The Eye of the Gale student spotlight features Lancaster High School senior, Brock Jarrett. As a student and athlete, Jarrett has made his mark in both track and cross country for the Golden Gales. Currently, Jarrett is competing in the last running season of his high school athletic career and committed to The Ohio State University earlier this year. Among his athletic accomplishments, Jarrett ranks in the top 25 Ohio high school indoor male runners, and has earned an All American recognition in the Nike Indoor Nationals (Mile Split OH). LHS track and field head coach Joe Moorhead said that Jarrett has only just begun to make a name for himself as a competitive runner.
“I believe Brock’s biggest accomplishments are yet to come. It was awesome to see him earn All-State honors in the 800 meters indoors in 2025, 1600 meters outdoors in 2025, and indoors this past March. Additionally, he earned All-American honors in the 4×800 with his teammates JJ Notestine, Charlie Cooperrider, and Gabe McNeil this past indoor season,” he said.
Despite the many accomplishments Jarrett said that his proudest moment was when he placed third in the state outdoor 1600 meter, his junior year.
“I was not a known name going into the year and wasn’t even expected to qualify for the state meet,” Jarrett stated.
According to Moorhead, Jarrett has grown, progressed, and become a strong runner throughout the years.
“Brock’s progress has been very fun to watch. I remember him as a beginning runner at General Sherman and then progressing throughout high school, improving each year. His hard work and dedication has helped turn him into who he is today. He has also really developed into a leader by example,” said Moorhead.
In the article, “Running and the Science of Mental Toughness” Vana Hutter, an expert on the mental health of top athletes said that runners must have the confidence and mental focus to handle the pressure of a demanding sport like running.
“Their academic performance and social skills are also often better than that of nonathletic types. Athletes need self-regulation in order to perform. Everyone can learn, to some extent at least, to control their emotions, thoughts, and actions. And it is this aspect — learning to self-regulate — that is of particular interest to runners,” she said (van Sprundel).
Jarrett said that prior to running a race, he formulates a winning plan.
“Before a race I really only think about how I am going to execute my plan for the race or the goal that was set before. I race to give myself the best chance to win at the end every time so I really focus on setting myself up for success,” he said.
Moorhead described the process of coaching Jarrett.
“Brock wants to be coached hard. Our distance coaches, Jeff Koksal and Stephen Sparks, know what makes him tick and have a great plan to help him accomplish his goals. Brock’s confidence in his coaches and attitude towards his training makes things easier for them. I look forward to seeing what he can accomplish this year, as well as the following years at Ohio State,” said Moorhead.
As Jarrett finishes his final season as a Golden Gale, he has already set goals for the future.
“I am definitely sad that it’s my last year running on the team but I am excited to go onto collegiate running at Ohio State and see what I am capable of,” he said.
