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Young Potter County cross-country girls discovering how good they can be
The Potter County girls claimed second place in the South Dakota Class B cross country meet
South Dakota Public Broadcasting
Oct 28, 2021
 

By Rich Winter

For long-time Potter County coach Jessica Larson her program is usually happy if they earn a medal at the state cross country meet. At the conclusion of the 2021 state meet Potter County brought home five, top-25 medals and a second place trophy from the Class B girls team competition.

The last time Potter County came home with a team plaque was 2012 where the girls finished third. With four eighth-graders and a freshman on the roster the Battlers appear poised for a run of success.

“Our first meet of the year we lost to Aberdeen Christian,” Gettysburg coach Jessica Larson said. “After that we started winning meets and didn't lose again until the state meet.”

Kimball/White Lake won the team title with 26 points. The Battlers scored 29 points in the closest team competition at this year's state meet. Larson had an inkling the 2021 team could be solid after a successful track season that saw the Potter County girls finish 2nd in the Class B 4x800 meter race (10:12).

With a good nucleus returning the Potter County girls went to work trying to convince eighth-grader Danika Kaup to join cross-country.

“Danika was kind of off-again, on-again this summer on going out for cross-country,” Larson said.

On Saturday, Kaup was the top Potter County runner, coming across the line in (20:04) with a seventh place finish.

“After she started she really enjoyed it and was a huge part of our team's success this year,” she said.

With such a tight team race at the finish, Larson explains how the meet unfolded for her girls.

“Partway through the race we were 11th, 12th and 13th with just one Kimball/White Lake girl in front of us,” she said. “Danika took off and our other girls fell back just a bit.”

After the race Larson was mentally counting points and knew before the official announcement the team had finished second.

“To have four girls in the top-25 and our fifth girl was 30th, that was a big effort,” she noted.

Eighth-graders Jadyn Ahlemeier and Emma Schlachter rounded out the scoring trio with the girls finishing 15th and 17th respectively. Larson admits her girls like to run in a pack but the coach changed up some training strategy late in the season, encouraging her girls to not just settle.

“Emma was our second place runner all season and she would run workouts with Danika the whole practice,” Larson said. “Right before regions I started splitting those two with Emma going first and Danika trying to catch her.”

For most of the season Ahlemeier was Potter County's third runner. A late-season change to her running form allowed the youngster to reach her full potential.

“She shocked us at state,” she said. “We changed her form a little and she really worked hard to change that so late in the season.

For now the girls go on to their winter sports but Larson is thinking ahead to track and next year's cross-country season.

“We have a lot of potential because we are so young,” she said. “The girls are staying positive and our community is excited to see what happens in the next few years.”

Sophomore Nicolas Schlachter was the only Potter County boy to reach the state meet. He finished 5th in the Class B race (17:17).