Jon Vaughn enjoying banner year in track & field

By Mike Berger

It was a simple relaxation tip that has propelled Canton High School senior Jon Vaughn to become one of New England’s best indoor track hurdlers.

Jon Vaughn

Ben Mattson, who serves as the girls’ head coach and who coaches both the boys and girls hurdlers, told Vaughn to forget having all eyes on him in the middle of the track at the Reggie Lewis Track Center, to calm himself down, and just focus and use all the mental energy toward the physical aspects of the race.

During the regular dual-meet season, Vaughn won numerous 55-meter hurdle races but was unable to dip below the eight second mark. He finally broke that barrier at the Hockomock Championship meet, however, finishing with a time of 7.97 seconds in the preliminaries en route to a third-place finish in the finals.

He then won the MIAA Division 3 championship race with a best time of 7.79 seconds. The next week, he placed third overall in the All-States with a time of 7.8 seconds and finished off the winter season with a 13^th place finish (7.91 sec.) in the New England regionals.

“Jon has been very motivated since his first days of track as a freshman,” said CHS boys’ head coach Chris Elgar. “Once he eventually found the hurdles during the winter and his assortment of events in the spring, he invested his time and focus on perfecting the skills needed to reach his ultimate goals.

“I remember a discussion during a meet his sophomore year at the [Reggie Lewis Center] and expressing his intent to win a [divisional] championship as an individual, and he never strayed from that agenda. He dreamed big, but also worked as hard as a lofty goal like that required.”

Vaughn said it was a constant goal between him and high jumper Matt Sidney that a banner showing their winning the Division 3 championship would be displayed in the gym along with all the other superior athletic achievements at CHS.

And on the way home from the Div. 3 championships, Vaughn made it a point to thank all four coaches on the boys’ and girls’ team for their contributions to his success. “That moment I hope will stick with me,” said Elgar.

Vaughn has lived in Canton since the fifth grade, having previously attended both the Luce School and the Galvin Middle School. He played football for over three years and was one of the team’s leading running backs in 2010 before a concussion ended his season early. He also suffered a concussion in his freshman year while trying out for the high jump event.

Vaughn has been a consistent scorer for the indoor and outdoor track teams, particularly in the sprints and hurdles. It was during his junior year that he and Coach Elgar decided that he should focus on the hurdles, given his speed and his coordination.

“I love the event,” said Vaughn. “It is a hard event to get used to. There are so many things you have to control, like getting out of the blocks, running hard, and getting over the hurdles and finishing strong.”

Vaughn has also excelled in the 100-meter dash (10.9 sec.), 200 meters (22.3 sec.), and is a valuable member on the 4×100 relay team. He hopes to compete in as many as four events this spring, including the 110 high hurdles, the 400-meter hurdles and two field events — either the long or triple jump — and possibly a relay team.

To excel in the sprints, Vaughn has worked on building up his speed and has spent a lot of time in the weight room strengthening his arms and legs to “explode out of the blocks.”

Reflecting on his winter season, Vaughn said, “I wish I had a faster time in the New Englands. I wanted to be even faster, but looking back, it was quite an achievement.”

Outside of track, Vaughn is a member of the National Honor Society and is hoping to go to an Ivy League school next year. He is the co-founder of Canton High’s popular ECDC (Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Club), which meets weekly to discuss social problems in society, such as racism and sexism. He is also a member of the Boomerang Club, a peer mentoring program that focuses on easing the transition into high school for freshmen.

Share This Post

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=3804