Superlative talent plus superlative drive can equal superlative results. That simple, yet elusive, equation is what Liberty track and field coach Mike Smith is always searching for. And it’s what he’s found in senior Josh Gordon.

“You have so many people who could do well, who have the talent,” Smith said. “But they don’t have the drive. They don’t have the desire. It’s like an onion. Yeah, you’ve got something on the outside, but what’s underneath?”

Gordon dominated at the 3A state meet last year – state title in long jump, part of state-title 4 X 400 relay, second place in high jump and sixth in 200-meter dash – and is well on his way to repeating the trick this season.

He currently has the state’s top distances in both the long jump and the triple jump among all classifications.

He made a splash at Liberty right away as a freshman, making state in the high jump and placing 14th. After the football season his sophomore year, Gordon worked out in the weight room nearly every day, and it paid off. He made state in high jump (10th), long jump (second) and 4 X 400 relay (second).

“That was really my breakout year,” Gordon said.

For Smith, it was exciting to see the work pay off.

“To see him slowly get better, then put it together, was great,” Smith said. “State leaders don’t necessarily become state champions. Especially in jumps, there’s a lot of mental stuff going on.”

Gordon was struggling slightly in the high jump heading into state last year. After tinkering with his form, he hadn’t topped six feet since late April.

“I was trying to mess with a lot of things, trying to change it up,” he said. “But it wasn’t giving me any good results. The day before state, the coaches said to forget all that. Just go and jump.”

It worked. Gordon jumped 6 feet, 6 inches, his best ever and good for second place.

Gordon has earned a scholarship to compete for the University of Washington track and field team next year. Smith said it’s Gordon’s drive, not talent that will take make him successful.

“Just being a state champion at this level isn’t enough,” Smith said. “Being recruited at college is hard. You have to be motivated to go beyond being the best in the state. Josh has got that. He’s willing to work harder.”

For the rest of this season, Smith is focused on keeping Gordon healthy.

“He’ll just keep jumping,” Smith said. “He’ll push it further and further, and I have to tell him to just stop.”

If he can do that, the sky is the limit. Smith said Gordon can run anything short of the mile. He already holds several school records and is shooting for a couple more by the time he’s done as a Patriot.

Smith said this year’s team is high top-tier athletesbut doens’t have a lot of depth. That means the team will perform better the further it goes, likely struggling to threaten for the KingCo title but improving at districts and state.

The Patriots boys team made a splash last season, placing second only to North Central. Gordon was a huge part of that.

“We used to take one or two kids to state, and it was a good year,” Smith said. “But we were right there at the end last year.”

The KingCo meet is May 9 and 11 at Juanita. The Sea-King district meet is May 16 and 18 at the Southwest Complex in Seattle. The 3A state meet is May 24-26 at Mount Tahoma High School.