BLACKSVILLE — Zac Hall first went out for track and field just so he could become a better football player. Four years later, track has become the Clay-Battelle senior’s main sport.
“I always liked to run, but I wanted to get better for football and just get faster,” Hall said. “But then I fell in love with track and put all my eggs in the track basket. I still played football and enjoyed it a lot, but now I’m really into track.”
Hall signed to continue his running career at Glenville State University during a ceremony at the high school Thursday afternoon.
“I went there on a visit during football season and I really just liked the small-school feeling,” Hall said. “The coach was texting me all the time and just seemed very interested and I really liked that. He wants to rebuild the program and I want to be a part of that.”
A sprinter, Hall will compete in the 100- and 200-meter dashes for the Pioneers. He holds the Clay-Battelle school records in both the 100 (10.96) and 200 (22.52).
Even though track overtook football as Hall’s go-to sport, he stayed on the gridiron and had a standout career for the Cee-Bees. He gained over 1,400 yards from scrimmage and scored 16 total touchdowns as a running back in the fall, earning all-state honorable mention honors.
“Freshman year was my first year of track and I really fell in love with it,” he said. “I found success throughout the state and I really just found my calling with track.”
What Hall likes about track when compared to football is how black-and-white it is. He runs his race, gets his time and either wins or loses.
“In track, the times don’t lie. In football, there are a lot of aspects, especially trying to get recruited for college,” he said. “The times don’t lie in track and if you run the time and that’s what (college coaches) want, they see that.”
As he’s about to graduate, Hall’s last high school goal is to win gold in both sprinting events at the state track meet in Charleston next week. He took second in the 100 last season.
“I’d like to bring home two more state medals for first place in the 100 and 200,” he said. “That’s my goal and that’s what we’re setting the next eight days to work for.”
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