By Hunter Reed
It’s the final mile of a cross-country race, and the runners are giving it all they’ve got. The race nears the finish line, with two people pushing as hard as they can to win the race.
But here comes one competitor sprinting into position, passing one person at a time.
Soon, he makes his move. It is a mad dash to the finish as this racer sprints with every last ounce of energy he contains. He crosses the checkered flag and collapses to the ground.
This moment was at the Taylor University sectional championship race last month, where junior Peyton Engle placed first out of 95 runners.
That moment has quickly become a memorable one for Engle.
“It was just insane, to be honest,” Engle said. “Because I had done a lot leading up to it, and it was just like my dreams had come true in a way.”
Engle has seen much success this season, not just when he won sectionals at Taylor University.
On Oct. 25, at the regional meet at Huntington University, Peyton would place 27th out of 247 runners.
His time was 16 minutes and 29 seconds, and it was good enough to qualify for the state championship meet in Terre Haute, Ind.
Then, on Nov. 1, Peyton placed 110th out of 250 runners at the Indiana State Cross Country Championships with a time of 16 minutes and 28 seconds.
That time is the second-best time for a boys’ cross country team runner in Delta High School history.
Noah Parrott, one of Engle’s teammates, attributes part of his improvement this season to the decision to quit baseball and join track.
“He started doing track last year,” Parrott said. “His decision to leave baseball, I think, (has) helped a lot because he would be able to train through the winter. And there (are) a lot more technical things to learn with track, and that just helps year-round.”
Peyton believes that one of the key reasons behind his success is his coaches.
“Coaches have played a huge part in my life, even if it’s not cross country,” Engle said.
However, even with the success he has had as a runner, his humility stands out.
One such instance came after he won the sectional championship race.
Parrott said that there was a Wapahani runner who was projected to win by 30 seconds. Peyton came up to him and told him good race.
Another component that stands out about Peyton is his work ethic.
“No matter what the condition is (in), he’ll find a way to get out there and practice,” said Engle’s teammate, junior Nolan Hutchison.
Also, his coach, Mackenzie Dye Conley, attributes part of his success to his willingness to do a higher volume of workouts.
Even beyond his humility and work ethic, Peyton’s leadership remains evident, especially among the underclassmen.
Freshman Gideon Sherck, a teammate of Peyton’s, believes that he has been a big source of encouragement for him. Sherck also believes that Peyton has played a huge role in holding him accountable for doing the workouts.
But Sherck isn’t the only one who has seen Peyton demonstrate leadership.
Teammate Cameron Deckman believes that Peyton has shown leadership in terms of workouts.
“He’s a leader (because) when we (do) our long runs on Sundays, he’s always one of the guys who are always out there in the morning,” Deckman said.
Beyond just being a leader in practice or at meets, Peyton has found ways to integrate his leadership skills with his faith in Jesus Christ.
Before every meet, the boys and girls on the team gather together for a prayer huddle, and according to his teammate, junior Carter Friend, Peyton has prayed for them many times.
On another occasion, Peyton got the opportunity to lead a prayer circle after the sectional race at Taylor University.
However, Peyton’s faith goes even deeper than just the Prayer Circle that he has led.
“I don’t want myself to have the glory, but I definitely want God to be praised through all that I do,” Engle said.
His faith in Christ has also expanded to the rest of the team.
So much so that senior teammate Luke Huston believes that the faith aspect is the most important feature of the team.
But even further than that, the team does bible study groups with each other, and they also pray before every meal they eat together.
One of Engle’s teammates on the girls’ side, sophomore Everly Carter, believes that his faith in Christ has helped him grow as a person.
“I think he’s led others closer to God, especially people on the team, and overall just becoming a stronger person, in faith and person,” Carter said.
As for Peyton’s future, he is still undecided; however, he has narrowed it down to two potential paths.
“(I plan) to either go to college and major in business or construction management, or I could go straight to a trade school to pursue my workforce dreams of (becoming a carpenter),” Engle said. “But obviously I can’t run while being in trade school, so I’ll probably end up going to college for some kind of construction management (degree), something along those lines”.
So for the meantime, Peyton Engle is on a journey towards success, and his humility will help carry the day.
