EAST STROUDSBURG - Minersville's Ben Hinkel got his fellow competitors to pose with their arms flexed on the medal stand Thursday night.
The junior certainly proved to be the strongest during the latter stages of the Class AA boys' 800.
Hinkel earned his first individual district title, using a late push to pull away from a crowded field, during the second day of the District 11 Track and Field Championships at East Stroudsburg South High School.
Hinkel, who came into the event as the top seed, finished in 2:00.45 to beat Pen Argyl's Cullen King (2:02.38).
Thursday was not the first district championship for Hinkel, who attends Tri-Valley High School and runs for the Miners as part of their co-op program. In 2013, he anchored the Class AA district championship 3,200 relay team with Zach Horn, Eric Smack and Dustin Miller, while individually taking second in the 800.
"I am just really happy," Hinkel said. "I knew it was going to be a close race. Those guys were 3 seconds off and I just wanted to stick with the
guy in first and take him at the end."
Hinkel's title was the only one won by a Schuylkill League athlete Thursday, although six others qualified for the next weekend's PIAA Championships at Shippensburg University.
Two of those qualifiers were from Blue Mountain.
Senior Colton Cryts was the runner-up in the Class AAA long jump, finishing in 22 feet, 5.5 inches. East Stroudsburg North's Alize Graham (22-9.25) won the event.
Tristan Dickey, also a senior, took second in the 400 with a season-best time of 49.94 seconds. Pocono Mountain East's Nate Fogle (49.82) took first.
Both Cryts and Dickey also beat the state qualifying standard in their respective events.
Marian's Sam Tomlin, Dom Mussoline, Nick Sully and Chris Bruno finished third in the Class AA 400 relay in 44.22, but are headed to the state meet, too, after beating the state qualifying standard of 44.31.
At the Schuylkill League meet at Tamaqua last week, Hinkel ran a sub-two minute in the 800 for the first time in his career with a 1:58.76. Trailing during the final lap, Hinkel made a late push and nearly caught Pottsville's Humza Hnesh, who ended up winning the event in 1:58.73 as the two tumbled across the finish line.
Hinkel needed a strong finish during Thursday's race, too.
At one point, Hinkel, who wanted to keep the lead runner just ahead of him during the race, was in fourth place. With 300 meters to go, he turned on the speed. With his arms flailing in the air, Hinkel took the lead for good around the 200-meter mark and then held on for the victory.
"I stuck with him and I am like 'I can't slow down now, I just have to keep going,' " Hinkel said. "I just had to maintain my speed the whole time around."
"I tried to least kick in the two (200 meters) and just put the whole speed on it in the 100 (meters) and give it all I have there.
"That's when I try to do my best, finish strong. That is my goal, always kick at the end."
The long jump was Cryts' last chance to get to states for the first time in his high school career, after he was 12th in the high jump Wednesday and 13th in the pole vault Thursday.
He locked up his trip to states early by beating the state qualifying standard of 22-0 on his first attempt of the day.
"I just wanted to make it to states and go from there and try to win it," Cryts said. "I hit state qualifying on my first jump so I was pretty happy about that and then I just went for it and gave it my all.
"I just went for it right off the bat. I didn't worry about scratching for anything. I gave it all I got."
Dickey, who is also going to states for first time, had mixed feelings about his second-place finish.
He came in as the top seed, and beat his previous season-best time of 50.45 that he recorded at the league meet last week. Dickey also bettered the state qualifying standard of 50.09.
Dickey passed Fogle going around the final corner, but Fogle quickly regained the lead for good and held on for the victory.
"I am happy I ran a sub-49, but I wanted that so bad," he said. "I've been working on it since football season ended. I am glad I am going to states."State qualifiers
CLASS AA
Boys
Marian
Chris Bruno (100, 400 relay)
Dom Mussoline (400 relay)
Nick Sully (400 relay)
Sam Tomlin (400 relay)
Minersville
Ben Hinkel (800)
Girls
Nativity
Emily Field (javelin)
North Schuylkill
Ryan Evanousky (100 hurdles)
Carly Gregas (high jump)
Pine Grove
Maddie Frew (100 hurdles, 400 relay, 1,600 relay, triple jump)
Jess Fath (400 relay, 1,600 relay)
Kelli Readinger (400 relay, 1,600 relay)
MaKayla Lally (400 relay, 1,600 relay)
Schuylkill Haven
Jade Wilson (400 relay)
Tamika Ebling (400 relay)
Andrea Slotterback (400 relay)
Jade Wilson (400 relay)
Tamaqua
Paige Demetriades (javelin)
Morgan Boyle (javelin)
Monika Shimko (800)
CLASS AAA
Boys
Blue Mountain
Tristan Dickey (400)
Colton Cryts (long jump)
Girls
Pottsville
Paige Stoner (1,600)