Will to win – Wise County Messenger

On the state’s biggest stage in May, Triston Read picked up the pace and took the lead entering the final lap of the 4A 800 at Mike Myers Stadium.

Over the final 200 meters, the Decatur junior battled to hold off the charges of San Elizario’s Edwin Gomez and Burkburnett’s Sloan Lewis. Gomez took the lead, and Lewis went to the outside of Read in the last stretch. As Read kept fighting for the finish line and a medal, Stafford’s Sterling Riles tried to dip inside of him in the final steps. Contact with Riles sent Read sprawling with only one thought on his mind.

Triston Read

“I knew what place I was in. The guy that was behind me, I saw him go off the track,” Read said. “I was like ‘I gotta get across the finish line.’ So I was just doing everything I could.”

With a virtual dive across the finish line, Read grabbed a bronze medal and finished the 800 in 1:57.68.

The grit and determination displayed on the Austin track to bring a medal back to Decatur perfectly captured the will that made Read the Messenger’s 2019 Wise County Male Athlete of the Year.

Along with being a state medalist in track, Read led the Decatur Eagles cross country team to a state title. He also helped the basketball team to its first state tournament appearance and was an all-district performer on the baseball diamond.

“It’s a real honor. I set a goal for myself at the beginning of the year to do this, be the Male Athlete of the Year,” Read said. “It’s been on my mind.”

The path to the honor started last summer, beating the pavement for early morning runs in the nearly unbearable heat and humidity. During the countless miles and punishing hill and speed workouts, one goal that had been just out of reach was weighing on Read and his teammates – the state cross country meet.

“We’ve had high expectations every year, and they’ve always ended poorly since I’ve been in high school,” Read acknowledged. “This year, we made a change. When we weren’t feeling up to it, we didn’t cut miles and didn’t cut workouts. We just kept grinding, and it got us to where we wanted to be – state.”

While not only serving as the team’s lead runner throughout the season, Read also constantly rallied the guys and kept them accountable.

“He’s an incredible teammate,” said fellow runner Gabe Embree. “His work ethic is crazy. He’s the one always wanting to get stuff done. He pushes everyone that he’s around and encourages those that fall behind. He really stresses for us to be the best runners we can be.”

Read won the individual 8-4A championship, running a 16:23 on the 5K course at Joe Wheeler Park. Behind him, the Eagles turned in a perfect score of 15, taking first through fifth in the race.

The true test came two weeks later at regionals. The Eagles packed up together to finish fourth and secure Class 4A Region I’s final state bid. Read posted the team’s second-best time of 16:34.2 to take 14th.

For Read and the team, getting past regionals was refreshing. “It was just a mental beatdown on everybody. Once we got past that, you could just feel the weight lifted off everybody’s shoulders,” Read said. “It was amazing. Once we got past regionals, we were going to give it our all at state.”

Read and the Eagles arrived in Round Rock unfettered by previous disappointments or expectations. After finishing fourth at regionals, Decatur flew in under the radar with eyes on Andrews, Canyon and other teams.

“Everyone was doubting us after regionals, but Coach [David] Park knew and everybody on the team knew what we had under our belt and that we were the best team there,” Read said.

The Eagles proved it. Putting their top five runners in the top 64, Decatur held off Andrews by two points, 90-92, to capture the program’s fifth title and first since 2012. Read paced the Eagles, finishing 10th in 16:15.

“It was amazing. It made you think of every mile you put in and all the hard practices, the hill repeats, DSR workouts,” Read said. “It just made all those feel worthy. It gave you the feeling of gratitude.”

Read especially cherished the moment for senior teammate Anthony Rodriguez.

“We got the unofficial results and started celebrating and then the official results and celebrated,” Read recalled. “We won by [two] points. It really just showed how big our sixth and seventh runners are. Even though they may not seem like it, they take points away from other teams.”

Read did not take long to celebrate. The night after winning the state cross country title, he was at open gym prepping for the basketball season.

The Eagles were coming off a 17-17 season that ended in the first round of the playoffs. Read said the team was motivated to improve and got on a quick roll and kept picking up momentum, leading into the holiday Whataburger Tournament. The Eagles took down District 8-4A rival Argyle in the final of the holiday tournament, 50-47, to move to 20-2.

“We were rolling and rolling and kept it rolling,” Read said. “We kept grinding every single practice.

“[Argyle] was the first win where we thought we were going to be something special. But we didn’t let that cap or define our season. We just kept moving. We went to practice the next day and got better.”

The Eagles ran through 8-4A going 8-0. Read carved out a role as one of the Eagles’ top reserves.

“The word that describes him is ‘tough,’” basketball coach Coffman said. “Of all his sports, basketball may be the weakest. But we can play him, and he can be successful because he’s tough. He also very coachable. I admire how hard he works in everything he does.”

Decatur stormed through the first three rounds of the playoffs to reach the region tournament for the first time since 2003. The Eagles then took down Lubbock Estacado before crushing Levelland in the Region I final to secure the program’s first state tournament appearance.

In the state semifinal, the Eagles built a 16-point lead in the third quarter before Liberty Hill began chipping away at the deficit. Liberty Hill’s Parker McCurdy hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to knock off Decatur 53-51.

“State didn’t end the way anybody wanted it to. But I think those guys will have a chip on their shoulder and will not let that happen again,” Read said.

With his basketball commitment, Read didn’t get to train for the demanding 800 until March 10. He knew he was starting almost two months behind some of his top competitors, but he wasn’t going to make any excuses.

“I just thought that I’ve got speed, so let’s build that stamina,” Read said. “It was a lot of base runs. I truly think I never really got to where I wanted to be completely, which starting two months late really doesn’t help you.”

With only two workouts under his belt, Read turned heads at the Texas Distance Festival with a 1:59.

“I was like OK, that’s a good starting point,” he said. “I’m actually in better shape than I thought. I just had to build off that.”

Read juggled track workouts in the morning with baseball practices after school. He went on to hit .333 to earn first-team 8-4A and All-Wise designated hitter, while helping the Eagles reach the third round of the playoffs.

But it was on the track where he was determined to make a mark. After narrowly missing a state spot with a fourth-place finish at regionals in 2018, Read eyed taking the next step this year.

He won the 8-4A title in the 800 and then finished second at area to earn a trip back to regionals.

At regionals, he clocked a season-best 1:56.91 to take third. After a few anxious moments, he learned he earned the wild card as the top third-place region finisher to make the state meet in the 800, the event he’s grown to love.

“Every time I run it, I’m like, ‘I’m going to run this,’ and the last 200 meters is all about who has more heart,” Read said. “That’s really what I like the most about it. It’s all heart.”

With a medal on the line, Read poured his heart out to grab it and complete a rare year that saw him make three state appearances and grabbing medals each time. As great as the year was, Park said Read’s not hit his peak.

“Better is possible. People tend to burn out once they’ve met a goal,” Park said. “He’s met a lot of goals. But there’s still a lot of goals out there. As long as you’re always chasing, there’s no stopping.”

WISE COUNTY MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR RECIPIENTS

2010: Tim Fleming, Boyd
2011: Toi Glover, Paradise
2012: Jared Cate, Boyd
2013: Taylor Clayton, Decatur
2014: Taylor Clayton, Decatur
2015: Joe Randall, Alvord
2016: Kennan Holdman, Bridgeport
2017: Wilson Hicks, Decatur
2018: Wilson Hicks, Decatur
2019: Triston Read, Decatur