Apr. 11—GREGORY, S.D. — Both Burke and Gregory High School track and field teams are filled with anticipation entering the spring sports season.
The Gregory boys enter 2025 as the defending Class B state team champion again, having won the title the past two seasons. The Gorillas are off to a strong start, securing a team title at the Gorillas' home meet on April 10 to open the year, with Luke Stukel, Max Cook and Luke Barreto winning five of the eight individual track races.
For Burke, the girls track and field program won 12 of the 18 competitions to win the South Central Conference meet on April 8. The Cougars are defending their first Class B team title in over four decades while bringing back a wealth of experience, including Class B field athlete of last year's state meet Paige Bull and long jump champion Emily Diekmann.
Gregory's next meet is at the Wagner Invitational on Tuesday, April 15, while Burke will compete at the Corn Palace Relays on Thursday, April 17, at Joe Quintal Field.
Gorillas head coach Kurt Stukel has told his boys team to be proud of their past championships, having earned everything along the way.
In the same vein, he also wants the group to move forward and strive to improve each day, knowing there's a host of other teams wanting to get to the top.
"They earned those accomplishments, but they aren't going to win us anything this year," Stukel said. "They know that they've got to put in hard work and they've got to earn their successes for the 2025 season. ... The ultimate goal is to be at your best at the state track meet at the end of May."
Cook, Luke and Pierce Stukel, Paul Sinclair and Colt Keiser return as part of the defending state champion 400-meter relay and sprint medley relay teams that proved crucial to the Gorillas' title-winning run last season. Rane Kenzy also returns after finishing runner-up to teammate Rylan Peck in the javelin at state.
Beyond the returning core, Kurt Stukel points out the team's depth as an early strength, providing flexibility in setting a lineup for each event. The ultimate goal is for the athletes to stay healthy as the season progresses, with everyone on the Gregory side ready to put in strong efforts when the opportunity arises.
"We've got some speedy kids that we can kind of maneuver and use," Kurt Stukel said. "We can run a couple variations of a 100, 200 and 400-meter relay and the sprint medley. There's just a lot of versatile kids who can do a lot of things."
Additionally, Finn Adams and Luke Barreto return to handle the distance running for Gregory. Barreto placed sixth at state in the 3,200 meters, while Adams just missed a spot on the podium in the 800 meters, coming in ninth. Even as the Gorillas finished on the top step for the past two seasons, it's clear to the coaching staff that they want more, especially in the sprint relay events.
"They're motivated to come back and do much better than what they did last year," Stukel said. "This group is committed and I think they're willing to work hard."
BURKE, S.D. — While familiar faces are back on the Burke girls track and field team, the Cougars have a new voice guiding them throughout the spring.
Former Burke/South Central and Dakota Wesleyan University football player Turner Serr stepped in as head coach of the team after serving as an assistant last season helping with jump events. Despite not having competed in track and field since middle school prior to joining the coaching staff, Serr has enjoyed the experience while picking up helpful hints along the way.
"I feel like every day I'm learning something new," Serr said. "There's little nuances and little things that go along ...
