Jake Merrell lives in a small Texas town on the northwestern side of the state that has the distinction of sounding like a cat call.
"I live in a town called Quitaque," Merrell said, "but it's pronounced 'kitty-qua.'"
And it's what you would expect from a small Texas town. Population: 400. A couple stoplights. One gas station. The local high school, which brings in students from nearby Turkey, has about 50 students in grades K through 12.
Merrell is aware of all that, which makes what he's doing for his local track and field team so special -- his high school, for instance, has a dirt 440-yard oval as its main training staple.
The Turkey Valley (Texas) High junior, who has three state championships to his name, is hoping to add to his legacy in the 800m and 1600m when he attempts to break 1:50 and hit 4:10. A crucial stop on that road arrives on Saturday at the 53rd annual Jesuit Sheaner Relays in Dallas -- which is live on MileSplit.
Merrell, who competes in the smallest enrollment classification of the UIL Championships, in Class A, has career bests of 1:51.56 and 4:13.00, both of which came at the Texas Track and Field Coaches Association's Meet of Champions last year at Baylor University.
He's won state titles with little problem. And fun fact: the 6-foot-3 athlete can also high jump 6-2 with little practice.
But still, he says, there's more for him to prove.
"I'm still trying to make a name for myself," said Merrell, who's won two back-to-back Class A UIL titles in the 800m and another in the 1600m last season. "Right now, what I've done this season isn't spectacular. So college recruiters, they need to see my times getting faster and faster every year. You can't just stay stagnant."
What hurts his junior season, at least right now, is that he's coming off an Achilles injury. Merrell has started cautiously so far, with a performance at the Lorenzo Hornet Relays, where he went 2:00 in the 800m and 4:44.32 in the 1600m.
But of course, competing makes all the difference, too. He knows that if he's destined to break those marks, he'll have to do it against some of the best competition in the state.
"I think big competition is always better, because you have more energy under you and more pressure," he said. "And I do better under pressure. If there's someone in front of me, I'm going to try and catch them. It just pushes you harder."
After the spring, Merrell and his coach set their sights on the Texas Distance Festival, which took place this past weekend at Southlake Carroll High. Ultimately, an injury got in the way.
But he has a few backup plans. At Jesuit-Sheaner, the junior hopes to run qualifying times for the Texas Relays, which will take place at the end of the month at the University of Texas. The qualifying standards are such: the top 16 boys times submitted will get placement into the meet.
Merrell, who hasn't been recruited very heavily, shouldn't have too much of a problem finding an entry into the race.
But what will he do with it?
"I don't know how long it will take me to get through this injury, but I'm still keeping my goals high," he said.
His training in small town Texas at least has its benefits. There are dirt roads as far as the eyes can see, which means he can pound soft terrain almost anytime he wants.
Some of his best workouts have come from fast and hard intervals, speed sessions in the 200m, and 400m that require endless precision. Merrell says repetition is what makes him better.
"I need something fast and quick," he says. "You pound it out and then get a little bit of rest."
Because at the end of the day, he says, 1:51.56 won't cut it. A year ago, there were 13 runners who ran faster than 1:50 in the nation. And 38 athletes were faster than him in the 800m.
Merrell has his eyes on a few competitors. But mostly, he simply wants to achieve his goals: to be one of the best in the nation from a small town.
"I really like pressure, and I like to set the bar high," he said. "Because then next season and then the next, people expect more and more and more out of you. That makes me train harder and not get complacent.
"If I'm running average, OK, I'm average," he continued, "but if I'm running good, then everyone expects me to run good."
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