Clayton Cook and JJ Gilmer of Wawasee are extending themselves one more week to compete in this weekend’s IHSAA Boys Track State Finals. Cook will work the 110-meter hurdles and Gilmer the high jump. (Photos by Mike Deak)

SYRACUSE – It’s not like these two haven’t been here before.

Standing idly along the fence line at Warrior Field Tuesday, Clayton Cook was surrounded by three coaches and two teammates. As the group laughed and carried on during the light training session, Wawasee boys track head coach Scott Lancaster regained form and ushered, “Hey, let’s go. One more set.” Cook, without hesitation, went to the starting line and breezed through another series of the 110-meter hurdles while Lancaster looked on intently.

Cook, along with teammate JJ Gilmer, are in the final stretch of the boys track season. By now, the two are more than rehearsed with the process. And given both are returning to the state finals in events they participated in last year, this week has carried the vibe of just another day at the office.

“The focus is always on myself,” Gilmer stated of the high jump. “I hate watching others jump. I can’t control what they do, and it just makes me more nervous to see what they are doing. If they make a height, great, I was already going to have to get there. I just have to focus on what I am doing and relax.”

Gilmer returns to state after finishing fourth in the high jump last June at the state finals at Indiana University. Gilmer cleared 6-6 last year but had a 6-7 under his belt. Gilmer got to the finals this year by jumping 6-4.75 at the South Bend St. Joseph’s Regional, achieving the state standard. Gilmer, however, hasn’t won a title yet this year in the postseason. Gilmer placed second at the Northern Lakes Conference tournament and at the Goshen Sectional to Warsaw’s Stephen Kolbe and was among a cluster of jumpers in second at the regional, all behind Elkhart Central’s Treyton Harris.

JJ Gilmer is looking to better his fourth-place finish in the high jump at the 2013 State Finals.

Gilmer will have some work to do to achieve his ultimate goal, currently bunched with 12 other jumpers for the state finals with his regional height. Alex Olson of Bloomington South currently has the top jump at 6-8, a height Gilmer has never made.

“It’s going to take confidence, and obviously it will help if some others have a bad day,” Gilmer said. “It’s probably going to take 6-6 or 6-7 to win it. I just need to sit back, relax, and focus on what I need to do.”

Cook, on the other hand, can’t sit back and relax. An injury at the Goshen Sectional to his hamstring raised a red flag for the speedster. Cook, who admitted he was only going about 50-60 percent during practices leading up to the regional, showed no favoritism to his leg in taking second at St. Joe with a 14.98, a couple steps shy of his good friend, Cameron Kitson of Fairfield, who won the 110 hurdles.

Cook stated this week his leg is feeling better, and is ready to give it another go at state, where he placed 16th in the 110 hurdles last year.

“It was pretty scary,” Cook said of the injury. “I wanted to run Thursday like I was used to doing. It was weird to feel it not progressing. I want to medal this year, that is my goal, and not doing so last year was motivation enough.”

Cook, who is the school’s record holder in the 100 and 200-meter dashes as well as part of the record 4×100 relay, has showed more emotion than year’s past in achievement. Combine in a huge gorilla taken off his shoulders in deciding he would verbally commit to play football at Ball State rather than pursue track, and ironically, the pressure disappeared about as quickly as he does in a 100-meter dash.

“I can really just focus on track knowing the recruiting is over,” Cook said. “I knew where I wanted to go. When Ball State showed the interest, I also have a cousin there, and going to school with family made that decision very easy. So track is a lot easier on me with that decision out of the way.

“I didn’t have a lot of schools really offer me much (for track),” Cook continued. “I had one school, but I really wanted to play football. I really wanted Notre Dame, but Ball State, my cousin goes there. I liked being there. I was impressed.”

Wawasee’s Clayton Cook will need to lower his seed time of 14.98 in the 110-meter hurdles at the IHSAA Boys Track State Finals, where his seed is 19th heading into the weekend.