By Matt Gade

605 Sports

SIOUX FALLS — With their eyes set on gold, the Philip Scotties wanted to win. 

With the top time in the 3,200-meter relay, the Scotties knew they had enough depth on the team that they could pull one of their top runners to give them a shot in the sprint medley relay.

“On that 4x800 that they ran, they knew they had enough (lead) in there that they took Baylor (Burns) out of that and saved him for this (sprint medley),” Philip head coach Ralph Kroetch said.

In the 4x800, the team of Aidan Craven, David McKinley, Jack Peterson and Trey Larson took the top spot in Class B with a 8:22.13, defeating second place Freeman by more than 10 seconds (8:32.80).

Kroetch said his runners do things “the right way” and knows they will do what he asks of them.

“They do everything you ask of them always,” Kroetch said. “I'm not saying we don't disagree here and there, but they know what they need to do, so they don't argue about it. 

“It's been years since I've had kids say, ‘If I run really hard this rep, Coach, can I get the next rep off?’ They don't say that.”

In the sprint medley, the Scotties came in with the second-best time (3:38.09) just behind Colman-Egan (3:38.01).

“They knew what they needed to do,” Kroetch said of his sprint medley team.

Bennett County transfers Teagan Gropper and Tyce Gropper got the medley off with brothers running the first and second leg of the medley, followed by David McKinley in the 400-meter leg with anchor Baylor Burns running the 800 meters.

Burns, who typically runs the 4x800, wanted to run the anchor of the sprint medley according to Kroetch and give the Scotties a chance at winning.

He did just that.

Philip won the race with a 3:36.84, defeating Wilmot with a 3:38.75.

“In this last (sprint) medley, Baylor ran a 1:59 split, nice,” Kroetch said. “He was challenged all the way. But Baylor's that guy. He reminds me of when a horse looks off the side of its head and sees there's another horse. There is no way, no way, you're passing me, that's him. That's why he was anchored here today.”

The Philip boys currently have 28 points after day one of the state track and field championships in Class B. The Scotties are followed by Avon (14) and Jones County (12). Philip’s Evan Kroetch added the Scotties' additional eight points with a second-place finish in the discus.

Kroetch said he’s excited for to see how the remainder of the state meet goes for the Scotties.