Jake Merrell grew up in a small town in Texas and became a cult hero almost as quickly as he won his first state championship in 2015. But he's lived up to the hype far beyond what anyone could have imagined, and he's raced against the best and proved himself time and time again. The Turkey Valley High School graduate, who won nine state outdoor championships over four years and turned into one of the top 800 meter runners in the country, is headed to Baylor University on a full scholarship in 2018. Watch the feature above to learn about how Merrell embraced his small town roots and raced large over his career before finishing out with one final memento at the Texas UIL Class 1A State Championships.

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