When it comes to running the hurdles, the 110- and 300-meter versions are completely different events no matter how similar they look.

One requires speed, perfect timing and a perfect form. The other requires a bit more endurance, but also rewards high-end speed.

In either case, St. Aloysius sophomore Connor Bottin is pretty good at both of them.

Bottin won the MAIS Class AAA North State championship in both events last week and will try to claim the state title Saturday at the Class AAA state meet at Jackson Prep. Bottin’s winning times of 15.86 and 42.28 seconds in the 110 and 300 hurdles, respectively, were nearly a half-second better than anyone else at either the North or South State meets.

“I think I’m doing all right,” Bottin said. “I got in the 15s last week, so I’m happy about that. Now I’m trying to get better every race.”

Bottin was part of St. Al’s MHSAA Class 1A championship team in 2015. He competed in the hurdles early in the year before a minor hip injury forced him to drop the event and concentrate on sprints and relays.

This spring, however, he has come into his own.

Bottin has not lost a hurdles race this season. He also runs the 200 meters, where he finished third at the North State meet behind teammate DeMichael Harris, and is part of St. Al’s 4×200 and 4×400 meter relay teams.

“This year he’s stepped to the plate and gotten better every week,” St. Al coach Michael Fields said. “He’s got that football tenacity, and that helps him, and he’s also got that will to win. He’s only a sophomore, so the sky’s the limit.”

Although he’s also a talented sprinter, Bottin said he prefers the hurdles. Its specialized skillset appeals to him.

“The reason I like the hurdles is that not many people can do them. You’ve got to be specialized to run them,” he said, adding that he prefers the shorter 110-meter version to the longer 300-meter one. “I like the 110s better. In the 110s, if you get in a pattern you’ve pretty much got it down. The 300 hurdles are mainly more running. You’ve got to be in shape for those. The 110s is all about form to me.”

Harris has grabbed the lion’s share of the attention for St. Al this season, and deservedly so. The senior has rarely been challenged in the 100, 200 or 400 meter dashes, and barring an injury or false start on Saturday seems to be running for records as much as to claim state titles in his events.

It’s Bottin, however, who will be key to the Flashes’ hopes of bringing home an MAIS team championship trophy to match the MHSAA one they won last spring.

St. Al has 15 athletes competing in the meet, which is a fair number but still less than other top teams like Silliman Institute and Centreville Academy. Silliman and Centreville competed in the weaker South half of the state and didn’t lose as many athletes to competitive attrition as those in the North.

Fields figures it will take about 110 points to win the meet, and with 10 points awarded to a first-place effort and one to an eighth-place finish, winning individual titles are what will carry St. Al to the team championship.

That means that, beyond Harris, top athletes like Bottin in the hurdles and Josh Price in the discus and shot put will need to come out on top and maximize the team’s score.

The field events will be contested Friday at Jackson Academy.

“We need to pull together and get what we can. With us not having that many events, it’s almost a must that (Bottin) wins both hurdles, Josh wins the shot and discus, and DeMichael triples,” Fields said. “I think, by far, we have the best team. But there’s more to it than having the best team. If you don’t have the numbers you can’t win. We have the possibility of winning seven or eight events and not winning state, and that’s almost unheard of.”

STATE TRACK SCHEDULE

Friday

9 a.m. – MAIS Overall meet (field events only), at Jackson Academy

11 a.m. – MHSAA Class 2A, 4A and 6A, at Pearl High School

Saturday

9 a.m. – MAIS Overall meet (running events), at Jackson Prep

11 a.m. – MHSAA Class 1A, 3A and 5A, at Pearl High School

ST. AL ATHLETES AT STATE

St. Aloysius athletes competing in individual events at the MAIS Class AAA track and field meet Friday and Saturday at Jackson Academy and Jackson Prep

Girls

• Olivia Curtis (high jump)

• Madelyn Polk (1,600 and 3,200 meters)

• Dede Apenyo (100 and 200 meters)

Boys

• Connor Bottin (110 and 300 meter hurdles, 200 meter dash)

• DeMichael Harris (100, 200, 400 meters)

• Chandler Roesch (1,600 meters)

• Evan Fedell (800 meters)

• Jaylyn Whitaker (shot put)

• Josh Price (shot put, discus)

• Relays: Ryan Theriot, Parker Brown, Lofton Varner, Deontae Carson, Alex Bufkin, Gregory Thomas, Andrew Ulmer, Townsend Derivaux