BISMARCK -- Dylan Boura went from worst to first.
The worst was how he felt in the 2014 North Dakota Class B boys state high school track meet, when a recurring hamstring injury prevented him from running in the finals.
The first? Those are the 110 and 300 hurdles championships the Grafton-St. Thomas senior won Saturday at the conclusion of this year’s state meet.
“There was nothing worse than watching a race you know you should be in,’’ said Boura, who qualified for the hurdles finals as a junior but couldn’t participate in them due to his hamstring. “It was hard last year. I made the finals, but I couldn’t even walk that day. It was awful, the worst experience of my life.
“I’m not happy it happened. But I think it me me work harder. I was hungrier this year.’’
ADVERTISEMENT
Boura’s titles were no surprise. He came in as the No. 1 seed in both hurdles and he had the fastest times in both events in Friday’s preliminaries.
His first title, in the 300s, came in come-from-behind fashion. With 100 meters left, Boura cleared a hurdle and burst past leader and eventual runner-up Scott Wendel of Carrington. Boura had a winning time of 39.22 seconds, a personal record.
“I knew what pace I wanted,’’ Boura said. “I didn’t let (Wendel) get ahead of me by more than two steps, then I gave it my all over the last 100. It worked great.’’
In the 110 hurdles, Boura led from almost start to finish, winning with a 14.76 time, another PR. “It’s a short race. I like to go all out and lead the whole race,’’ Boura said.
For Boura, it was a return to the podium as he’d placed third in the 110 hurdles and fourth in the 300s as a sophomore before being shut out last season.
“That (injury last season) was definitely motivation this year,’’ Boura said. “I thought about it before every race.’’
Thompson repeats
Grafton-St. Thomas also received a title from Josh Thompson. The senior used a strong kick to repeat as 800 state champion, winning in a time of 1:56.90.
ADVERTISEMENT
Thompson came in with only the No. 4 seed.
“Going in with the No. 4 seed, I wasn’t happy about that,’’ said Thompson, who also finished third in the 300 hurdles. “This season didn’t go quite like I wanted. I was running some other events, so that took training time away from the 800. I had a little doubt in my mind coming in.
“But it all came together here.’’
Thompson went into his kick with 300 meters left, passing runner-up Ryan Wheeling of New Town on the final turn.
“If somebody sets a good pace, I try to stay with them,’’ Thompson said. “It’s a lot easier for me that way. Then I like to make my move on the back stretch. I love running that final 200.’’
Boura and Thompson led the Spoilers to a top-five finish. New Town won the team title with 79 points, followed by Dickinson Trinity (71), Carrington (56.5) and Rugby (48. Grafton-St. Thomas tied Northern Cass for fifth, each with 44 points.
Other top placers
Other area top-four placers Saturday include:
ADVERTISEMENT
- Spencer Rehovsky, Park River Area, third, javelin.
- Grafton’s 4x400 relay, third.
- Jaden Lunde, Benson County, fourth, shot put.
- Quentin Sears, North Star, fourth, high jump.
