Scotties Region 5B champions – six earn state meet berths

The eight-week cross country season goes by fast, the athletes go faster, and the races get more exciting. The Philip Scotties ran the Region 5B championships on Philip’s Lake Waggoner Golf Course, Wednesday, Oct. 14.

Forthy-eight young men from 16 schools competed for 20 of the spots available on the 2015 state cross country starting line. Philip seniors Garrett Snook, Keegan Burnett and Chase Wright, junior Damian Bartels, and sophomore Conner Dekker toed the start line.

With Bison’s Daniel Burkhalter breaking away from the field on this 5,000 meter course, Snook set the pace for the rest. Fighting a cold and a pair of Rapid City Christian runners, Snook earned his fourth consecutive state qualification, finishing in third place, his time 18:17.

Bartels started as Philip’s fifth, but worked his way up through the field to finish 22nd and set a new course personal record by 49 seconds at 20:07. Burnett ended his five-year cross country career with a personal best on the Philip course, running 21:11 to place 24th. Dekker trailed his teammate to earn 25th place, his time 21:20. Wright finished his first cross country season with a huge personal best, cutting 48 seconds at 23:31, to finish 32nd.

The Scotties boys, with 43 points, finished fourth of 10 scoring teams. Rapid City Christian – 15, Bison – 23, Kadoka – 31, Philip 43, Newell –54, Lemmon – 71, Wall – 72, Jones County – 77, Dupree – 78 and White River – 79.

As one of the two best girls’ teams in Region 5, the Lady Scotties knew they were in for a dog fight with familiar foes the Newell Irrigators. Philip senior Ellie Coyle stepped to the start line for the last time to defend a rare record to win on her home course in the last three years. Coyle ran alongside Newell sophomore Delaney Leber for most of the first mile. Then Coyle made her signature move, exploding up the back of hole nine, a long leg-draining hill, for the lead and eventually the win, her time 20:08.

Seventh grader Dilyn Terkildsen made steady improvements throughout her first year. In this race, she closed to overtake Leber near mile one. Her strong steady pace would put 29 seconds between herself and the Newell leader, as Terkildsen placed second with a time of 20:15. Newell’s Kayden Steel finished fourth, making the team count Philip – 3, Newell – 7.

Philip’s Anna Belle McIlravy needed to stay less than four places behind Newell’s third runner, Austin Alexander, who came in seventh, thus giving Newell a count of 14. McIlravy raced against the pressure, as she placed 10th, finishing the team scoring with Philip – 13, Newell – 14.

Philip eighth graders Bailey Bierle and Josie Rush, knowing how close these teams were, understood every runner counts. Both beat every other runner they could, including Newell’s fourth member. Bierle cut a huge 85 seconds from her course best to place 11th, right behind McIlravy, her time 22:53. Rush finished in a time of 23:31 to earn the 15th place medal and qualify for the second straight year for the South Dakota State B Cross Country Meet in Sioux Falls, Oct. 24. Not only did the ladies earn one of the top three team places in order to go to state, but all five Philip girls finished in the top 20 places thus each individually earning berths at the state meet.

The day’s junior varsity race gave Grace Pekron her second individual championship of 2015, as she cut her personal best by 37 seconds at 18:29. Jasmine Ferguson placed fourth, she too set a course personal best, cutting a full 40 seconds at 20:51.

Twenty-eight elementary athletes closed the day’s competitions with their final 2,000 meter race of 2015. Ethan Ferguson placed fourth for the boys, at 10:53. Layton Terkildsen placed ninth at 11:32. Wakely Burns – 13th at 12:44, Reese Henrie – 14th at 13:06, Taylor Ross – 15th at 13:36, Baylor Burns – 16th at 14:55, and Creston Burns – 18th at 15:11. In the girls’ field, Drew Terkildsen place fifth.

The Philip Scotties leave for Sioux Falls’ Yankton Trails Park, Friday. The state meet begins at noon, Saturday, Oct. 24.