ADAMS TOWNSHIP — Cale Wilson admits he was awestruck when he walked into Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium for last year’s OHSAA Division II Track and Field Championships.

“Last year, obviously, I was young,” Wilson said during a break in a workout here Tuesday at Chick Brown Track. “I was 16 and 5-10, 160 pounds. I was little. I’d never really seen but one or two dudes that were obviously better than me. Getting there was a little bit of a shock. I was a nervous mess.”

When Wilson, a junior at Clinton-Massie, walks into Welcome Stadium Friday morning for the long jump at 9 a.m. and the 400-meter dash at 11:15 a.m., he will feel much better about himself.

“This year is going to be different,” he said. “I’ve been there. I know what I need to do. I’ll be one of the big guys.”

Wilson has the fastest 400-meter dash time among the 18 state qualifiers, based purely on their times at regional meets this past week.

Wilson ran 48.52 in the Region 8 final race with Jacob Martin of Finneytown right behind at 48.6. The third time is 48.62 by Jack Kittle of Chagrin Falls.

In all, there are nine times from the regionals within one second of Wilson’s best, so it’s a tight field to be clear.

“I try not to worry too much about that,” he said. “In the state meet, everybody’s so close to each other, anybody can win. As long as I’m confident I can run a great race, I think I have a good shot at winning.”

And if it comes down to the final 100 meters or so, Wilson has the ability to close with a flourish. In the Region 8 final, Wilson came from behind to win.

“Coming off that (final) curve, I was probably third or fourth and I just turned it on because I knew I had to win,” he said. “I pushed harder because I wanted it more. Winning is nice but I hate losing.”

In the long jump, Wilson is seeded 13th with a regional best of 21-0.25. His best this season, however, is 21-7. He feels he has more in him.

“I’ve had a rough couple meets with the board, not getting there,” he said. “I’ve made some really good jumps, just a foot behind the board. It’s kinda crazy how far I got this year with bad steps. Most of the year, I’ve been really consistent, almost every meet I’ve had good steps, good jumps.”

Wilson worked on his steps during practice this week but there’s nothing like doing it on location. The state last year was held at Ohio State, this year it’s in Dayton.

“The first time in a new location is always a little difficult,” he admits. “Every pit is different.”

If it’s windy on Friday, Massie head coach Scott Rolf believes Welcome Stadium is a good location.

“Long jump is right up against a wall,” he said. “So it’s kinda wind protected.”

While Wilson, an even-keeled competitor, is happy to continue his season, he will have a heavy heart on Friday in the wake of classmate Jason Flint’s shocking death. The 17-year-old Clinton-Massie senior-to-be died Sunday night as a result of an automobile crash.

“Pretty tragic,” Wilson said of his classmate. “I remember hearing about it Sunday night and I couldn’t believe it. I was trying everything I could to prove it wrong.

“Just two days before, the whole 4×2 (relay) team was eating dinner together, having a good time. Yesterday (Monday) I couldn’t talk or move, so shocked and sad. I still couldn’t believe it. It could have been me. It could have been anybody else. It’s tough to think about.”

Reach Mark Huber at 937-556-5765, via email [email protected] or at twitter.com @wnjsports