Hunter Patton Achieves Fourth All-ESD Honor in Cross Country

Mitchell High School senior runner Hunter Patton made history on Saturday by earning his fourth all-Eastern South Dakota Conference (ESD) honor during the ESD meet at Wild Oak Golf Course. Patton, competing on his home course, finished 10th with a time of 16 minutes, 29.90 seconds. This achievement marks the fourth consecutive year he has finished in the top 15 at the ESD meet, placing him among an elite group of athletes in Kernel cross country history. He joins Brad Fockler (1980-1983) and Chad Feeldy (1990-1993) as the only four-time all-ESD finishers for the Kernel boys’ team.

Despite Patton’s individual success, the Kernel boys’ team finished ninth out of ten teams, scoring 217 points. Other notable performances included Micah Bennett, who placed 49th with a time of 17:56.26, Ben Gerlach in 55th at 18:13.12, and Karsten Herges in 57th with a time of 18:25.04. Additionally, Kaiden Colomb contributed to the team score by finishing 74th in 19:49.66. The race was won by Mikah Peters of Brandon Valley, who clocked in at 15:10.16, leading his team to victory with a total of 43 points. They were followed closely by Aberdeen Central with 57 points and Harrisburg with 80 points.

In the girls’ race, Londyn Schroeder, a junior at Mitchell, finished 18th with a time of 19:34.09, marking her second-fastest time of the season. The girls’ team also placed ninth, scoring 198 points. Other contributors included Skylar Lawson at 38th with 20:36.61 and Kapri Herges in 40th at 20:47.15. Averi Gerfen and Sydnie Pischel rounded out the team performance, finishing 55th and 71st, respectively. The girls’ race was won by Brianna Reilly, an eighth-grader, in a time of 16:53.33, while Harrisburg secured the team title with a low score of 31 points.

The ESD meet also featured subvarsity races, where Cole Tingle was the top junior high boys’ runner for Mitchell, completing the 3,000-meter course in 11:49.48 for 39th place. Jayla Gebel led the junior high girls, finishing 39th in 13:25.66.

Looking ahead, Mitchell’s varsity team will compete in its final regular-season meet on October 16, 2024, at Huron. This event will serve as a preview for the state meet, which is scheduled to take place on October 25, 2024, at the same venue, Broadland Creek Golf Course.