The order of results at the top of the individual races were the same, but the proximity was much different at Lee Park Golf Course Thursday morning.

Pierre runners won individual titles, with Aberdeen Central runners finishing runner-up during the Sahli-Salmi Invitational Cross Country Meet. The Golden Eagles won the boys’ team points, while Pierre topped the girls’ team standings.

Pierre’s Caleb Morris, who was runner-up to departed senior teammate Jared Lutmer last year at the event, won the boys’ race by less than two seconds in a close battle with Carson Urlacher of Central.

“I’m honored to take Jared’s place on the team. He’s a great guy, very humble,” Morris said. “I love the guy, so it’s nice to take his spot.”

Morris, a junior, trailed briefly during the early part of the race, but that was part of his strategy because of the windy conditions.

“I know where the hills are. I tried making my moves on the hills, and definitely scouted it before, where the wind’s coming from,” Morris said. “I stayed behind the Aberdeen guy just to draft off of him for the wind.”

Urlacher never went away, staying within striking distance all the way to the finish. The Central junior expected Morris to be right at the front.

“That was the goal to compete with him today and I thought I did a decent job of that,” Urlacher said. “That’s where I expected him. … I expected him to be around me the whole race.”

Emery Larson of Pierre took all the drama out of the girls’ race, bolting out to an early lead and winning the event by more than two minutes.

“My strategy was to get out, I like a good clip,” said Larson, who won last year’s Class B state championship while competing for Chester Area.

The junior said it is an adjustment moving up two classes, but noted that there are quality runners in all classes.

“It’s definitely a big jump, but I wouldn’t take anything away from Class B or A girls. There’s good girls everywhere,” Larson said. “It’s a challenge anywhere I were to race, but I’m excited for this new challenge and this new journey with my new team.”

A member of last year’s Class B state championship volleyball squad, Larson has given up the sport after a career in which she racked up more than 2,000 career digs.

“I do miss it quite a bit. I wanted to go to games, but I’m like I just can’t. I think I’ll miss it too much,” Larson said. “It’s really nice focusing on cross country and giving my all to that.”

Central’s Juna Ramey finished in second place, well ahead of the rest of the field. The junior said running by herself made things challenging.

“I ran at Augustana (last week) and I ran a 19:20, this time it was like 21, so yeah, it definitely did (impact me), not having any competition, because she was so far ahead, and such a big gap behind me,” Ramey said. “I just couldn’t pace myself well. My time was pretty bad to be honest.”

Ramey has a goal in mind for the rest of the season and believes she will be able to attain it.

“My goal is probably to get under 18:50, because I was about 20 seconds away from being sub 19 at Augustana,” Raney said. “I hope none of my race times are even close to this time.”

Aberdeen Roncalli’s Addison Cassady closed with a flurry to finish fourth in the race. She was able to find another gear to pass about a half dozen runners in the later stages of the event.

“I’m very proud of myself with how I ran today,” Cassady said. “I came into it not really feeling great, like tired, a little drained, but I just take my aggression out on the course and just power through.”

The freshman said the windy conditions presented a challenge, but had a positive outlook on the elements.

“It’s always kind of hard, but I love the wind, personally,” Cassady said. “It’s like the breath of God on me, so I just really take it like that.”

Central grabbed four of the top five positions to win the boys’ team championship. Max Nelson was third, Patrick Severson was fourth, and Esten Foss was fifth for the Golden Eagles.

“Definitely competed well as a team,” Urlacher said. “We’ll definitely have to build off this race and whatnot for ESD and State later this season.”

Central coach Greg Murley was pleased with the way his runners competed during a training week.

“The effort is there. We’re still a young team,” Murley said. “We’re learning how to race. We’re learning different things.”

He noted it was the first time the Golden Eagles have run on any sort of course that featured a bit of a challenging terrain.

“We haven’t done a hill work out. There’s a process to what we’re doing,” Murley said. “I hope the kids believe in what we’re doing, and believe that in the end we’ll have them where they need to be.”

Roncalli had two boys compete at the varsity level, Matt Peterson and Isaac Price.

“Matt ran strong, he looked tired, though. He ran so much better last week. It was kind of an off day, but he went out and competed hard,” said Roncalli coach Casey Steele. “Isaac ran a good race and competed well against himself and those kids of similar ability.”

The Cavaliers also received a strong showing from Hazel Kannegieter. The freshman finished ninth, just five spots behind Cassady.

“(Addison Cassady) ran really well, but I was most pleased that she was willing to get up there right away with those ESD girls and run right in the pack there,” Steele said. “She ran smart, and she was gassed at the end, and finished really strong. I was really proud of her.”

He noted that Kannegieter also closed with a strong effort.

“Hazel kind of got caught in between packs,” Steele said. “With less than 1,000 meters left she was in 15th place and really worked hard to get into that top 10.”

Central grabbed five straight spots from 11th through 14th led by Allie Novstrup followed by Evie Novstrup, Kylee Hanley, Allison Brenner, and Iris Ramey to help lead the Golden Eagles to second as a team.

“I think we’re putting a lot of really good gains together for some of the people that fall in place right behind Juna,” said Central girls’ coach Eric Pedersen, “which is what I really like to see and what I kind of encourage. Close that gap a little bit.”

Pedersen said the focus was on places more than times during the event.

“In a day where it was incredibly windy, we’re not so much focused on the times as much as we’re focused on go out and compete,” Pedersen said. “You’re pushing your body just as hard to work up to that level of effort.”

Central competes at the Clyde Cotton Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 21, while Roncalli runners head to Ipswich this Saturday. Roncalli will host its own invitational next Thursday.

To see complete meet results, click on the following link:

https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/241086/results/all