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Photo by Sam Chandler.
Homewood High junior Will Stone won the 2016 Class 6A state cross-country title, upsetting Opelika’s Ben Garner. He is a near lock to defend it at the Nov. 11 state meet, as no other 6A competitor has run within 30 seconds of his fastest time.
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Photo by Sam Chandler.
Homewood High School junior Will Stone has established himself as the state’s top distance runner.
Will Stone had already made up his mind by the time he rounded the final turn at Oakville Indian Mounds Park. He would either win the Oct. 7 Jesse Owens Classic or exhaust himself trying.
Stone knew that a loss would sting less than regret, even as his legs and his lungs cried out.
So the Homewood High School junior summoned his dwindling energy and dashed down the homestretch, his eyes fixed on the finish line. Stone didn’t stop until he crossed it in a 5K personal-best of 15 minutes, 22 seconds — a pace of 4:56 per mile.
His closest competitor, Vestavia Hills’ James Sweeney, finished a few steps behind.
“I think Jesse Owens was just the race that really reflected my fitness and what I could do,” said Stone, whose time ranks as the state's fastest this cross-country season.
The speedy performance was only the latest in a series of continual breakthroughs.
Since he first bolted onto the distance running scene two years ago, Stone has grown from a freshman phenom into a junior gem. As of Oct. 17, he had yet to lose an in-state race this season.
“We knew he was good, but I don’t think that any of us knew this was coming,” said Homewood cross-country coach Lars Porter. “We’ve had other talented guys come through here that hadn’t quite been able to do this.”
Stone’s potential, however, has long been evident.
Porter, who is in his sixth year at Homewood, remembers watching Stone flash his stride at the Shades Cahaba Elementary Owl Prowl 1-mile as a fifth-grader. Back then, the race was merely a diversion from the other activities in which Stone wielded his swiftness.
Local soccer fields, baseball diamonds and basketball courts all served as arenas for Stone’s early athleticism. Cross-country didn’t enter the picture until he reached seventh grade.
“It kind of just stuck ever since,” he said.
Within a year, Stone moved up to run indoor track with the high school team. That’s when his future coach caught the first true glimpse of Stone’s promise.
“As early as eighth grade, what I identified with him is he’s not afraid to win and he’s not afraid to lose,” Porter said, “which means you’ve got a kid who’s willing to risk everything, and it really opens up his ability to grow.”
Stone’s fearlessness on the race course has yielded improved results with each passing year. As a freshman, he placed fourth at the state cross-country meet in 16:21. He then proceeded to shave an additional 41 seconds off that mark last fall en route to his first individual state title.
Stone’s upset victory over Opelika senior Ben Garner in last November’s Class 6A boys race bolstered his credentials immensely. Two months later, it helped Homewood complete a sweep of the state’s Gatorade awards.
Stone was named the Gatorade Alabama Boys Runner of the Year in January, one week after then-freshman Lainey Phelps captured the identical girls accolade.
“Honestly, I was really shocked,” Stone said. “Looking back at it, just like analyzing other top runners that were definitely contenders, I think there were a lot of things that kind of went into place that kind of were in my favor.”
But one factor is almost always in Stone’s favor — his determination. It propels him through painful races, grueling workouts and the occasional algebraic equation. In addition to his cross-country prowess, Stone also is a member of the school’s math team.
“He just gives whatever he’s doing his all,” said his mother, Tammy Stone.
Luckily, her son possesses elite endurance. He needs it.
Along with his athletic and academic load, Stone is involved with multiple school service clubs, the Patriot Pride ambassador program and his youth group at church.
Porter called him a role model both on and off the course.
“I’ve got two boys, 6 and 7, and if they turn out like Will I’ll be thrilled,” Porter said. “My goal as a parent is to raise a kid who can carry himself and be self-confident and have the heart and the desire and the integrity that Will has.”
In the next few weeks, Stone will lead his Homewood boys cross-country team as it chases a sixth consecutive state championship. The Patriots’ front-runner is a near lock to win the Nov. 2 sectional race and defend his state title Nov. 11. No other 6A competitor has come within 30 seconds of his 15:22.
In fact, only a few former Patriots ever have. One has run faster.
Tyler Stanfield set the Homewood school record in 2002 at the Foot Locker South Regional in Charlotte, North Carolina. He recorded a time of 14:55 to qualify for the premier race in high school cross-country, Foot Locker Nationals.
Porter surmised that the blistering mark could be within Stone’s reach before he graduates, but “we need things to continue going our way,” he said.
Momentum appears to be on their side.
After the state meet, Stone plans to continue training for two additional weeks in preparation for this year’s race at Foot Locker South. He will likely need to lower his 5K time to be among the top 10 finishers who advance to nationals.
At the regional level, only the best move on. Stone would blend right in.
“I’m just kind of focusing on doing the small things right, step by step, in preparation for that,” he said.
