Reagan High School's Craig Engels said he was confident he would run well at the New Balance Boston Grand Prix track meet last Saturday, but that his result still surprised him.
Sprinting away from the pack with 300 meters to go, Engels won the boys' junior mile against some of the top runners from four states, finishing the race in 4 minutes, 13.70 seconds.
He ran the third-fastest indoor mile in the nation by a high school runner this season and the third fastest in North Carolina history — trailing only former local standouts Bobby Mack (North Forsyth) and Matt DeBole (Mount Tabor).
"I went up there with the intent on winning because coach (Chris Catton) told me I could," Engels said. "But when I won, I was really surprised. I did go up with the mentality to win. Thomas Graham (of Cary Academy, who finished third) is one of the best athletes in the nation, and I beat him in a two mile in November, so it was nice."
Engels, who signed to run at N.C. State last week, will have a chance to show his speed again Saturday at the NCHSAA Class 4-A indoor championships at Eddie Smith Arena in Chapel Hill.
Engels is the No. 1 seed in the 1,600 meters — with a time six seconds slower than he ran in Boston. That time could not be used for seeding because Engels was not wearing a Reagan uniform.
He also is seeded No. 2 in the 1,000 — where he will try to defend the state title he won last year. Seeded ahead of him in that race is Josh Copus of Mount Tabor.
Engels admitted that after last weekend's big splash in Boston — which was an invitation-only meet — the state meet does feel like a smaller stage. But he also said he's looking forward to it and has been "excited all week."
"I'm going for state record in 1,000, which is 2:28," Engels said. "I ran a 2:32, and that was a sit-and-kick race that I wasn't really trying. I don't want to jinx myself, but I want to break the record."
The Class 3-A/2-A/1-A championships, also at North Carolina's Eddie Smith Arena, will start at 9 a.m. Saturday, and the Class 4-A championships will start at 4 p.m.
Other area boys with No. 1 seeds for the 4-A meet are East Forsyth's Austin Vegas (pole vault) and Mount Tabor's 4x800 relay runners. Area girls with No. 1 seeds in Class 4-A are Sydney White of East Forsyth (pole vault) and Darby Middlebrook of Watauga (1,600, 3,200).
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