For the second straight year, Tate Grabow of Hill City has won an individual state cross country championship. The Rangers senior went across the finish line on Saturday in Huron 15:42.86 – a near 36-second lead over Peyton Tetzlaff of West Central.
In addition to Grabow winning the individual title, Hill City finished runner-up in Class A boys in the team standings.
“I think the entire team is just so excited,” exclaimed Grabow. “Getting to hang that banner up in our gym is just amazing, and I think the raw excitement is just incredible. We’re all just amazed.”
The state meet always brings an extra edge to the competition – especially for the seniors who are trying to end their career on a high note.
“It’s [the seniors] last hurrah, so they just want to win, so you always have to watch out for them,” said Grabow. “As you could see, we had a senior come and dig it out with me, and it was awesome. I think it’s just really fun to have competition like that.”
Cross Country isn’t just about running. It comes with strategy and strong mentality.
“The crowd really helps me. I just heard the crowd start saying “you’re gaining on him, you’re putting so much distance on him,” and that made me feel really good, because going in I was really nervous,” Grabow told. “I was able to catch a few peeks behind my back just to see, and I was just really happy with it.”
Once he crossed the finish line, Grabow bolted to where the other spectators were standing on the outside area of the course.
“I had to go cheer on the team. I just ran over here and tried to give them a last hurrah and tried to see what they could do on the finishing section of the race,” said the Hill City senior.
There’s nothing easy about winning an individual state cross country championship, but it’s even more difficult to go back-to-back.
“It’s really challenging, but having seven years of running experience, seven years of fitness, thanks to coach [Joe] Noyes, that’s just a blessing and that really helped me,” explained Grabow.
The state cross country meet in 2025 will always be remembered as a big day for Tate Grabow, the Rangers long distance running team, and the community of Hill City.
