Warsaw distance star Ellis Coon leads the pack in the 3,200 early on Wednesday night (Photo by Scott Davidson)

ELKHART – The pain throbbing through Ellis Coon’s foot Wednesday night may have only been matched by the pained expression on his face.

Coon, try as he might, is done for the season and it hurts in more ways than one for the ultra-competitive Warsaw distance standout.

On an otherwise outstanding night for the No. 8 Tigers as they completed a perfect run through the Northern Lakes Conference with two more wins, unfortunately the news was not all good in relation to Coon.

The gutty junior had to drop out of the 3,200-meter run in action versus host Elkhart Memorial and Goshen about two-thirds of the way through it due to the injury to his right foot.

Coon, who has been sidelined with planter fasciitis, was competing for the first time since running the 1,600 April 12 at the Franklin Central Distance Showcase.

The talented and tough Coon, who deserves an A for effort, handled the setback with grace and maturity well beyond his years.

“You shouldn’t even be interviewing me because we’ve got so many guys on this team doing great things,” said Coon. “It’s great seeing the things that guys like Robert Murphy, Jake Poyner, Ryan and Chad Goon, Seth Fouts are doing.”

Coon tried to see what he could do with the NLC Meet coming up on Tuesday at Warsaw.

“The idea tonight, with the stakes somewhat lower, was to see how it would fare,” Coon said. “The agreement was that if I finished the race and it felt the same as before I would keep going.

“That obviously didn’t happen and my season is over. It sucks for it to end like this.  It’s not good. They tell me my arch is trying to tear itself off my heel and it feels like it right now.

“I couldn’t walk after the race at Franklin Central. The pain was a 10 then. It’s about an 8 tonight. At least I can walk on it.

“I don’t feel that disappointed now. I think it will hit me tomorrow when I don’t have a practice to go to.”

Coon had high aspirations this spring for the loaded Tigers. He won the 3,200 March 16 at the Hoosier State Relays indoors at Indiana Wesleyan University with teammates Jake Poyner second and Robert Murphy third to give Warsaw an unheard of 1-2-3 finish in the meet.

Coon was also a huge piece of the outstanding Tiger cross country team last fall. He helped coach Jim Mills team, which also featured Poyner and Murphy, finish fourth at the State Finals in October. Coon was eighth overall at the final prep race of the 2012-13 season in Terre Haute.

“I feel horrible for Ellis,” said Warsaw coach Matt Thacker. “It’s unfortunate for him and it’s unfortunate for us as a team.  It’s disappointing for this year, but I think in the long run it will benefit us.

“We had to see what he had and what he could give us tonight. I had my fingers crossed, but it’s just not getting any better.

“The thing is that we have to look at what is best for Ellis and look at the long term for him.  He has a bright future ahead of him.”