LIVERMORE — Jeff Ryder didn’t get into track and field for the medals and trophies. He just likes to go fast.

So when the Livermore Falls High School graduate is asked to discuss his sensational senior season, it’s no surprise that he glosses over the details of his three Mountain Valley Conference championships or his 22 points at the Class C state meet.

The image that keeps flashing before Ryder’s eyes is one of crooked numbers on the face of a stopwatch one blustery spring afternoon: 10.75.

“It would have to be the race at Wiscasset. It was hand-clocked, but it was still nice to run that time,” said Ryder, referring to a 100-meter clip approaching the fastest ever run in Maine. “There was nothing special about that day. Actually it was pretty cold.”

Ryder’s typical trip down the straightaway was in the low-11 second range. That was plenty good enough to sweep the 100 meters in the MVCs at Cony High School and the Class C showcase at Foxcroft Academy.

As the anchor leg in Livermore Falls’ 4×100 relay, Ryder led the Andies to an MVC crown and fourth place at states.

Double the distance and you’ll get a scowl from the otherwise reserved Ryder, who openly proclaims that he “hates” the 200. Still, he was MVC champion and second in Class C.

Anything else?

“I did javelin during the season,” Ryder said. “My best throw was around 115 feet, which qualified for MVCs. But Coach (Bill Bilouris) kept me out of it. He wanted me to concentrate on running.”

Running with conviction and purpose was Ryder’s bread and butter, and the reason he stands alone as the Sun Journal all-area boys’ track and field athlete of the year.

It’s an unlikely if not Hollywood ending on at least two levels.

Ryder moved to North Carolina as a sophomore before returning home for his final two years of high school. Home, specifically, is with his uncle Thomas Hebert, a fellow Livermore Falls alumnus.

“To make a long story short, I’m able to do a little better for him than where he was,” Hebert said. “When he’s around the house, sometimes he’s 14 feet tall and bulletproof, but with anybody else he’s pretty modest and not one to say much. He does well academically. When you give him a problem, he just gets it. I think it’s the same thing with sports.”

“My uncle and my aunt take care of me and give me anything I need,” Ryder said. “I was happy to come back. The place I lived down there was a big city. I like Livermore a lot better.”

In addition to a stable environment, the return home gave Ryder a chance to participate in what he considered his first athletic love, football.

Ryder thrived in Livermore Falls’ Wing-T offense, averaging nearly 15 yards per carry through the first two games of his senior season.

Then he developed soreness in his left knee. Ryder continued to practice and play on the injury without telling anyone about the pain, which likely caused him to overcompensate and strain his right calf and quadriceps.

The health scare could have cost Ryder his senior track season. Ryder sat out the final three weeks of football and underwent three more weeks of physical therapy. With the help of a restful winter, the wounded knee and sore leg healed without surgery.

“He just wanted to play football his senior year and all the stuff that goes along with that,” Hebert said. “He kept saying he felt like he was letting the school and the team down. I just kept telling him he got hit. You can’t control that.”

Another thing Ryder can’t completely control is his future in track.

He will attend the University of Maine in the fall. There has been some contact between Ryder and the school’s track program. Bilouris, whose daughter ran for the Black Bears, has helped to champion Ryder’s cause.

As of now, however, Ryder would be a walk-on.

“I’m going to focus on school first and see what happens,” Ryder said.

Family and friends would tell you that’s the longest they’ve heard Ryder talk about sitting still.

“I tell him the reason he’s so fast is that I used to chase him as a kid,” Hebert said. “Now I look at him and he runs to the gym, runs home, bikes to his friend’s house, runs home, runs back to get the bike. I wish I could bottle up some of that energy. I’d have a real moneymaker.”

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Sun Journal Boys’ Track and Field All-Region Team

Faisal Abdillahi, Lewiston, middle distances

George Clement, Lisbon, jumps

Kelton Cullenberg, Mt. Blue, distances

Mike Dejager, Gray-New Gloucester, pole vault

Steven Giorgetti, Edward Little, throws

Ricardo Hairston, Edward Little, triple jump

Jordan Hersom, Leavitt, sprints and hurdles

Travis Hutchins, Winthrop, throws

Elliott Kahl, Monmouth, distances

Michael Lucas, Edward Little, sprints and hurdles

Jack Peters, Elan, sprints and hurdles

Morgan Reeves, Lisbon, jumps and throws

Derrick Roy, Lewiston, throws

Jeff Ryder, Livermore Falls, sprints

Gabe Schwartz, Elan, throws

Jeremy Theriault, Edward Little, middle distances

Keith Tremblay, Edward Little, racewalk and throws

Mason White, Leavitt, jumps

Cam Woodford, Poland, throws

Matt York, Poland, throws