When the starting gun fires and Santa Maria High School’s Josh Marzett bursts out of the blocks with his short and stocky frame, it’s something to watch. Just don’t blink.
At a dual league meet against St. Joseph on April 28, Marzett set his personal best mark in the 100-meter-dash at a blazing time of 10.77 seconds.
Though Marzett is exceptional in other events—he captured the 200 meters and ran a leg for the school’s victorious 4-by-100-meter relay team as well—he considers the 100 his specialty.
“I like competing on the straightaway, and I feel like I can beat anybody in the league,” Marzett said. “I think I’m on a different level running-wise, because no one on the Central Coast has had a 10.8 or lower in a long time.”
The 17-year-old junior has won all but one of his 100-meter competitions this year, and, as the team’s fastest athlete, he’s the biggest reason the school is enjoying its best track season in a decade.
His coach, Mike Regan, praised Marzett as an excellent teammate with a great work ethic.
“He’s very coachable, and he does everything with a smile on his face,” Regan said. “He shows up, trains in the morning lifting weights, and comes out and runs track every day.”
He’s also the school’s star running back and plays on the basketball team. On the rare occasions he’s not working out, he enjoys jogging and going to the dunes with his brothers. He hopes to earn a scholarship to a four-year college for either track or football and get his degree.
In the short term, though, he’s focused on racing against the state’s fastest runners at the California Interscholastic Federation Division II finals, scheduled for May 16 in Moorpark.
Regan said Marzett is training to finish stronger and improve his lean in at the line. Added to his explosive starting ability, that doesn’t bode well for the competition.
“At this time, he should be starting to peak,” Regan said.
Stepping up to his role as the team leader, Marzett said he’s proud that his hard work is paying dividends.
“Coach has been pushing me, and I’ve been pushing myself,” he said. “I’m really happy about that.”
This article appears in May 7-14, 2009.
