Cascade High’s 4×100 relay team has state’s fastest time

Published 11:16 pm Friday, April 18, 2008

EVERETT — They are known as the Four Horsemen and they travel at unusually high speeds.

Cascade High School’s boys 400-meter relay team — seniors Paul Heer, Derek Sepe, Julian Willis and Lorne Bridgford — often steals the show at track and field meets.

It’s difficult to ignore the fleet foursome’s collective ability.

“When we hit that second (relay) leg and you hear the crowd go ‘Ooh,’ it’s exciting. Kids see that and they catch that buzz and it’s contagious,” Cascade sprint coach Nick Clovsky said.

Considered one of track’s most exciting events, the 400 relay (also known as the 4-by-100) consists of four sprinters who run 100-meter segments around the track while passing a baton.

Few in the state do it as well as Cascade’s group, which Clovsky calls the Four Horsemen.

After placing fourth at the 2007 class 4A state meet, the unit returned intact and is off to a blazing start. Heer, Sepe, Willis and Bridgford have the best 400-relay time in the state (43.12 seconds), according to Athletic.Net.

By season’s end they hope to go even faster.

“These guys are aiming for the sky. They realize what they have in front of them,” said Chris Crockett, Cascade’s head boys track coach.

Often what they have in front of them is open space, free of comparably fast foes. That should change today, when cascade competes at the 20th annual Larry Eason Invitational in Snohomish. Everett, O’Dea and Garfield — which last year edged Cascade for third place at state and for first place at the Eason Invite — are expected to challenge the Bruins.

To understand what makes Cascade so good, start with Sepe. A three-year team captain, he is the glue that holds the Bruins together, Clovsky said. Besides having excellent speed — Sepe won the 100 and 200 sprints at last year’s Western Conference North Division championships — he is a great leader, Clovsky said.

The relay team’s success, Sepe said, stems from the runners’ longtime relationships, which started in elementary school and middle school. More recently, all four teens played football for Cascade. It solidified their bond and created mutual respect.

“We trust each other. That’s what it takes,” Sepe said.

The relay lineup came together toward the end of last season. With Sepe, Willis and Bridgford (who Clovsky finally convinced to try track) already in the mix, Heer, who previously focused on jumping events, stepped in for an injured teammate. Despite some early troubles, the team jelled quickly, setting records at the division- and district-championship meets.

Clovsky occasionally tweaked the relay order, but the current configuration — Heer, Sepe, Willis and Bridgford, who is the anchor — seems most comfortable to them. It gives more responsibility to the most experienced runners, Sepe and Willis, who during a race both receive and pass the baton.

Like a group of friendly siblings, the runners clearly enjoy each other’s company. They don’t always live in harmony though.

“They’re like four brothers,” Clovsky said. “They fight, they argue and they come together like nobody else.”

Using one-word descriptions, Clovsky refers to them like this: Willis = Personality; Heer = Professionalism; Sepe = Leadership; and Bridgford = Raw ability.

Bridgford’s emergence in track is interesting because he first rose to prominence at Cascade in football as a star running back/defensive back. The 6-foot, 185-pound Central Washington University gridiron recruit is still learning proper sprint technique, but his eye-popping talent amazes Clovsky.

“Lorne has a burst like no other athlete I’ve seen,” Clovsky said. The coach said at last year’s division finals an opposing school’s coach saw Bridgford’s relay performance and asked Clovsky, “When did you get Carl Lewis in the fourth leg?”

Clovsky has guided Cascade’s 400 relay to three consecutive top-eight finishes at the state meet (seventh in 2005, fifth in 2006 and fourth last year). The 2008 lineup has the potential to do even better, he said.

“What we’d like to see,” Sepe said, “is another finish at state on the podium.”

After a thoughtful pause, Sepe added, “preferably No. 1.”

Writer Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.Com. Check out the prep sports blog double team at www.Heraldnet.Com/doubleteam.