Bigfork’s Duke has risen above tough times

During an April 6 triangular meet at Legends Stadium, Wyatt Duke set an early tone for his senior track and field season by clearing 6 feet, 8 inches to win the high jump.

His other highlight that day: The 110-meter hurdles. If he didn’t enjoy his time, he loved the photo.

“I liked my flow,” he said.

That longish hair was soon trimmed back at the behest of his Bigfork coaches, who saw it flopping in his eyes on his high jump approach. He borrowed a headband that day; three days later in Frenchtown, newly coiffed, he cleared 6-9.

This is no surprise to Bigfork jumps coach Jim Epperly, who has known Duke most of the youngster’s life, and really paid attention when he high-jumped 6 feet as an eighth-grader.

“You could see the pop in his body,” Epperly said this week. “Long legs. He was dunking a basketball in my junior high PE class. And he just took to the high jump.”

And now, after a rough period in his life, he is flying right.

Duke and Huntley Project senior Noah Bouchard are the two best in the state in the high jump, and happen to be in the same class. When the State B meet gets underway in Laurel in three weekends, it will be the 6-5 Duke and 6-7 Bouchard duking it out: A couple multi-sport athletes that make recruiters drool.

“He’s a great basketball athlete, too,” Duke said of Bouchard. “But a phenomenal hurdler. He’s better than me by like, two seconds.

“I’m three-stepping, I’m just not quick like him.”

Longtime Bigfork head coach Sue Loeffler chuckles: She feels this could change, even in the short time left in the season.

“That’s just it; he’s quicker than he believes he is,” Loeffler asserts. “I don’t feel he has the confidence in that race that he should. He has three-stepped since he was a freshman, and that’s not easy to do.”

Loeffler is the balance to Duke’s easy-going personality, and has been there through tragedy. A tattoo on Duke’s left wrist honors his late sister Madison, who died in a car accident on July 3, 2016. She was 17, and is survived by Wyatt, sister Jamie and their mother, Stephanie.

Wyatt was 13 at the time.

“It’s not always on my mind, but I do think about it pretty frequently,” he said Saturday, after winning the hurdles at the Whitefish A.R.M. Invitational. “It’s tough losing a sister when you’re a teenager, you know? But she was a great person. An amazing person.

“She was great with little kids — she worked at the preschool program in Bigfork. Everyone loved her.”

Duke noted that his sister had been dealing with issues, including depression, toward the end of her life.

“But you know, you can’t change the past and I don’t like to dwell on that,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what her last two years were like, it matters what her life was like as a whole, and that was amazing, I think she’s an angel now. For sure.”

Epperly noted that during this rocky time, Loeffler helped steady the boat.

“I really give a lot of credit to our head coach,” Epperly said. “She keeps him going and keeps him focused and has had a lot of good talks with him, and holds him accountable.

“Wyatt’s a great kid. I love coaching him. Very enthusiastic, he’s technical. He’s pretty smart. Has a pretty good head.”

“I’d say I could not have done nearly any of this without her,” Duke added. “My freshman and sophomore years of high school, I was struggling with personal things. I really wanted to, and tried to, drop out of high school. She and other people made me realize that that was not a good choice, especially with my ability.

“She helped with my schooling and with staying on the right track.”

Duke laughs.

“I’m very thankful for my coaches, if you couldn’t tell.”

“I keep tabs on him all year round, not just track,” Loeffler allowed. “He’s a great kid you just want the best for.

“You know how kids need support at times? I’ve just been there if he needs something.”

This includes monitoring his academics for college preparatory classes. Not many can jump like Duke, and by April Division II MSU-Billings was in contact. Now Montana State of the Big Sky Conference is also interested.

On Tuesday at the Hamilton A-B-C Top 10, Duke cleared 6-4 in the twilight to win his signature event. Andrew Sanford of St. Regis finished second at 6-0.

“He made 6-4 and it was cold and it was late and we jacked it to 6-7,” Epperly said. “And he went out.

“His legs aren’t feeling real great. His plant foot is a little sore. We’ve eased up on him in practice and I”m optimistic he’ll be ready to go when it’s go time.”

Across the state at Midland Roundtable Top 10 in Laurel, Bouchard won both hurdles and cleared 6-6 to win the high jump Tuesday. He came up short at a career-best 6-11.

“It will come down to me and him at state,” Duke, who cleared 6-6 at the 2019 State B in Kalispell to finish second to Bouchard (6-8), said. “I’m excited. And honestly, I don’t care if I get first or second or third — I just like competition.

“When we get to that state meet, and it’s my last high school meet, I will enjoy it as long as myself and the other athletes have a good competition, supporting each other and pushing each other to our limits. That’s the exciting part of track, in my opinion. Pushing each other.”