West Central (SD) High senior Derick Peters capped off his senior season with his second-straight state championship on Saturday, winning the South Dakota High School Athletic Association Class A race in a time of 15:06.20.
The effort was a 31-second improvement from his performance a year ago and opens on a new course at Hart Ranch in Rapid City for the South Dakota state championships. Peters previously claimed a victory at the Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 23.
And it was twice the success, because on top of Peters winning a state championship -- and his brother, Braden Peters, took third overall in 15:59.41 -- West Central also earning a state title in Class A, outscoring Custer 34-54. In South Dakota's Class A division, only four runners score.
A year ago, Derick Peters ran in both the NXR Heartland and Foot Locker Regional qualifiers, though failed to qualify for either NXN or Foot Locker Nationals.
Peters, currently uncommitted to a college program, could potentially do both this year and this state championship could set him up for future success down the line.
| BOYS 5,000 METER RUN FINALS | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLACE | ATHLETE | TEAM | RESULT | POINTS | ||||
| 1 | Derick Peters | 12 | West Central High School | 15:06.20 | 1 | |||
| 2 | Alec Atwood | 11 | Beresford High School | 15:58.74 | 2 | |||
| 3 | Braden Peters | 11 | West Central High School | 15:59.41 | 3 | |||
| 4 | Ty Trainor | 12 | St. Thomas More High School | 16:05.14 | 4 | |||
| 5 | Joe Rush | 12 | Custer High School | 16:11.77 | 5 | |||