Brock Netter, Editor
Southern Ohio Sports Authority is presented by OhioHealth.
CHILLICOTHE — At every meet Chillicothe was a part of, there was always one name in the top three race times.
Jayden Beverly.
The senior was a flat-out machine during this past cross country season, leaving behind a trail of independent dominance that morphed into team school history.
Beverly was the leader of a Cavalier program that won its first district championship since 2003 — and led them to the state meet for the first time in school history.
“What made this season so special is that we knew coming into the year that we had a real chance of making it somewhere,” Beverly said. “Once we figured it out and saw some results, that only motivated us even more to work harder until we eventually made it to that point to become the first team in school history to make it to state. That memory will forever be in my head and it was so special to do it as a team.”
Those reasons, and many more, are why he’s been selected as SOSA’s Pickaway-Ross Athlete of the Month.
“I remember at the end of last track season, I talked to [Chillicothe coach Rob] Strong, and asked him what I needed to do to be the best I possibly could next season,” Beverly said. “The biggest thing for me was bumping up my mileage and doing more long distance stuff when it came to improvement. He came up with a plan and I followed it to the best of my ability.”
Running has been a family tradition in Beverly’s household.
His father, Randall, was a standout track athlete at Chillicothe, while his older brother, Ashton, was a cross country runner at Unioto.
Jayden started his journey at Unioto, like his brother, before deciding that Chillicothe was a better fit for his career.
“I was born into a running family. My dad was a track guy and my brother started doing cross country. I always wanted to be just like my brother, so I started running,” Beverly said. “Switching from Unioto to Chillicothe, it allowed me to take on more of a leadership role and grow myself in that area where I’m able to do my best in order to help others reach their goals.”
Pushing others also meant pushing himself, since his team relied on him to be the alpha.
CREDIT: Derrick Webb/SOSA
It’s what kept him atop leaderboards all season long and what earned him All-Ohio status when he finished 27th in the state with a time of 16:14.78.
But while the individual success is great, the best memories weren’t the times he crossed the finish line, but rather watching his teammates cross the finish line into the history books.
“We never seemed like a real serious team, since we had a lot of time to goof off and enjoy ourselves. But we knew when it was time to lock in,” Beverly said. “We’d go on runs to random places and have no idea where we were going to turn around. Many times, we got to explore the city and have a good time as a team and that was the best part.”
When Beverly wasn’t dominating the trails for the Cavaliers, he was busy attending Pickaway-Ross Career and Technology Center as part of the school’s electoral program.
It’s a program that started with the inspiration of his grandfather.
“He was really good with electrical stuff and he sort of put that interest within me growing up,” Beverly said. “It’s not something that’s just a hobby or simply a job. It’s an area that is useful in my life and something that I can apply in a lot of different areas.”
Beverly is sure that making the decision to attend Pickaway-Ross was one of the best he’s made.
And, if you’re second-guessing on going there as well, he’s got a piece of advice for you.
“Take a chance. The skills you learn at Pickaway-Ross are something you can take into college, or something you can go directly into the work field with,” Beverly said. “There’s so many avenues you can take just to advance that knowledge you gain from Pickaway-Ross. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to find themselves in a good position to make a career and a good living doing something you enjoy.”
SPONSORED BY PICKAWAY-ROSS CTC
