The shortest of the distance events in high school track and field would be the 800-meter run and over the years, Philomath High has had its share of quality runners.
The school’s record book shows that 17 runners have finished the 800 in under 2 minutes. And coach Joe Fulton points out that PHS has scored more points at the state meet in the 800 for both the boys and girls than any other 4A school. Three of the Warriors’ top runners — Abe Brown, Leland Fulton and Jeff Schreiner-McGraw — scored 73 points at state in the 800, which is more than every other 4A school except Marist, Siuslaw and Gladstone.
The top runners typically have a combination of speed, strength, stamina and speed endurance — most competitors are long sprinters or distance runners that possess speed. It’s often mentioned as a favorite event for those who love following track and field.
Following are the top five 800-meter runners in the Philomath High School record book:
1. Jeff Schreiner-McGraw (2011)
Jeff Schreiner-McGraw’s record-breaking time of 1:53.21 occurred at the Centennial Invitational at Gresham. In a race filled with top 800 runners from larger schools, he outdueled Colton senior Austin Collins by 0.15 of a second in an intense race to the finish line.
Not only was the time a school record for Philomath, but at the time it was the second-fastest 800 ever run in Class 4A. The state record then was held by Lyle Purdue of Brookings, who ran a 1:52.9 in 1979.
According to a news account on the meet, Schreiner-McGraw was in fourth place until the final 200 meters when he turned on the jets. He passed Collins over the final 50 meters for the victory. He went on to win the 800 at state in 1:56.28.
Interestingly, Schreiner-McGraw only ran the 800 on a handful of occasions during his freshman and sophomore seasons. But as a junior in 2010, it became a regular event and he broke 2 minutes for the first time in a meet at Crescent Valley. Nine days later, he ran a 1:56.52 in the Wally Ciochetti Invitational at Cottage Grove. He won the 800 at state that season in 1:56.37.
Besides the 800, Schreiner-McGraw was also a state champion 1,500-meter runner and a valuable member of the team’s two relays.
2. Aaron McKee (1985)
During his senior season with the Warriors in 1985, Aaron McKee first broke the school record on Philomath’s home track during a dual meet against Central with a time of 1:58.80.
In late May at the Class AA state meet, which at the time was held at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, McKee took first place in the 800 in 1:54.69. According to news coverage, McKee made his move on the final turn and passed North Valley’s Bob Craig in the final stretch for a win of about 6 meters.
“I think I surprised a lot of people,” McKee told the Statesman Journal. “… When I passed Craig on the corner, maybe it wasn’t the smartest move. But I had to do it. Everything then fell into place.”
According to the PHS record book, McKee had an even better time of 1:54.55 — although there is no mention of when or where it occurred. But whether it was that slightly faster time or the state meet time, McKee’s school record held up for 26 years until Schreiner-McGraw’s performance in the event in 2011.
McKee, who serves as the principal at Crescent Valley High School, has a daughter, Ava McKee, who won the 800 at state in 2022.
3. Abe Brown (1995)
A senior in 1995, Abe Brown’s top time of 1:55.45 occurred at the Class 3A state track meet in Eugene. Brown didn’t win the state title, however, in a fast race that included winner Elvis Harper of Junction City (1:54.48) and Taft’s Snake Ulrich (1:55.25).
Brown won the 800 at state as a junior in 1994 with a time of 1:56.30, finishing ahead of both Harper, a La Pine runner and Ulrich.
Incidentally, Brown ran an all-class state-best 49.2 seconds in the 400 in an April 1995 home meet. It was reportedly the first time a PHS runner had broken 50 seconds in the event. He qualified for state in the 400 but opted to focus on the 800 in Eugene. He also had won the 200 and 1,500 in meets earlier in the season.
4. Leland Fulton (2004)
Leland Fulton, the son of coach Joe Fulton, turned in his fastest 800-meter time of 1:55.57 at the Centennial Invitational — yes, the same meet where Schreiner-McGraw would break the school record seven years later.
Fulton finished second in the race to Wilsonville senior AJ Casteel, who won with a time of 1:54.57. But later that season at the 3A state meet in Eugene, Fulton issued payback by finishing first in 1:56.30, just edging Casteel by 0.33 with a lean at the finish.
One of several athletes on the squad battling the flu, Fulton stayed near the front and then made his move with about 200 meters to go. Casteel pushed toward the end for a thrilling finish.
“I knew I could run with AJ,” Fulton told the Corvallis Gazette-Times afterward. “Before I got sick, I thought it would take 1:53 to win but it turns out we both got sick. Both of us were in oxygen debt out there. We both had trouble breathing. I was able to hold on a little more than he did. It was a huge relief.”
Fulton is the highest-scoring 800 runner in 4A history for the boys with 31 points between 2001-04 (a fourth place and two runner-up finishes prior to winning as a senior).
5. Matt Smith (2001)
Philomath senior Matt Smith finished his career on a high note by running his best-ever time in the 800 in 1:57.38. The performance occurred on the season’s biggest stage — at the 3A state meet in Eugene.
Smith was second to La Pine’s Ross Dexter, who clocked in at 1:56.62.
Smith finished his senior season by breaking his own PR on a couple of occasions. At the Stayton Twilight Meet in mid-May, Brown ran a 1:56.20, which bettered his previous best of 1:58.99, which he ran at the 2000 state meet.
Smith also ran a leg on the state-winning 4-by-400 relay that season, a foursome that included his brother Mike Smith, Anthony Cook and Denny Bain.
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).
