Tusky Valley’s DeBos caps off an incredible career
Tusky Valley’s Maddie DeBos finds herself in the midst of the leaders halfway through the Div. II state meet’s 3200-meter race. While DeBos wasn’t thrilled with her finish, it did earn her a fourth-place spot on the podium, marking the ninth time she has found herself wearing an All-Ohio medal between cross country and track.
Nine times Tusky Valley legend Maddie DeBos has had the joy of bending over and having an All-Ohio medal hung around her neck by an official. She did so for the final time on Saturday, June 1 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, where she ran to a fourth-place finish in the girls 3200-meter run.
While the time and the finish weren’t exactly what she had hoped for, DeBos realized the magnitude of what she had accomplished and the idea of accumulating nine All-Ohio medals in her career between cross country and track and field were more than enough to erase the disappointment of not quite running her final race as well as she had hoped.
DeBos finished the race in 11:02.93, a race in which she ran with the lead pack the majority of the race, only to see Oakwood’s Grace Harmon pull away at the end to win in 10:56.35.
“I didn’t run the race I wanted to run today,” DeBos said. “I wanted to come out here and win. You don’t step on the line not wanting to win, but it just wasn’t the race I was hoping for. It was my last time, and I wanted it so badly that I think I came out too quickly. But I gave it my best shot.”
DeBos will now enjoy a few weeks off this summer before heading west to Southern Utah University, where she will compete in both cross country and track. She said her visit there left her with a feel for what it might be like to compete with the Thunderbirds.
“What sold me completely were the athletes on the team and the coaches,” DeBos said. “Everyone was phenomenal, and I felt so absolutely comfortable there.”
DeBos said her career is about more than the nine All-Ohio medals. Yes, she worked incredibly hard to get to where she is. She is studious, dedicated and talented physically. But it is something other than medals she will remember the most.
“All of the awards and honors, all of the medals are great, but I love what I am doing,” DeBos said. “God has blessed me with a talent and allowed me to have a great career. I get to do what I love doing. I already bawled yesterday, and I am sure that I will again when I see all of my teammates. My mom has been the most amazing coach I could ask for, not just for me, but for all of our team. There is a lot of talent at Tusky Valley, and I am going to walk away from here with a lot of great memories and friendships, and that is what will stand out to me the most.”