By Matt Gade

605 Sports

SIOUX FALLS — Following a strong cross-country campaign, Hill City’s Tate Grabow brought that success to the track season this fall.

On Friday, the Ranger ran a more than 5-second season best 9:36.00 to capture the Class A 3,200-meter gold.

Grabow came into the race seeded second with a time of 9:41.24 behind Custer’s Sean Shipp (9:40.48).

Grabow edged out Dakota Valley’s Jack Brown (9:37.96) pulling away in the final lap.

“I went out a little patient in those first couple laps, but then came back hard,” Grabow said.

A year ago, Grabow finished seventh in the 3,200 with a time of 9:42.10.

The Ranger said he knew he had a better time in him then his seed time, but just hadn’t run it yet.

Grabow said he was also pacing himself in the 3200 to keep his legs for the 800-meter run later in the day.

“I just went out there, I think it was like a :73, that first lap. I kind of kept it below that 9:30 pace,” Grabow said. “I just knew that I had stuff left. I was saving it until I had 800 left to go, and then I kind of kicked out in front.”

Grabow, a junior, came into the 800-meter run with the top-seed just ahead of Sioux Falls Christian’s Bennett Wassenaar but ended up second to Wassenaar.

Grabow and Wassenaar battled it out in the final 100 meters, but Grabow was edged right at the finish line with a 1:57.28 right behind Wassenaar’s 1:57.05.

Grabow said following his 3,200 win on Friday morning that he had his work cut out for him in the 800.

“It's gonna be a good one,” Grabow said of the upcoming 800-meter run.

On Thursday, Grabow was a part of the Rangers’ sprint medley relay team that set a new Class A state meet record. 

Grabow ran the 800-meter leg of the sprint medley. The Rangers team of Mason Wiese, Devin Buehler, Dax Frandsen and Grabow ran a 3:32.08.