Seneca Valley's Oliver Philogene, seen here putting the finishing touches on his WPIAL Class 3A championship in the 400-meter run in 2012, was inducted into the SV Sports Hall of Fame earlier this school year. Eagle file photo

Already blessed with physical talent, Oliver Philogene received a boost from some encouraging words.

Early in his varsity track career at Seneca Valley, sprint coach Gar Bercury made a prediction.

"He told me that I would be a state champion one day," Philogene said. "I was like, 'OK'. It seemed like a crazy thing. He believed in me more than I believed in myself."

That exchange stuck with Philogene, who proved Bercury right in the spring of 2012. As a senior that year, Philogene was undefeated in the 400-meter run, sweeping his way to WPIAL and PIAA Class 3A titles in the event.

He was inducted into the SV Sports Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024.

“I could tell early on that Oliver was a very hard worker,” Bercury said. “I believed that if he invested in the process, he would accomplish something very special.”

Philogene's last three meets of his varsity career are the stuff of legend. In the WPIAL championship meet, he won the 400 with a meet-record time of 48.44 seconds, breaking the previous standard of 48.60 which was set by Woodland Hills' Steve Breaston, who would go on to star for the University of Michigan's football team before playing in the NFL.

The following week at the state championships, he ran a 47.77 in preliminaries before capping his scholastic individual career with a first-place time of 47.43, which to date is the fastest time ever achieved in Butler County boys track history.

“I remember seeing him in the warm-up area before the (state) final,” Bercury said. “I had this calm feeling, was extremely confident that he was going to finish the job.”

Philogene became just the second SV track and field athlete to win a state title, following Gus Nicoll’s 3,200 win in 1984.

"I was always an athlete as a kid growing up, loved running during conditioning tests in elementary school," Philogene said. "By the time I got to high school, Gar knows how to get the most out of his athletes. I didn't feel like it was pressure, but knew I had to put the work in."

As a junior, Philogene teamed with Andrew Schroeder, Hunter Williams and George DeAugustino to win the district title in the 1,600-meter relay. In the state meet, they placed third with an all-time Butler County-best effort of 3:18.36.

Philogene was also a starting wide receiver on SV's 2011 football team that went 8-3 and posted the program's first playoff win in nine years.

"Being inducted into the hall of fame is something I really appreciate," said Philogene, who resides in Cranberry Township. "Along with Gar, I received a lot of support from my parents, Abel Francois and Marie Philogene."