A state championship at the Blue Oval is the top moment on our countdown of the best stories from Pella High School. Nick DeJong, one day after placing 2nd in the discus throw, won the Class 3A shot put title with a throw of 57 feet, 11.5 inches — the first he ripped off in the rotation at the state track and field meet. DeJong said after winning that he has followed in the footsteps of some great throwers before him, as the championship was the first for the high school in the throwing event.

“It’s an honor, honestly, just to throw behind people like Austin Hill, Garret Jansen, Tyson Wassenaar, all the names you’ve heard before who placed at state and had not gotten first when they very well could have, so it’s just a big honor,” he says.

DeJong dominated the field in the shot put, defending his number one seed as he defeated the 2nd place finisher by over five feet. He is currently in Iowa City, training with the Iowa Hawkeyes as he joins their football program.