Hunter Patton Shines Again with Third All-State Finish at State Meet

HURON — In an impressive display of endurance and strategy, Hunter Patton of Mitchell High School secured his third all-state finish at the Class AA state boys cross country race, held at Broadland Creek Golf Course on Saturday. Patton, a senior, completed the race in 16 minutes, 28.5 seconds, finishing in 18th place amidst a competitive field.

Patton strategically employed a conservative start, mirroring his successful approach from the previous year. “I went out conservative in the first mile and then I tried kicking it up. I know it’s state; people are going to be going out fast. I knew I had plenty of time to work my way up,” he explained.

With this latest achievement, Patton joins an elite group of four runners in the school’s history, including notable names like Brad Fockler (1980-83), Erik Person (1989-91), and Chad Feeldy (1990-93), all of whom also achieved three all-state finishes. Patton’s previous placements included 23rd in 2023 and 16th in 2024.

Interestingly, Saturday marked Patton’s first opportunity to run the familiar Huron course this season. A scheduling conflict meant he missed the annual Clyde Cotton meet in September, opting instead for the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational in the Twin Cities. Additionally, the end-of-year Roger Loecker Invitational was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. Despite these challenges, his familiarity with the course proved advantageous as he concluded his high school career.

Patton expressed a strong desire to support future runners at MHS. “I’m just trying to set the younger kids up for a better cross-country season than I have had,” he stated. “We’ve got some fast runners that are not even in high school yet. Helping them is just the most beneficial thing I can do.”

The Mitchell boys team overall finished 18th out of 19 squads. In addition to Patton, other Kernels included Micah Bennett (90th, 18:02.95) and Karsten Herges (99th, 18:20.92) who completed the race in the top 100. The remaining finishers were Ben Gerlach (103rd, 18:27.49), Will Mullenmeister (104th, 18:28.75), Kaiden Colomb (128th, 19:58.17), and Blake Russell (129th, 20:12.41).

In the Class AA girls race, the Mitchell team performed slightly better, finishing 16th out of 18 qualifying teams. Leading the Kernels was Londyn Schroeder, who crossed the finish line in 42nd place with a time of 19:56.23. Following her were Kapri Herges (57th, 20:13.94) and Skylar Lawson (61st, 20:22.22), both finishing within the top 70. Other participants included Averi Gerfen (106th, 22:04.84), Sydnie Pischel (126th, 23:50.44), Khloe Mackey (128th, 24:00.33), and Amara Rinehart (129th, 25:08.81).

Chamberlain and Kimball/White Lake Excel

The Chamberlain High School girls cross country team celebrated a commendable third-place finish in the Class A race, generating enthusiastic cheers at the finish line. The Cubs had three finishers in the top 40, with their fourth runner finishing 42nd, resulting in a total of 106 points. This placed them ahead of a tightly contested field, with Hill City scoring 114 points, Lennox at 122 points, Flandreau at 124 points, and Belle Fourche at 125 points.

The team title was won decisively by Sioux Falls Christian, which had four of the top five runners, finishing with just 13 points. West Central secured second place with 70 points. Chamberlain coach Holly Evans noted that her team had instilled confidence in themselves leading up to the race. “On Thursday night, we had a team supper and the girls said we all needed to have goals,” Evans revealed. “Last year, not getting up on that podium as a team burned us. Every person said going into this race, I want to do better for my team.”

The Cubs were led by standout freshman Grace Phillips, who finished sixth overall with a time of 18:37.07. Kylah Biggins followed in 24th place to earn an all-state individual finish at 20:10.70. Other notable finishes included ninth-grader Ava Schindler (48th, 20:49.31) and eighth-grader Sasha Van Den Bosch (52nd, 20:54.10). Evans praised Phillips’ exceptional performance, stating, “She doesn’t run like a freshman.”

In the Class B girls race, the Kimball/White Lake team finished third overall with 27 points, while Ipswich claimed the championship with 18 points. KWL’s Autumn Baker finished third in the race with a time of 19:28.87, followed closely by Alli McCord in seventh place at 19:43.92, both earning all-state honors.

In a notable achievement, the Mitchell Christian girls cross country team also had an all-state finisher in the Class B field. Eighth-grader Laura Nemec placed 20th with a time of 20:32.08, marking a significant milestone as the first all-state girls runner for Mitchell Christian since Adaya Plastow finished 12th in 2016. The Golden Eagles concluded the competition in seventh place with 86 points, narrowly missing a podium finish.

In individual performances, Mount Vernon/Plankinton saw three all-state runners. Hudson Schmidt led the boys race for Mitchell-area runners, finishing 18th with a time of 17:10.77. In the girls race, Abigail Engelland was 20th (19:47.53), followed closely by Suri Schmidt in 23rd place (20:00.20).

The Sanborn Central/Woonsocket team also showcased talent with all-state runners in both Class B races. Emrie VonEye, a seventh-grader, finished 14th in the girls race at 20:21.53, while Jackson Wolter, an eighth-grader, placed 22nd in the boys race with a time of 17:58.31.

Additional notable performances in the Class B boys race included Luke Barreto from Gregory, who finished 14th (17:32.74), Darron Moeller from KWL (20th, 17:57.03), and Lane McCune from Freeman (24th, 18:05.54).