When Will Sloan stepped onto the runway at last year’s state meet, his mind was racing. A near-disqualification rattled him during the competition, and for a moment, the Baker School junior’s season looked like it might end on a sour note.

• Then came his fourth throw.

“I just trusted in my practicing and knew that it would all come together with that last throw,” Sloan said.

That throw earned him a state runner-up finish. And everything he’s done since has been about climbing one spot higher.

Sloan, a junior, is currently ranked No. 1 in Class 1A javelin and No. 5 overall in the state of Florida. His personal best sits at 188ft 10”, and he believes the 200-foot mark is within reach.

“I’ve been very consistent lately,” Sloan said. “I just know it’s coming.”

That consistency was on full display last week, when Sloan won first place at all three meets he entered. At a Tuesday meet in Jay, every throw sailed past 180 feet despite a headwind. At a Thursday team meet at Walton, all four of his throws cleared 180. And at a Saturday finals meet at Pine Forest, all six throws landed beyond 183 feet.

Sloan’s path to javelin wasn’t one he planned. A multi-sport athlete who played baseball for nine years and suited up for Baker’s basketball team this past season, he was encouraged to try javelin as a freshman by throwing coach Dustin Oglesby, who thought his baseball arm would translate. Sloan picked it up about a month before the season and hasn’t looked back.

• “Freshman year, I looked at the rankings and felt like those guys are at a different level,” Sloan said. “And now, I’m actually almost at the top.”

His head coach, Terry Kersey, said the biggest change he’s seen in Sloan since ninth grade is confidence.

“When he first got out there, he was kind of shy. He stuck to himself. He didn’t really talk too much,” Kersey said. “But as his numbers started to shoot up, you could tell he’s not afraid to go talk to people. He walks around with a bit of swagger, has a little chip on his shoulder – but not in a bad way. In a good way.”

Kersey said what sets Sloan apart is how quickly he processes coaching.

“You only have to tell him one time,” Kersey said. “You mention something once — hey, you need to use your hips a little bit more — and the next time he does the rep, he changes it. Very rarely do you have athletes like that.”

Off the field, Sloan is an honor student whose favorite subject is math, a trait he may have inherited from his father, John Sloan, who teaches math at Baker School. His mother, Jenny Sloan, also works at the school. Sloan has been a student at Baker since first grade after his family moved from Wewahitchka, Florida.

He’s a member of the Beta Club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and volunteers for food drives through his church when opportunities come up. He credits his parents with helping him stay balanced.

• “They know how important academics is,” Sloan said. “They know that I have to set time to do all my homework and just get ready for what I have in the future.”

That future includes aspirations of studying civil engineering at a school with a Division I track and field program.

His sister, Shelby, played softball at Baker and went on to compete at the Division I level. Sloan said she’s been a major influence.

“She knows her way around when it comes to putting in hard work,” Sloan said. “She always believes in me, and I feel like that’s how she also helps where I’m at right now.”

Kersey said Sloan’s work ethic goes well beyond the season. He trains year-round, competes in Junior Olympics events over the summer, and even travels to Niceville for extra practice.

• “It’s not like when track season rolls around, he picks up the javelin,” Kersey said. “This is a year-round thing for him. You can tell it really brings him joy.”

For Sloan, representing Baker carries extra meaning. The school is one of two K-through-12 campuses in Okaloosa County, and he said no male athlete from Baker has come close to winning a state title in track since around 2012.

“It’d just be cool to represent the team, even in a place where throwing is sometimes misrepresented when it comes to track,” Sloan said. “I’m just going to give it everything I’ve got.”

With one more regular-season meet before districts, followed by regionals and the state championship, Sloan said this is the stretch where big marks start coming.

Kersey, for one, has no doubts.

“He’s so driven. He wants to be on top of that podium, and he wants that medal,” Kersey said. “He really is chasing a ring. And if you’ve got somebody like that, there’s no doubt they can get to that point. I think this is the year. I really do.”