Cool Hand Luke: FWB's Larkin wins 3A state title in 800m

"Luke Larkin takes the lead with 50 meters left and this is his race to lose!"

Asked if ever went through any state meet hypothetical scenarios as a youngster, this was Larkin's response. Of course he did. He's been running competitively since middle school.

So come Friday morning, the Fort Walton senior woke up feeling good.

His 4x800-meter relay crew medaling in eighth place helped quell any nerves. Come time for the individual 800-meter, he was able to run his race.

By the final turn, he knew this was his gold.

"That last 100 meters I felt pretty good," he said. "I knew I had a pretty good kick."

There'd be no drama, Larkin beating out future Flagler College teammate William Stone by a comfortable margin to realize all his state podium dreams. Fittingly, after crossing the finish line he threw up that index finger in No. 1 fashion like Larry Bird after winning the NBA All-Star 3-point contest.

"It's been a goal all season long," he said. "It's super surreal."

Lighting a fire was medaling at state last year. Sure, he knew he was fast in middle school. But after taking his eighth grade year off after moving to Virginia, Larkin came back to Fort Walton as a freshman and didn't take running too seriously.

Enter coach Jeff Fields, who Larkin's sophomore year instilled that work ethic and supported his growth and potential.

"He was pretty straight forward with it," Larkin said. "He said if we put in the work, you can excel. And we took it to heart."

Now he's state champion, his parents, coaches and teammates over-the-moon happy for Larkin as he looks to transition the success to the next level in St. Augustine at Flagler.

There he'll run both cross country and track and field, the sky the limit.

Follow sports editor Seth Stringer on twitter at @SethSnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Cool Hand Luke: FWB's Larkin wins 3A state title in 800m