it comes to the making of a great athlete, prep or otherwise, there is

no set mold. Athletes can come from different backgrounds, as well as

from all walks of life, and it is their drive for success and their

abili

Havre High's Mason Case competes in the 200 meters in a recent track meet in Havre. Case has become one of the top sprinters in Montana in just two years on the Blue Pony track and field team.

has been a Havre High Blue Pony for the majority of the last four

years. But it wasn’t until last year, his junior year, in which Case

burst onto the track and field scene and the Case name started to appear

in his senior season, with the Central A divisional meet, and the Class

A state meet just around the corner, Case has already accomplished more

than he had ever expected when some friends talked him into giving the

had friends that wanted me to come out for track, so did,” Case said.

“I was actually going to try throwing when I first came out, but found

out I didn’t really like it. But I have always been interested in

running, so I decided to try that too. I had no idea I was that fast, I

year ago, Case was a great 100-meter and 200-meter sprinter. This year

however, Case is one of the top 100 and 200-meter sprinters in the

state, in any class. Case’s time of 10.98 in the 100 has him as the No. 5

sprinter right now, while continually running in the low 22 to

23-second rang in the 200, also has him amongst the best in the state.

Case has also recently become a member of the short relay team, as well

as taken on the 400 meters, boosting the Pony squad even more with his

year Case suffered a severe Hamstring injury at the state meet, giving

him a seventh place finish in the 200, and forcing him out of the 100

upset me,” Case said. “I was really upset actually. But I realized that

it was my junior year and I still had one more year to compete. That

really forced me to want to get better, so I have been striving for that

now I have expectations,” Case added, referring to knowing more about

his abilities in his second season. “I have to try my best and I have to

keep my expectations high. I love this stuff, and I love winning, and I

realize I won’t always win, but I still have to try my best and keep

year, Case set the goal of placing at the state meet, and hopefully

winning the 200. But he also knows that if he runs his best, he has the

ability to win the 200 and 100, as well as maybe even find his way to

used his senior year at Havre High to bump his GPA, and has already

been accepted to the University of Montana in Missoula. Case plans to

study Sociology or Criminal Justice, but also plans to walk on for the

Grizzly track team, and see where his legs can take him at the

focus will be his education, but if he could turn some heads and garner

some attention for his running, that would just be a bonus. Case never

planed on becoming a track star, especially with the unique situation he

has lived on his own since he turned 16, supporting himself with a

steady job, as well as making sure his education doesn’t slip. It was

being on his own that kept him from attempting to play sports to begin

with, but once he got it figured out, and realized he was able to juggle

have never had money at all,” Case said. “I came from low income

family, so I am just trying to do this all on my own. I moved out when I

was 16, so I have been trying to focus on working, school and sports,

and trying to do my best. Sometimes it holds me back, like lately

because I have had to work a lot, but I always just try my best. I

actually get stressed quite a bit. I always worry that when I move I

I just hate to think that if I lose I didn’t push myself,” Case added.

“I could probably blame it on work or something, but I try my best and I

Case to succeed the remainder of this season, as well as at the next

level, he knows there is some technique he can improve upon. His times

are already amongst the best, but he struggles coming out of the blocks.

He is normally one of the slowest out of the blocks, but has the speed

and ability to catch and pass the completion by the finish line. If he

can clean up and speed up his starts, there is no telling where Case

don’t really recruit that many sprinters,” Case said. “And my times are

actually just as good, sometimes even a little better than the

sprinters they have now. So I guess I am just going to try sprinting

there and see how I do at the college level. I have the capability to

will finish his prep career with the divisional meet this weekend in

Havre and hopefully with a couple of top places at the state meet on May