After being honored at the Trojans’ senior night, senior Daxon Sauer knew he wasn’t going to relinquish his crown.

Going up against three Lawrence North runners seeded higher than him, it would have been easy to settle for fourth. But kings don’t bow down, especially on their territory.

As soon as the gun goes off, everyone knows the race will come down to the very end. But anyone looking at Sauer’s face knows that there will only be one winner.

At the finish line, he knows he’s won it. It’s why he puts up the number one with his right hand as he crosses, because two hundredths of a second has given him an improbable victory, one that looked even more improbable three years ago.

Sauer, plays football in the fall, didn’t start sprinting until his sophomore year, when he realized his times stacked up pretty well against others on his team.

“I started running the 100m and 200m my sophomore year of high school. I knew I was good at it when I was able to compete at a decent level in just my sophomore year. I saw that my times in these races were pretty good and able to stand up against those who had been running sprints much longer than me,” Sauer said.

Although he started in sophomore year, Sauer was already a varsity runner his junior year, a testament to his belief in himself.

“Just working hard every day at practice. It’s about giving it your all inside and outside of practice as well as in season and off-season. The coaches push you and try to break you; it’s about how you respond and meet the expectations, and if you’re able to do that then you are in great shape,” Sauer said.

Part of Sauer’s coachability has come from his success in the classroom. Sauer is a top 20 student in his class, showcasing his skill in academics, which he has translated to the track.

“I think he’s seen the fruits of his labor through his academics,” track and field head coach Bradley Timmons said. “His parents have instilled in him a solid work ethic from the time he was very young. Seeing the benefits of working hard academically, he then applied the same principles to what he was doing athletically, and now we see the end result of it.”

Sauer may not have had an immediate impact when he started sprinting, but his performance in his junior year netted second place in the 4×100 and fourth in the 4×400 at the state meet, showcasing his versatility against the best athletes in the area.

“I dealt with the pressure by just taking deep breaths and focusing on me, my race and my time. It’s all about that visualization and seeing your success. This is how I was able to keep my composure and stay strong through my important races,” Sauer said.

Sauer has the fifth and fourth best times in the regional for the 100 and 200 respectively, though both times meet the standard for state qualification.

“I feel like I stack up pretty well,” Sauer said. “I have a pretty good shot this year in the 100m. Though there is lots of fast competition in the sprints, this year especially. I plan to just run my race, run my time and get below that state standard time to ultimately qualify for state.”

This is Sauer’s senior year, which means the culmination of years of success on the track, along with endless distractions. This year school ended on the week of sectionals, and though this early closure could deter some athletes, Sauer’s work ethic keeps him on the path to success.

“It’s challenging for all seniors, especially when they have a lot of success early in their career, to continue to drive and push and try to get new and higher accolades,” Timmons said. “They’ve got a lot of stuff on their plate, especially this year. [Sauer]’s going to be out of school for a week when regionals roll around, and out of school for two whole weeks if he’s fortunate enough to make it to the state level. That’s just a lot of discipline a student athlete needs to have. [However,] he will do well. He’s very motivated. He’s a tactician that has a keen eye for detail, so I’m not worried about him in that regard.”

Motivated. Disciplined. Tactician.

Those aren’t words to describe a king; they’re more apt for a general, or a soldier. But maybe that’s what makes Sauer’s reign so much more impressive.

Because he might not have started as being better than everyone else, but he worked through the adversity. His times weren’t better than the three Lawrence North runners in the Trojan Classic, but he worked towards the win anyways.

Sauer’s story is not one of a crowned king, but maybe that’s what makes it so special. Because when the odds are stacked against him, he somehow finds a way to turn the tables.

That’s not just a king. That’s a winner, through and through.