LAKEWOOD — Max Miller’s performance was surgical at Jeffco Stadium.

Miller operated with precision and the Vanguard junior recognized keeping Dayspring Christian Academy’s Cooper Osmus as his pacer would serve well on his final push Friday.

Suffice to say it worked as Miller ran a 9-minute, 17.67-second 3,200 race in the 2A finals and set the state mark that erased Golden View Classical Academy’s Bobby Kiesewetter’s year-old record of 9:25.63.

“The plan at the start was to stick with Cooper and work together to get that state record,” Miller said. “We both managed to do that and it was a great race. I was planning my kick around 800 meters.”

But Osmus increased his pace at that point. Both runners owned a 30-second advantage over the field and continued to trade the lead in the final two laps.

“The entire time I heard his footsteps behind me,” Osmus said. “I knew I had to go fast or this guy was going to take over.”

Osmus owned the lead on the final turn and began his sprint.

“This kid is fast,” Osmus said.

Miller pulled ahead in the final 70 meters of the race and the Coursers junior, who also won the individual 2A title during cross country season, bolted to the finish line. Both runners found each other after crossing the finish line and exchanged compliments and pleasantries as they exited the track.  

“Credit to Cooper, he took it out really strong and led me through the race and kept us both at the state record pace,” Miller said. “It was a consistent pace throughout all the laps and we were able to pick it up and go under that pace.”