By Rich Winter

605 Sports

RAPID CITY — A year ago, Dakota Valley’s Jack Brown and Hill City’s Tate Grabow staged a ferocious stretch battle at the Class A state cross-country meet. Brown finished seventh (16:02.41) in 2023 with Grabow, part of the state champion Hill City boys team, finished eighth (16:02.41)

Class A boys race: Brown has been the dominant Class A runner east of the river. Of the 11 races the senior has contested, he’s crossed the finish line in first place 10 times. Grabow, a junior, has been coming on strong late in the season, including winning the Region 5B meet in 15 minutes and :53 seconds. While Brown and Grabow might be the favorites, don't count out Miller’s Pierce Baumberer who finished fourth at the 2023 Class A state meet. 

Class A contenders: Pierce Baumberger, Miller; Jack Brown, Dakota Valley; Tate Grabow, Hill City; Levi Vander Leest, Sioux Falls Christian; Jackson Prins, Sioux Falls Christian; Ryder Graff, Sisseton; Cade Hourigan, Deuel; Sean Shipp, Custer.

From 2019-21, the Sioux Falls Christian boys dominated Class A cross-country, winning three consecutive team titles. In 2022, Belle Fourche won the team championship and in 2023 it was Hill City that kept the team title out west. 

Heading into Saturday’s race there are a number of teams that could easily win the Class A team title. Sioux Falls Christian’s Leest, Prins and Josh Fletcher were the top-three finishers at last week’s Region 2A meet and the Chargers look to have a slight edge on the rest of the field. 

Class A boys team contenders: Sioux Falls Christian, Dakota Valley, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte, Custer, Great Plains Lutheran, Deuel and Milbank. 

Sioux Falls Chritian expected to leave indelible mark at 2024 Class A state meet

When Sioux Valley’s Isabelle Bloker did not run at the Region 2A meet the rest of the field breathed a tiny sigh of relief. Bloker won the 2022 Class A title and her absence opens the door for about four other girls from Region 2B that have legitimate shots at winning the individual title. 

Sioux Falls Christian junior Ellie Maddox won the Region 2A title (18:26), ahead of teammate Sadie Pettengill (18:34), Flandreau’s Faith Wiese (18:44) and Sioux Falls Christian’s Jerica Glasser (18:52).

The 2024 champion will likely emerge from that quartet of girls. 

Class A individual contenders: Ellie Maddox, Sioux Falls Christian; Sadie Pettengill, Sioux Falls Christian; Faith Wiese, Flandreau; Jerica Glasser, Sioux Falls Christian; Lia Mundt, Belle Fourche; Rarity Cournoyer, Hill City; Grace Phillips, Chamberlain; Sophia Redler, Dakota Valley; Alex McCullough, Dakota Valley; Kelsey Schmidt, Lennox; Jaycee Hourigan, Deuel; Natalie Smith, Sioux Falls Christian.

Luke Vander Leest’s Chargers enter the meet coming off two consecutive team titles and the 2024 team is better than each of the last two championship squads. Barring injury or illness the Chargers will win going away with one of the all-time low team scores accumulated. 

Class A team contenders: Sioux Falls Christian, Clark/Willow Lake, Lennox, Dakota Valley, Chamberlain and Hill City.