Digging in

To excel at the 400 meters, an athlete must run with courage and conviction. Courage is required to approach the starting line. Conviction is required to cross the finish. 

Hewitt-Trussville High School senior Jake Diggs, a 400-meter specialist, possesses both qualities. 

“You just have to go through it and convince yourself that you won’t die, that you’ll be OK,” Diggs said. “I always tell coach, I’m one of the few idiots who likes the 400.”

The 400, or quarter-mile, is considered one of the most challenging events in track and field. It’s too long to be a sprint but too short to be a stride. Success requires pain. Of that, Diggs is a master manager. 

He finished third at last year’s state indoor meet and second at the state outdoor meet. His personal-best time of 48.07 seconds, recorded at the Mountain Brook Invitational in April, reset a school record that had stood for more than a decade. 

“I think he’s a very big student of the sport,” Huskies head coach David Dobbs said. “He knows exactly what he’s got to do, when he’s got to do it, and he’s not afraid to push past that pain threshold.”

Diggs shaved nearly two seconds off his time from his sophomore to junior seasons. The dip, which has earned him a college scholarship to Samford University, occurred during his first year of full-time track. Diggs also played linebacker for Hewitt-Trussville through 10th grade before shifting his focus exclusively to the oval. 

The transition paid dividends. Diggs credited his coaches — along with his faith — for enabling his unprecedented success. 

“All my coaches out here, they could see something in me that was special even when I couldn’t see it,” he said. “They just poured into me more than anybody could ever imagine.”

His coaches last year included Dobbs and Randy Curry, a 2003 Hewitt-Trussville alumnus who ran professionally. In the spring, Curry helped Diggs train to break the school record, which he then held. 

“Between me just pushing him work-wise and then Randy getting with him strategy-wise, I think it just gave him a lot of confidence,” Dobbs said. 

This season, Diggs wants to close his high school career with lower marks and a state title. Hitting those targets will require courage and conviction. 

Undoubtedly, Diggs has both.  

“If I do everything that I’m supposed to do and work as hard as I know [Dobbs] is going to coach me, then yeah, I think it’s doable,” he said.