On one side of the spectrum, there’s senior 110-meter hurdler/200 sprinter Matt Moyd, in quest of a gold medal.
On the other, there’s freshman thrower Jayce Brack, who gets better every meet, thrusting himself into the consciousness of the state shot-put field after his 50-something throw for third place last Friday at Salina in a Class 5A regional track and field meet at Salina District Stadium.
The clock is ticking for Moyd. The sands through the hourglass have nearly dissolved. When it comes to the 6-1A state meet this weekend at Cessna Stadium on the Wichita State University campus in Wichita, it will be his final opportunity to take home the ultimate hardware.
Hays’ Adam Deterding vs. Moyd — the state’s top two hurdlers — will be a featured event in the 5A 110-meter hurdles. Deterding won the regional crown last Friday, clocking a personal-best 14.57, and Moyd was right on his heels in a personal-best 14.65.
“I’m nervous, there no doubt about that,” Moyd said. “I’m just focusing on my hurdles and how to run it ... exactly what steps I should take.
“Just my mental ability has to be there. I need the perfect amount of sleep, and it’s been on my mind every night.”
Rewind to the regional meet, where Moyd led Deterding, a junior, most of the way before Deterding nipped him at the finish line.
“I just feel that this is exactly what I’ve been looking for,” Moyd said of the state meet. “This hurdles race that’s happening on Friday and Saturday ...
“It will be Deterding vs. me, mano a mano. It will just come down to who’s tougher; who can get through it faster. Truthfully, I feel like I have the heart. I have more heart and more willingness my senior year to come out on top.”
Brack, a raw-bone football player, the first to start on Great Bend’s varsity as a freshman on the defensive line during the Bo Black era, is now coming into his own in the shot-put field event.
There’s no pressure for Brack, although he wants to make his mark in his first postseason appearance. He wants to blaze his own trail, and it starts on Memorial Day weekend.
Under the tutelage of Cliff Burt, Brack has made steady progress. At the regional meet, Brack had a toss of 50-1¾ in the shot, good for third place and the third-best throw in 5A entering the state meet.
 “He’s just really beginning to see what he can do,” Burt said. “It was just so smooth and effortless on his best throw (50-1¾).
“He needs to let it come to him, and you see what happens.”