It’s easy to forget that Connor Bottin already has two state track championships on his resumé. Most people do.

The gold medals were won in 2016, two years and a torn anterior cruciate ligament ago. The injury cost the St. Aloysius senior his junior season and turned what could have been a dominating 2018 campaign into a feel-good comeback tour.

“I had to overcome a lot of hurdles to get here. Literally and figuratively,” Bottin said, laughing as he caught the track-related pun. “I spent over a year in rehab, and it took a while to get speed back. My leg is still not as big as it used to be.  People at the track meets asked if I transferred. I said, ‘No, I’ve been here all along. Everyone just forgot.’”

On Saturday, Bottin will do his best to make them remember his name — not just who he was, but forever.

Bottin is the odds-on favorite to reclaim his titles in both the 110- and 300-meter hurdles when he runs in the MAIS Class AAA state meet Saturday at Jackson Prep. His winning times at last week’s South State meet were a second faster than his nearest competition. One second in the hurdles events equates to about 10 meters on the track.

“He hasn’t lost a hurdle race in two years,” St. Al coach Michael Fields said.

Bottin is also chasing history. He’s expected to challenge the Class AAA records in both events. Tunica’s Jimmy Pegram has the 110-meter record of 15.20 seconds, set in 1972, and Adams Christian’s Trey Fleming ran the 300 in 39.84 seconds in 2014. Bottin won the 110 meters in 15.21 seconds and the 300 in 41.55 last week, on what he said was a bad day.

“I’ve thought about it this whole track season. That’s my goal, is to get the record. I already beat it this year. I just have to run it at the state meet,” Bottin said.

Bottin will also compete in the 200 meters and the 4×100 and 4×400 meter relays. If he does what he’s setting out to do, he’ll take his place among some recent St. Al greats in MAIS track and field lore.

In 2016, St. Al’s DeMichael Harris set MAIS overall records in the 100, 200 and 400 meters. Last year, Donald Woodson won six gold medals — including record-breaking runs in the 4×100 and 4×200 relays — while leading the Flashes to the Class AAA team championship.

Bottin hasn’t shied away from the pressure that comes with inheriting that mantle. In fact, he said he’s embraced it.

“It’s fun being at track meets and having everyone come to the tent, shake my hand and meet me,” Bottin said. “It’s also a lot of responsibility. I have to keep track of my teammates, make sure they’re working hard at practice. I was looking forward to it since my freshman year. DeMichael was pretty much our leader that year, so I was like, ‘I’m going to have to do that my senior year.’”

So far, Fields said, he has.

“We’ve been blessed, since I’ve been here, to have somebody that’s taken the mantle of wanting to be great. Not just an average guy, but great. It’s on him, and he’s shown the leadership and other kids have followed,” Fields said.

While Bottin chases his individual championships, St. Al will be hard-pressed to defend its Class AAA team championship on Saturday. Injuries and an overall lack of depth sapped the team’s numbers through the first two rounds of the postseason.

The Flashes will have 10 entries in the meet, but Silliman Institute will have 23. With half as many opportunities to collect points, Fields said his team will have a difficult time keeping up with Silliman.

The MAIS overall meet, which includes Classes A, AA and AAA, begins Friday at 9 a.m., with the field events contested at Jackson Academy. Running events are Saturday at Jackson Prep, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

“Silliman is loaded. They’ve got quality and depth,” Fields said. “But we’re going to try to make a run and get that runner-up trophy. If we can do that, we’ll salvage the season. Every event we’re in, we need to be on the podium in the top three.”