By Jon Akre

605 Sports

“I’ve been chasing really far throws all year, I’ve made my way up bit-by-bit,” said Hoekman. “It’s just amazing to do it at this big of a stage.”

As the Class A shot put event kicked off, crowds of people began swarming the area to watch one of the best in the nation one last time, and Hoekman was ready to deliver a show one last time.

“The past few meets I’ve just gotten further and further and more people are coming to see me throw this and I have to put on a show,” Hoekman said. “I have to get the crowd going, get the clap going and yell. It’s great to get some recognition for the hard work that’s been put in and I’m trying to put on a show for them.”

Hoekman’s record-breaking shot put throw also ranks third in the nation, cementing how far the North Dakota State Bison commit has come among the ranks of the country’s best.

“Freshman year I looked at the top freshman in the United States and I wasn’t even close to being on there,” Hoekman said. “Just putting in the work, putting in the hours to get on that list, it just feels so good to finally be out there, be on there, and know I’ve worked hard to get where I am.”

But Hoekman started his event on a bad note after fouling his first throw, but he quickly turned it around with a 65-feet and 2-inch throw on his second attempt.

“After the first throw, I was so nervous,” said Hoekman. “I’ve done this thousands of times, I knew I could do it. Let’s just get it right one more time.”

Paul Hoekman, of Sioux Falls Christian, and Marcus Furth, of Sioux Falls Christian, celebrate Furth's throw while competing in the Class A shot put during the first day of the South Dakota High School Track and Field Championships on Thursday at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls. (Matt Gade / 605 Sports)

Also in the Class A shot put field was fellow Charger, junior Marcus Furth.

Furth finished not far behind Hoekman with a 61-feet, 11.75 inch throw on his final attempt to claim second place in the shot put event, 10-feet ahead of Elkton-Lake Benton’s Taiton Boersma. The two have developed a close relationship this season and now claim the top two spots in the state shot put event.

“We’ve developed this bond as throwers where we’re tightly knit and we’ve worked together for like five months now and it’s just great to see him do well,” Hoekman said of Furth. “I’m so proud of him, he’s going to be great this next year.”