BLOOMSBURG – How you start isn’t always indicative of the end result. Just ask Williamsport’s Kye Diakite and Hughesville’s Tyce Shaner.

At the rain-impacted PHAC Track and Field Championships at Bloomsburg on Saturday, both local seniors trailed in the latter portion of their respective races – Diakite in the 110-meter hurdles and Shaner in the 1,600. But whether by strategy or sheer effort, each managed to make up the deficit in the nick of time to take home gold.

Their efforts headlined a strong day for both their teams and the area as a whole. Diakite’s gold was one of two for the Millionaires, who claimed silver at the event with 94 team points. And Shaner’s title headlined a strong day for Hughesville’s distance core, one which saw them also claim gold in the 3,200 relay.

“It wasn’t my cleanest race ever, but I got the job done. Gave me a season best too, so I’m really happy,” said Diakite.

“I’m pretty excited,” said Shaner. “I like kicking at the end. It brings some excitement to the race, and I felt that was the right thing to do. Definitely had a fantastic race.”

In an event like the 110-meter hurdles, a good start can make or break your chances. Diakite didn’t have that luxury and quickly fell behind as a result, with Shikellamy’s Maddox Hoover getting out ahead and at one point having body length on Diakite.

But the Williamsport senior wasn’t fazed, using what he saw in front of him as motivation and all the endless preparations to see it through. Ultimately, he didn’t just surpass Hoover; he ran a 14.95, his season best and second sub-15 of the season.

“I started off super slow on the blocks, and after I saw that, I knew it was time for overdrive,” said Diakite. “It was just all the time practicing through all the worst conditions, just pushing through.”

For Shaner, it was all about strategy. In distance, there are a lot of ways you go about competing. The Hughesville senior chose to ‘sit and kick’, sitting back and keeping pace as the race developed before kicking it into high gear on the last lap.

The gold certainly wasn’t guaranteed, as fellow returning state qualifier Justin Nolt (Lewisburg) led the initial pace and ultimately gave Shaner a challenge down the stretch. But Shaner was able to surpass him with room to spare, posting a PA Top 50 time in the process with a 4:22.13. The five that finished behind him all set PRs.

“Was definitely pushed a little bit because Justin’s a good runner, but I trusted my kick to win the race today,” said Shaner. “It’s definitely a confidence booster to see the district in the PHAC division so competitive.”

Outside of the pair, plenty of other area athletes saw success.

For Williamsport, junior Alex Takach made it two gold finishes for the Millionaires, placing first in the 200 with a 22.30. He and Nathaniel Woods each placed top three in the 100 and 200, with Woods falling just .01 second short of surpassing Takach in the 100 to claim bronze.

“We’re always pushing each other at practice, always finishing neck-and-neck at practice,” said Takach on that dynamic after the 100. “I remember saying it at the 9th/10th PHAC meet; iron sharpens iron. That’s really what me and Nate are.”

“We’ll probably see the same thing happen in the 200,” predicted Woods.

Cordoza Minor claimed silver in the discus (155-6) and fourth in shot put (51-0). Brysen Thornton (3,200), Levi Gair (pole vault), Ashton Thomas (triple jump) earned bronze in their respective events. And Connor Hofstrom (3,200) and Noah Baird (1,600) took fourth to round out Williamsport’s top five finishers.

For Hughesville, sophomore Brendan Wolfgang earned bronze in the 110-meter hurdles with a 15.93. And Patrick Stine and Tristan Kurzawa placed fourth and fifth in the 800 respectively, both of which were involved in the team’s 3,200-relay title alongside Carter Sherwood and Wyatt Laubacher.

Lewisburg – who placed sixth as a team – was led by Nolt’s silver in the 1,600, and sophomore Hugh Ikeda Shields finished one slot behind him. Senior Rebira Jemama also posted a top five finish, taking fourth in the high jump.

Montoursville was led by Bryce Winslow, who posted two top three finishes, earning silver in the 400 and bronze in the 200. Adam Shearer finished two slots behind him in the 400, running a 51.85 to take fourth.

Loyalsock senior Jeremiah Johnson claimed bronze in the shot put (51-6). Warrior Run’s 3,200 relay – consisting of Braego Cieslukowski, Aiden Hoffman, Gideon Kennel and Ori Kennell – took home silver with an 8:14.33, with Hoffman also placing fifth in the 1,600. And Milton’s Joseph Nietling placed fourth in the 300-meter hurdles to round out most of the area’s top five finishers.

Overall, it was a strong all-around day for the area, one headlined by four titles and a considerable amount of hardware. Every team mentioned here will now turn their sights to the District 4 Track and Field Championships, set to begin on Friday.

PHAC TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

BOYS RESULTS

TEAM SCORES (top 10): 1. Shikellamy 116; 2. Williamsport 94; 3. Danville 68; 4. Selinsgrove 54; 5. Mount Carmel 45; t-6. Midd-West 42; t-6. Lewisburg 42; 8. Mifflinburg 39; 9. Hughesville 38; 10. Shamokin 31.

3,200: 1. Ebin Hine, MCA, 9:43.16; 2. Grant Boop, Midd-West, 9:46.22; 3. Brysen Thornton, 10:01.87; 4. Connor Hofstrom, Williamsport, 10:06.06; 5. Isaiah Sundaresan, 10:06.49; 6. Blake Gulden-Luthi, Lewisburg, 10:08.60; 7. Chase Evans, Danville, 10:10.97; 8. Cy Haight, Montoursville, 10:13.81.

110 hurdles: 1. Kye Diakite, Williamsport, 14.95; 2. Maddox Hoover, Shikellamy, 15.33; 3. Brendan Wolfgang, Hughesville, 15.93; 4. Chase Yoder, Mifflinburg, 16.12; 5. Eddie Dye, MCA, 16.20; 6. Aaron Bucher, Shikellamy, 16.27; 7. Landon Bennet, Danville, 16.27; 8. Maurice Baines, Williamsport, 17.50.

100: 1. Landen Murray, Mifflinburg, 11.11; 2. Alex Takach, Williamsport, 11.21; 3. Nathaniel Woods, Williamsport, 11.22; 4. Adrian Alexander, Shamokin, 11.29; 5. Thomas Pollock, Shikellamy, 11.30; 6. Gavin Cochran, Danville, 11.43; 7. Cooper Karycki, MCA, 11.72; 8. Zavia Pryce, Danville, 11.75.

3,200 relay: 1. Hughesville (Tristan Kurzawa, Carter Sherwood, Patrick Stine, Wyatt Laubacher), 8:04.32; 2. Warrior Run (Braego Cieslukowski, Aiden Hoffman, Gideon Kennel, Ori Kennel), 8:14.33; 3. Selinsgrove (Michael Andretta, Grant Pyers, Zach Lauver, Bobby Kruskie), 8:15.76; 4. Midd-West (names n/a), 8:26.11; 5. Central Columbia (Maguire Blake, Parker Brewington, Cade Moore, Ean Brink), 8:27.80; 6. Shikellamy (Anthony O’Brien, Braylon Chestnut, Sean Higgs, Brayden Armour), 8:45.24; 7. Mount Carmel (names n/a), 8:49.31; 8. Loyalsock (Aiden Wetzler, Cashlin Rogers, Bryson Rankinen, Dylan Eck), 8:54.67.

1,600: 1. Tyce Shaner, Hughesville, 4:22.13; 2. Justin Nolt, Lewisburg, 4:24.52; 3. Hugh Ikeda Shields, Lewisburg, 4:25.57; 4. Noah Baird, Williamsport, 4:29.92; 5. Aiden Hoffman, Warrior Run, 4:30.45; 6. Sam Nied, Danville, 4:32.68; 7. Michael Andretta, Selinsgrove, 4:36.87; 8. Wyatt Laubacher, Hughesville, 4:39.10.

400 relay: 1. Danville (Gavin Cochran, Landon Kehoe, Kole Harvery, Kayvion Seabrook), 43.11; 2. Shamokin (Ryan Bickert, Landen Brown, Noah Ringes, Logan Steele), 43.40; 3. Shikellamy (Aiden Williams, Mikey Vaders, Thomas Pollock, Luke Keally), 43.89; 4. Selinsgrove (Jaren Hackenberg, Brett Rice, Jack Piecuch, Wyatt Teats), 44.75; 5. Bloomsburg (names n/a), 45.40; 6. Montoursivlle (Brayden Burkett, Simon Dietrich, Christian Banks, Carter Peters), 45.79; 7. Lewisburg (Sean Pere, Drake Osunde, Jacob Weis, Isiah Bloomfield), 46.16; 8. Warrior Run (DeVante MItchell, Carter Little, Bryson Weigel, Jackson Stevens), 46.62.

400: 1. Scott Fleming, Shikellamy, 49.25; 2. Bryce Winslow, Montoursville, 50.57; 3. Connor Stotlzfuz, Midd-West, 51.22; 4. Adam Shearer, Montoursville, 51.85; 5. Wyatt Portzline, Midd-West, 51.99; 6. Ian Hall, Midd-West, 52.08; 7. Ryan Lingg, Loyalsock, 52.09; 8. Maguire Blake, Central Columbia, 52.19.

300 hurdles: 1. Tanner Regan, Central Columbia, 40.32; 2. Matthew Stebila, Selinsgrove, 40.73; 3. Maddox Hoover, Shikellamy, 41.04; 4. Joseph Nietling, Milton, 42.16; 5. Landon Bennett, Danville, 42.17; 6. Eddie Dye, MCA, 42.61; 7. Maurice Baines, Williamsport, 42.98; 8. Bobby Felmy, Shikellamy, 43.22.

800: 1. Wyatt Nelson, Midd-West, 1:55.17; 2. Grant Pyers, Selinsgrove, 1:59.14; 3. Lyncoln Hoffman, Midd-West, 1:59.92; 4. Patrick Stine, Hughesville, 2:00.33; 5. Tristan Kurzawa, Hughesville, 2:00.85; 6. Jack Johnson, Lewisburg, 2:01.45; 7. Carter Sherwood, Hughesville, 2:02.03; 8. Grayson Barner, Lewisburg, 2:02.34.

200: 1. Alex Takach, Williamsport, 22.30; 2. Nathaniel Woods, Williamsport, 22.53; 3. Bryce Winslow, Montoursville, 22.67; 4. Adrian Alexander, Shamokin, 22.68; 5. Landen Murray, Mifflinburg, 22.81; 6. Scott Fleming, Shikellamy, 23.04; 7. Jacob Weis, Lewisburg, 23.06; 8. Cooper Karycki, MCA, 23.35.

1,600 relay: 1. Central Columbia (Jack Weyrauch, Cade Moore, Maguire Blake, Tanner Regan), 3:33.79; 2. Lewisburg (Riley Forbes, Dylan Vogel, Jack Johnson, Hugh Ikeda Shields), 4:34.94; 3. Williamsport (names n/a), 3:40.43; 4. Shikellamy (Maddox Hoover, Victor De La Rosa, Gabe Valderrama, Scott Fleming), 3:41.35; 5. Milton (names n/a), 3:42.68; 6. Loyalsock (Ethan Wetzler, Cashlin Rogers, Dylan Eck, Ryan Lingg), 3:44.98.

High jump: 1. Liam Tomko, Danville, 5-11; 2. Khani McCray, Jersey Shore, 5-11; 3. Hunter Bordner, Shikellamy, 5-10; 4. Rebira Jemama, Lewisburg, 5-10; 5. Josiah Renno, MCA, 5-8; 6. Joshua Siegrist, MCA, 5-8; 7. Aidan Phinazee, Shamokin 5-8; 8. Cameron Cintron, Montoursville, 5-8.

Triple jump: 1. *Hunter Bordner, Shikellamy, 46-10 3/4; 2. Jude Lazicki, MCA, 45-2; 3. Ashton Thomas, Williamsport, 44-5; 4. Matthew Stebila, Selinsgrove, 43-11 1/2; 5. Rebira Jemama, Lewisburg, 42-7 3/4; 6. Christian Banks, Montoursville, 41-4; 7. Kenyon Harden, Williamsport,40-4 1/4; 8. Tyler Kennedy, Loyalsock, 39-4 1/4.

Long jump: 1. Landen Murray, Mifflinburg, 21-11 1/2; 2. Thomas Pollock, Shikellamy, 21-8; 3. Hunter Bordner, Shikellamy, 21-7; 4. Aiden Williams, Shikellamy, 21-6 1/2; 5. Jude Laziki, MCA, 21-2 1/2; 6. Matthew Stebila, Selisngrove, 21-1 1/4; 7. Tyrese Bey, Selinsgrove, 20-6 3/4; 8. Julius Serrano, Bloomsburg, 20-2.

Javelin: 1. William Bender, Shikellamy, 204-6; 2. Ethan Reed, Southern, 202-7; 3. Collin Geise, Danville, 176-9; 4. Brody Rebuck, Shikellamy, 172-8; 5. Chace Aikey, Mifflinubrg, 160-8; 6. Braxtyn Girardi, Danville, 159-2; 7. Chase Carter, Selinsgrove, 157-5; 8. Jude Lazicki, MCA, 155-4.

Pole vault: 1. Aaron Bucher, Shikellamy, 14-0; 2. Wyatt Teats, Selinsgrove, 13-6; 3. Levi Gair, Williamsport, 13-0; 4. Ryan Kemock, Warrior Run, 12-6; 5. Lucas Shearer, Milton, 11-6; 6. Gannon Willoughby, Jersey Shore, 11-0; 7. Aidan Phinazee, Shamokin, 11-0; 8. Cody MIrarchi, Shamokin, 11-0.

Shot put: 1. Troy Raup, Danville, 53-7; 2. Za’kem Clinton, Shamokin, 52-5; 3. Jeremiah Johnson, Loyalsock, 51-6; 4. Cordoza Minor, Williamsport, 51-0; 5. John Quinton, Southern, 49-1; 6. Brody Rebuck, Shikellamy, 49-1; 7. Jaden Carter, Southern, 48-10; 8. Noah Rakestraw, Montoursville, 47-1.

Discus: 1. *Troy Raup, Danville, 171-0; 2. Cordoza Minor, Williamsport, 155-6; 3. Chace Aikey, Mifflinburg, 151-11; 4. Chase Carter, Selinsgrove, 136-11; 5. Hayden Crawford, Shikellamy, 135-9; 6. Azaziel Lilley, MCA, 132-2; 7. John Quinton, Southern, 130-4; 8. Landon Schlichter, Central Columbia, 129-7.

* — meet record