For those who witness high school track and field regularly or only on occasion,
Mar'keith Bailey possesses that "wow" factor.
Casual fans and diehards alike generally utter that exclamation after the
Cherokee Trail (Aurora) sprinter hits high gear and blows away yet another field of competitive athletes. Think of seeing Bo Jackson in his prime as a running back, and applying that type of over-the-top ability to the track.

Mar'Keith Bailey, Cherokee Trail
Courtesy photo
Not to say that the Cougars senior can't be matched or even one-upped, but when it happens, it's usually by teammates such as
Brandon Singleton or
Evan White.
Bailey, currently weighing college choices, was part of the Cougars' Class 5A state championship team last season, although he didn't have as big a role as Singleton and the since-graduated Jaylyn Mars. But he has ramped it up this season, notching the highest posted time in each the 200 meters (21.99 seconds) and 400 meters (49.23) while also serving as a key part of the Cougars' vaunted relay teams.
"First of all, my main goal is to be better than last year and also to be a two-time (team) champ at state," Bailey said. "Each day and every hour matters a lot to me, especially as a senior."
The Cougars were at it again Friday at the Broomfield Shootout, where they set a meet record by completing the 800-meter relay in 1 minute, 27.64 seconds while also winning the 400 and 1,600 relays. Bailey won the 200 in 22.64, White won the 100 and
Isaiah Kaiser smoked the field in the 300 hurdles.
Essentially, just another day at the office for Cherokee Trail.
"Every meet, we look at it as increased competition," Bailey said. "Even against ourselves, there's that friendly competition. But we're always trying to get better."
In regards to specific personal goals, Bailey would like to get his state-best 200 time down to a 21.5. He is considering Arkansas, CSU-Pueblo and Northern Colorado, and aiming to also play football. He was a standout outside linebacker for the Cougars in the fall, when he averaged 7.9 tackles per contest.
"He's always been a hard worker, but he has completely reinvented himself this year," Cherokee Trail track coach Chris Faust said. "I would say he's the hardest worker on the team. One of the things that held him back last year is he took warming up as something that he's too tough to do that. He warms out now, and he's so mentally prepared and physically prepared to compete."
To Faust, the reason for the new-found dedication is apparent.
"I think he wants to put his name with the other people who have been talked about,
Jai'shawn (Thompson) down at
Fountain-Fort Carson,
Kossi (Tchenawou) at
Grandview (Aurora), his own teammate (Singleton)," Faust said. "I think he's trying to make a name for himself and he's doing an outstanding job right now."
On a team such as the Cougars, it's not easy for one to distinguish himself. White has signed at Colorado as a safety and Singleton will run at Oklahoma State. But Bailey is doing his best.
Faust has enjoyed the influx of superior athletes, although he can't resist good-natured digs.
"They'll half drive you nuts during the week getting ready for practice, but once practice starts they get after it," he said. "They obviously have a lot of fun a track meet. We were at Greeley on Wednesday and locals came up and said how much fun our kids were. I wouldn't want to sit next to them in the stands because they're so loud, but they have a good time."
Bailey concurs.
"We're a great team and we get along all the time," Bailey said. "It's fun at practice, because it's always great competition. Always."