RAPID CITY — The Huron cross country team will close its season today at the Class AA State Meet at Hart Ranch Camping Area in Rapid City.
In addition to the top runners from throughout the state at the AA level, the Tigers will also could be battling some adverse weather conditions. Those expected conditions have already altered the the meet schedule in an effort to beat some of the more adverse conditions, as the varsity girls’ and boys’ races have been moved up to 11:45 a.m. And 12:15 p.m. MT, respectively.
“I want the athletes to race hard,” Huron coach Angie Thomas said. “With the snowy conditions, the race is going to be a challenge, and in the end, we’ll find out which athletes are not only physically tough, but mentally tough as well.”
While in past state meets, Thomas would be looking for each team member to be aiming at setting a new personal record at the state meet. That objective may not be possible this season with the forecasted conditions, so she is looking for strong races out of not only her top runners, but those that round out the boys’ and girls’ lineups as well.
“I need my top runners to compete just how they have been competing, and even a little better,” Thomas said. “I am really wanting the fourth-, fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-place runners to step it up considerably. The overall placement of each of the teams could come down to those runners.”
Leading the Huron boys’ team this season have been sophomore Cheech Harman, eighth-grader TJ Lien and junior Will Radke.
Filling out the state roster will be junior Gonzalo Quispe-Laure, sophomore Angel Olivo-Porcayo and freshmen Cameron Cutshaw and Will Knippling.
Pacing the girls’ team for the Tigers this season have been sophomore Tori Buffington, seventh-grader Josie Vlieger and senior Brooklyn Boetel. Adding depth will be freshman Tatum Peterson and eighth-grader Hannah Schoenfelder.
“If Cheech Harman, TJ Lien, Will Radke, Tori Buffington, Josie Vlieger, and Brooklyn Boetel run the same caliber of race or slightly better than what they have been running and the fourth and fifth runners really step up, the Huron Tigers could see their highest team placement since I’ve been a part of the program,” Thomas said. “However, like I said earlier, this race is going to involve a lot of guts due to the conditions, so it’s not going to be about running PRs or season bests; it’s going to be about competing.”
Sioux Falls Lincoln is the defending champioin in both the Class AA boys’ and girls’ team races. Aberdeen Central was second in the boy’s standings last year, while Rapid City Stevens was third. Sioux Falls Roosevelt finished as the runner-up in the final girls’ standings a year ago, while Rapid City Stevens was third.
