Junior Braylon Payne came into the 2026 Track & Field season ready to work and determined to beat his own record he set the previous season in the 400 m dash. As the season ramped up, it seemed like the more Braylon applied himself, the more elusive that goal became. The practice, the eagerness, and the effort were there, but the results on the track were not what Braylon was hoping for. He spent the majority of the track season running the 400 m dash in the :50s. When and where was that sub :50 performance going to come? Braylon’s coaches, Tommy Reed, Adam Messer, and Bryan Keeley gave Braylon the nickname Icarus because of Braylon’s intense desire and intent on improving his record setting time from the previous season. To Braylon it was obvious, if he just pushed himself harder, the results would surely come. The 800 m and 400 m races are not for the faint of heart. They require an immense amount of grit and focus. To run the 800 you need distance training and endurance. To run the 400, you need speed and stamina to finish fast. Braylon would split his week into two different workouts. On alternating days he would train with the distance runners and on the other days he would train with the sprinters. Given his events, the two different workouts made sense. Using the Icarus parable, his coaches knew Braylon needed to find the right balance to break through to his goal. He had the ability. He had the work ethic. He had the determination. Nobody wanted to see him burn out with the biggest meets yet to come. The balance and the breakthrough came when the focus shifted to recovery. Leading up to sectionals, and as Braylon continued working on his sprinting technique with Coach Reed, recovery became the key to breaking through the :50s. At sectionals Braylon won the race with a time of :48.8. He set a new school record in the 400 m and advanced to the regional meet. Payne was peaking at just the right time. At the regional meet he looked even better. He beat his record again with a time of :48.41. This performance earned him a trip to the state championship meet this Saturday. Braylon will run in the final heat in lane one on Saturday, June 6th. The 400 m dash is scheduled to take place at 7:05 pm. North Central High School will be hosting the state meet this year. This is Braylon’s first appearance at the IHSAA State Championship Meet. We wish him the best of luck on the track! Go Hornets! For all of the meet details go to: https://www.ihsaa.org/sports/boys/track-field/2025-26-tournament?round=state-finals-