HEYWORTH - Ben Asmus has already done one of the tougher things in sports. The Heyworth High School sophomore track star has perfectly balanced his easy going, joke-cracking manner with its hard-training, ultra-competitive opposite.

The result has been a rise through the ranks of elite Class A 400-meter sprinters until he finds himself seeded second heading into today's preliminaries in the 114th state meet at Charleston.

Asmus is among 98 Pantagraph area entrants. The Class A prelims begin at 9 a.m., and the AA kicks off at 1 p.m. The finals are at 11 a.m. Saturday.

"He's so easy going," said Hornet coach Tom Wells of Asmus, who broke Troy Hamilton's 1988 school record of 50.0 seconds with a 49.4 in Friday's Monticello Sectional.

"Everything is fun, which is not always good, but he works hard and smiles and just seems to enjoy it. He's like a kid out there."

Asmus gave glimpses of being a very special kid during an injury plagued freshman year, managing 2:08.9 in the 800.

The real clue to his potential came in the 1,600 relay where he had splits in the 51-second range.

"I was kind of progressing last year so I thought I would give (the 400) a try and I was pretty good at it," Asmus said.

That became an understatement at the McLean County Meet where he topped Tremont's Jeremy Pflederer, the 2007 state third-placer and top returning finalist, 50.2 to 50.7.

Asmus, who won Tuesday's Pantagraph Honor Roll Meet 400 in 49.7, has only lost to two Class A runners.

The first was Illini Bluffs sophomore Corey Hammons on cinders at the Delavan Carnival and the second was Urbana Uni High junior Malcolm Taylor in the sectional. Taylor's 49.2 makes him the No. 1 today.

"It was a really close race," Asmus said. "I have a feeling it's going to be real close at state, too. I'm going to try and get him there.

"I'm only a sophomore so I've still got a few years to work at it. If I don't get him this year, I'm going to try to get him next year."

What gets the 6-foot-3, 170-pound Asmus going is an exceptionally long stride. Asked if he ever measured it, he said, "No, I have not, but they are calling me 'Long Stride' at school now over the intercom. I guess that's pretty far out there."

But he doesn't overstride.

"He doesn't show a lot of fatigue when he runs," added Wells, who has watched Asmus run 2:01 3,200 relay splits with no one to push him.

"You see guys bending over and he just walks off the track. He's too young to know he's supposed to be gassed, I guess."

Asmus has motored 23.6 in the 200 and lent 11-second splits to Heyworth's state-qualifying 400 relay.

"He might be a heck of a miler," Wells said.

Asmus' mother, Sally, is a recreational runner.

"She's really my influence," he said. "She gets me up in the morning and we go run and stuff. If it's cold, we've got a treadmill downstairs.

"She did long distance and short distance (in high school). She's kind of a tomboy. My dad (Heyworth principal Jeff Asmus) did wrestling."

In football, Asmus is a tight end and defensive end.

"He is a very strong kid if you look at him," Wells said. "He's in the weight room a lot. A lot of that strength is really helping him."

Asmus' track exploits have helped his social status.

"I'm not as low in the ranks anymore as a freshman, getting picked on and stuff like that," he said. "Now I'm kind of up there coming to big meets like (the Honor Roll Meet). I've earned a little more respect."

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Boys state track preview

Where: O'Brien Stadium, Charleston.

When: 9 a.m. Friday; 11 a.m. Saturday

Who: 98 Pantagraph area boys; 74 in Class A and 24 in AA

Class A area top seeds: Tremont junior Parker Thompson, last fall's Class 1A state cross country champion, is the top seed in the 800 (1:58.34) in which he placed second a year ago prior to winning the 1,600. His season best of 4:21.4 in the 1,600 is Class A's fastest. … Fieldcrest senior Brian Peterson, second in last year's 3,200 at 9:28.31, is the No. 2 seed at 9:51.34 behind Elmwood's Dustin Emerick (9:42.04). … Another 2007 runner-up, Olympia junior pole vaulter Alex Freshour, is coming off a career-best clearance of 15-3 Tuesday, a mark only defending champion Cody Doerflein of DuQuoin (15-6) topped in the sectionals. … Central Catholic boasts the No. 2-seeded 400 relay at 43.54 behind Herrin's 42.81.

Class AA area top seeds: Bloomington senior Tyler Sipes is seeded to defend his 110 high hurdle crown based on his sectional time of 14.04. He ran second in last year's 300 intermediate hurdles in a Pantagraph area record 37.74 behind Kraig Appleton of East St. Louis (37.57). Appleton is the top seed at 36.84. … Normal West junior high jumper Troy Walls shares the No. 2 seeding at 6-8 behind Springfield Lanphier's Cheldon Brown (6-10). … Streator sophomore pole vaulter Logan Pflibsen upped his school record to 15-3 Tuesday, a mark topped by only three others statewide in the sectionals. … The season bests of BHS junior triple jumper Sodiq Alliu (46-6) and junior long jumper Jeshiah Campbell (23-1) were topped by only five sectional performers.