On the day Eagle Grove High School boys track coaches Ben DeMuth and Joe Chamberlin held their track meeting for the 2021 season, Blake Morgan wasn’t there. He was in the gym, shooting hoops. He had no intention of going out for the team. He hadn’t his freshman year. He went out his sophomore year, but got cut short by COVID. So why go out his junior year was kind of his thought. But thanks to the encouragement of friends, he changed his mind and showed up for the first day of practice. He had no clue that this sport was about to put him on track to developing a bond with a fellow teammate, and leave him with some big shoes to fill.
Blake, and Eagle Grove High School senior Derricklee Harms, had known each other casually for the past couple of years. But when practice started, they found themselves keeping pace with each other. They were both fast, and they were making each other faster with a little friendly competition. Derricklee had been to State his sophomore year, and he was determined to earn a return trip to the blue oval. Blake had potential to do the same if he kept up with Derricklee. The two became quick friends, forming a bond that would go the distance under very difficult circumstances.
“He was a good running buddy,” said Blake. “He pushed me through everything.”
Then the unthinkable happened. Blake got a phone call from Derricklee telling him he wouldn’t be able to run track with him anymore this season. His leukemia had returned and he was back at the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. (Derricklee was first diagnosed, and beat, leukemia early in his junior year). He also told Blake his new spikes were in his locker, and if Blake wanted, he could wear them for the season.
“I wasn’t going to put them to good use, so I wanted Blake to use them,” said Derricklee.
Blake knew right away he was wearing those shoes, no matter what. “I just thought it would be a good idea to represent him in some way by wearing his spikes at every track meet,” said Blake. “I thought it was a really good idea because (Derricklee) really wanted to be here running with us, and I thought it would be a good way to have him as part of our team still.”
At first, Blake said it was kind of hard to explain to his other teammates why he was wearing Derricklee’s shoes. None of them knew yet his leukemia had returned. Blake didn’t feel it was his place to tell them so he simply replied that he was just trying them out.
Every time he laced up those shoes, Blake thought about “Derricklee is going through so much more pain than anyone on this team is…and you just have to give (this race) your all. Even if it hurts, you’ve got to know other people are hurting and going through things that are way more tough because Derricklee’s opportunity to run track got ripped away because of his leukemia so I just have to go out there and give it my all for him.”
“That’s all he really wanted was to see his team succeed,” said Blake. “Derricklee is not selfish at all. He is a team player before anything. Blake admitted he had a lot of mixed emotions about wearing the spikes. He felt sad because Derricklee couldn’t be wearing them and running, but then he liked wearing them a lot as well.
“I always knew Derricklee was with me no matter what,” he said. “Honestly, it made me a great runner this year and I was really happy about it. I know it made Derricklee proud and that’s what made me most happy about succeeding this year.
“It meant a lot to me to know Blake was wearing my shoes because every time he wore them he improved,” said Derricklee. “But it especially meant a lot that he wore them at State since I couldn’t be there myself.”
Blake earned a trip to the State Meet at Drake this year. It was a bittersweet experience for him as he ran the races he knows Derricklee would have also been running at the blue oval if he were able to – the 200m and the 400m.
“I had to fill his shoes,” said Blake very humbly. “Derricklee inspired me at State because the open 400 that I qualified in is his race, and I know that he loves that race…I knew the only reason I was there running that 400 that good the whole year was because Derricklee pushed me at practice and was always the best teammate that he could be, making me the runner that I am, so it meant a lot to me to run the open 400. I ran it for Derricklee.”
One could almost say Blake had a third coach in Derricklee as he went throughout the season, working his way to State. The two would SnapChat and Facetime often. Blake would fill him in on how he did at a race.
“Basically every time Derricklee would start freaking out at how well I did,” Blake said with a little laugh. “He loved every minute of it. When I finally told him I qualified for State in both of my events, he was really proud.”
He was so proud, in fact, that he sent Blake a long paragraph saying how proud he was of him and that he wished he could be with him at State.
“I knew Blake had a lot of potential…but I’m still faster than him because he didn’t beat my time at State (sophomore year),” said Derricklee with a big smile and a little laugh. “I wish I could have been there to see the race, or to run alongside him,” he added.
“He’s just a really good overall teammate. He cares so much about his teammates before he cares about himself,” said Blake. “I feel like if it weren’t for Derricklee, I probably wouldn’t have even been at State at all competing. But since he was a great teammate throughout the year and supported me, even when he’s going through all of that stuff, I performed well enough to go and support him at the blue oval.”
Blake said the friendship he and Derricklee share has gotten stronger throughout this year.“It made me realize how good of a friend and how good of a teammate Derricklee really is because he is so humble. He thinks about other people before he thinks of himself, even when he’s going through one of the toughest battles ever, he’s always there, asking me how I am, how I’m doing, when really I should be the one asking him how he is doing,” said Blake.
Derricklee continues to receive treatment in Iowa City.
“He’s strong. He’ll push through it. I just know he’s sad he’s missing out on all these opportunities…but I wouldn’t doubt it to see him running in college somewhere,” said Blake.
“Track has formed a brotherhood between Blake and me,” said Derricklee. “At the start of the season, Blake and I said we were both going to make it to State. I’m glad he kept his end of the deal.”
Derricklee is proud of all the track team accomplished this year.
“I miss them all,” he said.
