Varina’s Lacks not lacking in speed

Varina's Devin Lacks takes off in a relay at St. Christopher's. Devin Lacks got lost in the shuffle of Varina High School football.

Still, he didn't fold. Now, he's become the royal flush of track.

"I always wanted to play football here, but I got cut as a freshman," he said. "There were just too many other good players."

So instead of running up and down the football field, Lacks kicks up his heels around the track that circles it. This winter, the 5-7, 145-pound senior ranks as the best 1,000-meter runners in the area and among the best in the state.

"He's a fabulous kid, well-mannered and hard working," Blue Devils coach Kenny Perrault said.

Besting a field of 79 at St. Christopher's, Lacks broke the tape in 2:35.7. The previous week at Virginia Tech, Lacks finished fifth out of 64 in a school record 2:34.9.

Last year reviewed: Lacks drew attention last spring by running a 1:58 leg on Varina's third-place 3,200 meter squad at the Group AAA meet in a school record 7:57.8.

Khris Johnson and Nyler Gaskins return from that foursome, along with Lacks. Spencer Hawthorne competes for George Mason University.

Lacks' steepest competition this winter figures to be Albemarle's Anthony Kostelac, who won at Tech in a whistling 2:31.4.

This spring, Lacks plans to attack the school marks in the 800 (1:58.2) and 1,600 (4:31.9), both set by Rodney Johnson in 1983.

"Most of our kids come here wanting to sprinters," said Perrault, "and I have to convince them to run longer distances. It was never like that for Devin. His goal has always been to be the first Varina runner to break 4:30 in the mile."

Background check: Lacks was a defensive back in Varina recreation football, but he really found his niche on the track at Rolfe Middle School.

"Even in sixth grade, I saw I could beat the eighth-graders -- easily," said Lacks, who ran the mile in 5:00 in middle school.

Lacks will be a favorite to win the 1,000 in the Capital District meet Saturday and the Central Region meet on Feb. 21.

You can count on Lacks for a tremendous effort, but he carefully rations his words. Perrault said, "Devin is a quiet, laid-back kid. He lets his actions speak."