STARKVILLE — Kate Mattox strives for perfection.
That is why some parts of the track and field season for this Starkville High School sophomore have been a disappointment.
“I really want to always get better,” Mattox said. “This season has been difficult. I feel like I haven’t performed as well as I wanted to. I was behind some of my personal times. That is really when my sisters and my teammates have picked me up. They have kept me encouraged through the good and the bad times.”
With Mattox, the good times have always outweighed the bad times since the first time she stepped on a track. The good times continued Saturday at Pearl High, when Mattox won the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A state championships in the 1,600 meters (5 minutes, 21.86 seconds) and 3,200 (11:32.83).
For her accomplishments, Mattox is The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week.
“Kate continues to outshine the competition,” Starkville girls track coach Caroline Woomer said. “It is all about work ethic. She absolutely loves what she is doing. She sets the standard for everyone else in our program. She encourages others but listen to them as well. It is incredible watching her perform.”
For Mattox, it was her fourth championship in each race.
“Each championship is special,” Mattox said. “You know you are competing against the best runners in the state. They have done all of the same things that you have to done to prepare. It is humbling when you are on the platform and you have won the championship. It is always a special feeling.”
Part of the competition for Mattox came from her family, as senior sister Walker Mattox finished third in both races. For the older Mattox, it was the final race of her high school career. Next year, she will run at the University of North Alabama.
Eighth-grader sister Caroline Mattox placed second in the 800.
“It was really emotional competing with (Walker) for the last time,” Kate Mattox said. “She has always been my biggest supporter. She pushed me and I pushed her. We really helped make each other better. This year, when I was down, I felt like I wasn’t getting the good times I thought I should be good, my sister was really there for me. She kept pushing me.
“She told me she had been through some adversity, too. So she helped me with that. It was really good to have the support of both of my sisters. Running track has always been a family affair. It is something that we do together that has been a lot of fun.”
As a team, the Starkville girls paced second. Representing the Starkville boys, Patton Little won a state championship in the 1,600.
“This was the largest group of athletes we have ever taken to the state championships,” Woomer said. “It’s a special group of athletes. They do a great job of pushing each other. They also do a great job of working individual to keep getting better. We also had a lot of young competitors. We are already excited about next season. The sky is the limit for several of these performers.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on
Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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