Draven Nevarez etches his place in Moses Lake history
Connor Vanderweyst/Columbia Basin Herald Moses Lake's Draven Nevarez is the new school record-holder in the javelin after a throw of 195 feet, 6 inches at the Davis Invitational.
MOSES LAKE — The throw felt good out of Draven Nevarez’s hand when he released the javelin.
Nevarez knew it was really good when the javelin soared through the air and landed almost two-thirds of a football field away from him.
195 feet, 6 inches.
A new school record — breaking the old mark of 182 feet, 3 inches — and a new Davis Invitational record. The old meet standard was 191 feet, 7 inches.
“It’s kind of crazy because I’ve been trying to put it together for so long now,” Nevarez said. “I knew it would come — the school record — because I was really close last year so this year I was like, ‘OK, that’s my goal.’ It finally happened and then my next throw I just kind of launched one.”
The “launched one” also propelled Nevarez into Washington’s top spot and into the top 10 of the national rankings. Initially ranked sixth after the meet, Nevarez’s throw settled into ninth-best in the country.
“I wasn’t really expecting that,” Nevarez said.
In the fall, Nevarez was Moses Lake football’s bruising running back. The senior led the Columbia Basin Big Nine with 15 rushing touchdowns and was a near sure thing around the goal line.
But in the spring, when the weather gets a bit warmer, Nevarez has shown off his agility throwing the javelin.
“It’s (the javelin) definitely technique based,” he said. “It’s not a brute force kind of thing. You really have to practice hard and get everything down. It’s really technical. It’s far more technical than anybody would think if they haven’t thrown.”
Nevarez started throwing javelin as a sophomore and his personal and season records have increased as the years have passed.
It’s not just throwing a spear, after all. An article on the website wikiHow describes the motion in nine parts.
“It’s not really the run up, it’s more about the technique and the plant at the end,” Nevarez said. “Keeping your arm back and staying in the right position and keeping all your body in the right spot. It’s kind of hard because you have so many different things so it’s just about putting it together and keeping it tight.”
Got all that?
Nevarez was a district runner-up last season and placed 15th at the 2016 state championships.
Despite his mammoth throw, his goals for the rest of the season are unchanged.
“My goal is still the same, to keep getting better and working at practice — keep progressing,” he said. “It’s a good starter and it’s been what I wanted, but I can still keep going and I want to get to the best I can by the end of the season.”