He’s strong. He’s determined. He’s dedicated. He is in the words of his fellow senior captain Ben Igo “as tough as they come.” He could be the hardest working athlete at Franklin High School, yet no one really knows about him. Also many of you are guessing wrong to who this mystery athlete is. Give up? Well the student I’m talking about is Senior Cross Country and Track captain Korey Hunt.
Do not pretend to know who you think Hunt is because not a lot of people outside of his friends, Cross Country and Track really do. In his third year of Cross Country Hunt is staying right on course hitting 17:20 a personal record, keeping in the top three of his team and finishing 20th in the Hockomock League Championships.”This year so far has been good” Hunt said “Our team has done a lot together throughout the year and I feel that I have never been more closer too a group of kids before in my life.”
Hunt’s Journey did not start out like almost every stand out athlete. After not running Cross Country and Track in his freshman year, Hunt came on the scene with a blast in his sophomore year hitting 19:21 in Cross Country. But when the track season came in winter and spring Hunt faded with the seasons not being able to make the varsity squad in the two mile race in both seasons.
“It was tough at first” Hunt said “I knew after that year that I was not just going to go into the season and run well, I knew I needed to work hard if I was going to be successful.”
Hunt started his uphill climb to the top when he came into his junior year of cross country and gained personal records in half of the races on the XC campaign. He finished up his year winning the JV division at the Hockomock League Championships with a time of 18:16. But that was just a preview for what was too come for the then junior upstart.
When the indoor season started Hunt was rewarded for his improvements in Cross Country by being put on the varsity squad that ran at Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. But after running a disappointing 11:26 in the two mile in the first race of the season his junior year was looking very much like his sophomore year. Hunt’s spot on varsity was in jeopardy.
After that meet Hunt was switched out of the two mile and into the 1000m race where he placed in one meet and supported a strong time of 2:51. Then two meets later he was switched to the 600m race where he made his name.
Hunt started his 600 journey hitting 1:30 in a race in which he said was “painful but very rewarding.” In the next two meets the improbable story became even more impossible when he went 1:29 and 1:28 and then hit an amazing 1:27:07 at the Hockomock League Championships where he finished 5th and was the top underclassman. It was Hunt’s coming out party.
“What he did during that period was amazing” senior captain Josh Klingenstein said “I think when he was cutting down his time at first we were surprised but we all knew the heart he had inside of him and we knew it was only a matter of time before he broke out.”
Hunt continued his success into the spring where he hit 2:00:84 in 800m race at the Hockomock League Championships where again he was the top underclassman. Hunt also that season anchored a 4×800 relay team that finished 5th in Hocks and ran at the Division One State Championships.
Hunt’s banner season did not change his mindset nor his work ethic and with a new season comes brand new goals and expectations some of which are sky high for him and his followers.
“I want to be the Hock champion in both seasons” Hunt said when asked about his goals “I want to be second in the state in the 600 for winter and for spring I want to break 2:00 for the 800.”
If Hunt achieves his goals no one around him will be surprised and with those achievements maybe everyone at FHS will know the name Korey Hunt.