldogs mentor said. "If everything goes well, he'll be in the top two in the 100 and 200 and in the top three in the 4x1 and the 4x2."
Watkins wants to duplicate his effort at sectionals. However, his main goal is a team title. He's confident that will happen.
"We're in a real good position to take it," he said. "We're trying to sweep everything we're in. We push each other every day in practice. Everything's a competition."
Watkins has a simple explanation for why he's done so well in his open events this year. He said it's all about the block starts. "I'm trying to get them down perfect," he said. "We're aiming to break the (Class 3) record in the 4x1 and the 4x2. We're trying to put our names on them."
Don't bet against him and his teammates. And don't bet against Watkins making a bigger name for himself on the football field, either. He was an all-Suburban East Conference performer this past two seasons when he excelled as a wideout and a defensive back.
Watkins has signed with Butler Community College where he plans to compete in both sports. Dabney said bigger schools like Mizzou, Kansas and Kansas State also showed interest in him for both sports but he didn't qualify academically.
"If he would have concentrated on his schoolwork his freshman and sophomore year, we'd be having a different conversation about where he's going to school," Dabney said. "He's definitely a Division I (football) talent. It would not surprise me if in a couple years we see him on television."
Watkins wants to finish off his high school days with a state track and field title first. He didn't care when he wasn't on the team the last time the Bulldogs won one but ....
"Now, I'm trying to be a part of it," he said.
