Pikeville鈥檚 Boohers find unlikely connection in distance running and help spread positive message
PIKEVILLE, Ky. (BVM) — Pikeville High School senior Harrison Booher was going to be a basketball player. That was unsurprising considering that his father, Jason Booher, was one of Kentucky鈥檚 best high school basketball coaches, winning the Kentucky High School Athletic Directors Association鈥檚 2009 Outstanding Coach of the Year for all sports. Jason Booher had been the head boys basketball coach at Holmes High School in Covington and Shelby Valley High School for 12 seasons and in 2010 his Shelby Valley team became the only team in state history to win both the All 鈥淎鈥� State Championship and the Sweet 16 State Championship in the same season.
It seemed that Harrison Booher was destined for greatness on the basketball court, except he instead found cross country.
Harrison didn鈥檛 stumble upon the sport he would soon fall in love with by accident. As a matter of fact, he had originally joined cross country as a way to improve his basketball skills. However, to Harrison鈥檚 surprise, he found that he was not only good at running, but that he enjoyed himself while doing it. Before long, Harrison鈥檚 running skills surpassed even his skills on the hardwood. Harrison Booher was born to run.
鈥淎ll throughout middle school and elementary school I had grown up playing basketball and I played until my freshman year,鈥� Harrison said. 鈥淭hat was the year I kind of realized I loved cross country and track a lot more than I did basketball and I was actually better at cross country and track. That鈥檚 when I really realized I wanted to focus everything into running and that it was my passion.”
In 2014, the Boohers returned to Pikeville when Hillary Booher, Jason鈥檚 wife, got a job as the school district鈥檚 occupational therapist. Jason was hired as the assistant principal and athletic director for Pikeville High School the same year when Harrison and their youngest child, Jewel, were both in middle school. But soon, the Boohers would have a lasting impact on the high school.
When the Boohers arrived in Pikeville, the school鈥檚 boys cross country team was not doing well, not qualifying for the state meet in both 2014 and 2015. Once Harrison joined the high school team, it slowly started improving. In 2016, the team made the state meet and finished 24th. The next season they made it and finished 17th; the year after that, they won the district championship and finished 10th.
鈥淐ross country wasn鈥檛 a really big thing here in Pikeville, it has always been football and cheerleading so I had to start building the team up. I practically begged some of the people in my grade and younger grades to come out for cross country,鈥� Harrison said 鈥淭he first couple of years we kind of struggled to make it to state, then eventually over the years we ended up winning region and then our goal was to get on the podium at the state meet.鈥�
Heading into Harrison鈥檚 senior year, the team was looking to achieve heights it never had before.
Pikeville cross country never finished better than fourth place at the state meet. Harrison and the rest of the team were looking to best that mark. During the season, the Panthers
climbed as high as second in the KHSAA state rankings and were again victorious in their district. At the Class A state championship, Pikeville finished second behind Holy Cross in Louisville with an average time of 17:43.22. Harrison led the team finishing in 17:14.81, good for the 11th fastest time at the meet.
鈥淚 never really thought getting on the podium at the state meet was possible until that last year and to actually do that was just unbelievable,鈥� Harrison said. 鈥淚t was hard to believe when we first got it until we actually went up on the stage with the trophy.鈥� The meet was a successful end to an impressive season for the senior. Harrison was named to the Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association鈥檚 All-State team. Not only that, but he was also named the KHSAA鈥檚 Male Cross Country Student-Athlete of the Year.
Harrison鈥檚 high school career culminated in a commitment to Georgetown College where he will run both cross country and track starting in the fall. Georgetown was the first school to offer Harrison a scholarship following his performance at the state track meet in the spring of last year, which only added to Harrison鈥檚 interest in the school. Harrison was also named a distinguished scholar at the school, the highest honor at the school and covers the cost of tuition.
鈥�(The coach) was the first one to really seriously recruit me and so I kind of had a feeling already, a good positive feeling about that place,鈥� Harrison said. He was the first one to believe in me. After a couple of visits to Georgetown and elsewhere I figured out that Georgetown was the place I wanted to be.鈥�
Jason Booher was also finding his own success in the world of education. In 2018, Jason was named the principal at Pikeville High School replacing David Thomas, who had retired after 31 years. The hiring marked Jason鈥檚 first time holding the position at any school following 22 years of experience in teaching and coaching. It was around this time that Jason was also fully introduced to the sport of distance running.
鈥淭hroughout my whole life, sports have always meant a ton to me,鈥� Jason said. 鈥淚鈥檒l always want to stay in shape. But staying in shape was always with a ball in my hand or at my feet. Something with a ball. Once Harrison picked up on (running) when he was in fourth, fifth, sixth grade, I just realized there was a whole new world of competitive racers and runners and there鈥檚 a whole other clique of people out there that people don鈥檛 even know they’re out there.鈥�
Jason, following in his son鈥檚 footsteps, has taken to the sport of competitive distance running like a fish to water. In total, Jason has run approximately nine marathons including the Berlin Marathon last September. The ever competitive former coach found that his competitive fire was still alive and well, even though he had left the basketball court. Running was the answer to quench his competitive thirst.
鈥淚 always have to do something competitive,鈥� Jason said. 鈥淚 got into a 5K then I was like well I will get into a 10K, I鈥檒l try to go six miles. Then I did a half-marathon, then I did a full marathon like a bucket list like I am never going to run 26.2 miles ever again. Then it鈥檚 like I want to break four hours so you just keep getting competitive.鈥�
Jason realized running is also a sport he could continue doing as he grows older, something other sports couldn鈥檛 quite offer.
鈥淭he good thing about running is it鈥檚 a sport, unlike football and basketball, that you can play your entire life,鈥� Jason said. 鈥淩unning is much like golf; it鈥檚 something you can play forever. Regardless of how old you get and how slower you get as you age, it鈥檚 not like everybody is in the same pool for a race, they have age divisions.鈥�
Running has taken on a different meaning for Jason as well, as he uses it to help spread the message of one of the hardest points of his life.
On May 14, 1988, a 13-year-old Jason was one of 67 people taking part in a church outing to King鈥檚 Island in Cincinnati. On the ride back to Radcliff First Assembly of God in Radcliff, Ky., the school bus that was carrying Jason and his classmates was struck by Larry Mahoney, who had a blood-alcohol level of 0.24, on Interstate 71 in unincorporated Carroll County. The crash would end up being the worst drunk driving accident in state history, killing 27 people while injuring 34 others.
Jason has done a number of speaking appearances around the state and the country to discuss the dangers of drinking and driving. To honor those people who were most impacted by the crash, Jason wears a singlet commemorating those who lost their lives during major marathons.
On the front of the singlet it reads, 鈥淒on鈥檛 drink and drive. Survivors of our nation鈥檚 worst DUI crash. Carrollton bus crash. May 14, 1988.鈥� On the back, the 27 names of the crash victims are listed in alphabetical order, one for each mile and then the last two-tenths dedicated to Chad Witt, Jason鈥檚 best friend at the time of the accident. Jason wore it during the Berlin Marathon.
鈥淎s I pass people I will hear people yell, 鈥楧on鈥檛 drink and drive鈥� and so forth from the singlet or ask the story,鈥� Jason said. 鈥淲e had people that spoke English yelling don鈥檛 drink and drive or cool singlet.鈥�
Jason has prepared himself to add to his list of marathon competitions in the future with plans to run in the New York City Marathon this November and the Chicago Marathon next fall. Looking to further build on his list of completed major marathons earlier this year, Jason had planned to run in the Boston Marathon in April, but it was cancelled due to concerns over COVID-19. However, he is still preparing to compete in the race virtually while helping to spread the word of not drinking and driving.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great way to honor each mile that is run in a marathon,鈥� Jason said. 鈥淎 lot of places I go they will do a story in the newspaper about that story. So just getting the word out about not letting their lives be lost without a meaning and a purpose and also getting the message out there about the consequences of drinking and driving. That鈥檚 the biggest push.鈥�
With Harrison continuing his competitive career in college and Jason working his way through the major marathon circuit, it is clear running will be part of the Booher family for a long time. Not bad for a family whose first sports love was basketball.
