Lee Padberg was proud of his son Bryan, whose high school running career took off his freshman year at Heppner High School with state Class A titles in the 1,500 and 3,000 meter runs in 1986. But Lee was prouder that Brian broke 20-year-old school records in the mile and 2-mile runs the same year — records Lee had set himself 20 years earlier.
Running titles were a family affair for the Padbergs, beginning with the family patriarch and continuing with daughter Jodi, a middle-distance standout during her high school career. Bryan’s freshman success, though, led to some attitude problems and he failed to repeat his win in the 1,500-meter race his sophomore year.
“I didn’t work as hard that year,” Bryan said during an April 26, 1989 interview with the East Oregonian.
But coach Dale Conklin agreed that Bryan learned his lesson and “worked his tail off” during his junior year, posting personal bests in the 1,500 with 4 minutes, 3 seconds, and the 3,000 meters at 8:54.7 at the Gladstone Meet of Champions. He capped his junior season by leading Heppner to the state Class A track championship, taking the titles for the 1,500 and 3,000 and anchoring the team’s fifth-place 1,600 meter relay team. He was named the Class A men’s athlete of the year in the 1989 issue of “Who’s Who in Oregon Track and Field.”
Along with the boys’ first-ever state track championship, Bryan’s junior year also included a spot on the roster of Heppner’s second-place football team during the fall state Class A championships. But it wasn’t all victories for Bryan and his teammates that year: the Mustangs failed to move past the district playoffs during basketball season, his favorite sport.
Bryan was considering nibbles from the University of Oregon and Pacific Lutheran University track coaches as his high school career was drawing to a close, his senior year focused on improving his GPA in hopes of scoring scholarship offers. “I’ve got to do well this year. I guess that’s one of my pressures,” Bryan said as his mother, Linda, watched him prepare for yet another race.
“Maybe he puts a little too much pressure on himself,” Linda said. “I think he’s nervous this year.”
Bryan promptly ran away from the field, breaking the tape in meet-record time for the 800 meter race.
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