By Rich Winter

605 Sports

Disaster struck for Hot Springs junior sprinter Braden Peterson at the 90-meter mark of the 100-meter dash at the Pierre American Legion Relays on April 24. 

Leading defending Class A 100-meter dash state champion Blake Boyster of Custer by a stride, Peterson felt a pop in his hip. 

“When I was warming up I could feel it, it was kind of tight and I felt a little pressure there,” Peterson said. “I came out of the blocks good and was having a good race and at the 90-meter mark I felt a pop right below my hip, right in the hip flexor area and I knew right away that something was definitely wrong.” 

Initially Peterson hoped the injury might keep him out a few weeks but after seeing a doctor the news came that the injury was season ending.

“I suffered an avulsion fracture,” he said. “Basically one of my hip flexors peeled off a piece of bone from my hip.” 

Peterson attended high school in Edgemont last year. He qualified for the state track meet and finished fifth in the 400-meter dash (:52.52). Peterson said he transferred to Hot Springs so he could run track with his cousin Matt Close who has the fourth fastest 800-meter run in the Class A ranks this season (1:59.09). 

Cousins Matt Close and Braden Peterson are both juniors on the Hot Springs track team - Photo courtesy of Brett Nachtigall/Fall River County Herald-Star

The news of the season-ending injury was devastating for Peterson and Hot Springs head coach Dana Nachtigall. 

“He’s been such a hard worker since he’s been here and was running really well,” she said. “The only bright side to this is he does have another year to show what he can do.” 

Peterson was having a breakout season before the injury. He ran the 100-meter dash in (:10.97) on April 14 finishing ahead of Boyster and just behind 2022 AA state 100-meter dash champion Jaden Guthmiller of Spearfish. 

Peterson’s best in the 200-meter dash this season is (:23.13). Peterson’s best event might be the 400 meter dash where he ran a (:50.26) on April 11.

In early April the Hot Springs medley relay team of Kayden Hansen, Dylan Webb, Peterson and Close ran what was then the leading Class A time. Since the injury, Caleb Rickenbach has filled in for Peterson for the 400-meter leg of the medley. The Bison finished third in the Class A Howard Wood Dakota Relays medley relay (3:40.35).

“Finding out I was done for the year was disappointing for sure,” Peterson said. “I love track and I was having a decent season and I was looking forward to lowering my times.”

Peterson attributed his improvement this season to conditioning from other sports and the training he had early this track season with the Hot Springs coaching staff.

While he’ll be on the sidelines for the rest of the track season Peterson is using the injury as motivation to come back better and faster next season. 

“My motivation is through the roof right now,” he said. “I’m looking forward to next year and running with my cousin Matt who is also a junior right now.”