After staging countless interviews with Adrian cross country mentor Doug Petersen during his entire 20-year run as head coach, I always considered him to be a pretty level-headed individual.However, when I was prodding him for information for our Fall Sports special section in August, I thought Petersen might be losing his grip on reality.During this particular interview, Petersen was pointed in his opinion.He said both the AHS girls’ and boys’ teams had similar goals of qualifying for the state meet, and Petersen was confident the teams would reach that goal.Right about then, I started questioning his sanity.I realized the Dragons were returning talented individuals to both teams, but I couldn’t absorb Petersen’s expectations of sending both teams to Northfield at that time.I thought to myself, how can two teams that finished fourth at the section meet in 2004 expect to make it to state this year? It just didn’t make any sense to me.Well, I now stand corrected.After watching the state championships unfold in Northfield Saturday, I realized Petersen wasn’t setting unrealistic goals for his athletes. He knew way back in August that he was in charge of one of the state’s best cross country programs. I just was too stupid to realize that he wasn’t pulling my leg.While the AHS boys deserve credit for placing eighth in a competitive 16-team field, it was the Dragon girls who stole the show by capturing the school’s first state championship as a team.With just two of the seven runners possessing prior state meet experience, the Adrian girls were not the most battle-tested team in the Class A field. The Dragons simply were the best team in Class A … period."This group of girls never ceases to amaze me," Petersen said of his state champions."They’ve grasped everything we’ve tried to accomplish this year, and they are a very team-oriented group. I’ve told these kids many times that I’ve been coaching for 20 years, and right now I’ve probably got six or seven of the best dozen athletes I’ve ever had.""The thing about these girls is that they’re very competitive," he continued. "They hate to lose, even to each other. Our order of finish has changed from meet to meet with these kids, so they are very competitive within our own ranks. They run well as a team, and they’re not too afraid to run against each other."The scary thing is, the Dragons could become an even better team in the future.Barring some unforeseen misfortune, the entire championship team will be back next fall.Petersen will not take anything for granted, but he does think the AHS girls can be a cross country force again next year. "We’ll just have to reload our guns and see what happens next year," he said.Based on a talk I listened to between coach and runners after Saturday’s meet, I think the girls are already looking forward to next season."Do you girls want to do this dance again next year?" Petersen asked, after posing for a picture with the state champions.The response Petersen received was a resounding "Yes!"Kudos to the CardsWhile it was the Adrian girls who returned home with the championship trophy, don’t overlook Luverne Cardinals’ accomplishments at the state meet.Thomas Pinkal, who made the All-State Team by placing 20th overall, is the perfect example of what a person with desire can accomplish.After finishing 72nd at the state meet last year, Pinkal worked hard all summer and fall to earn a spot among the state’s elite runners on Saturday.Way to go, Thomas!All the Luverne girls did was make their fourth straight appearance at the state meet and turn in a program-best fifth-place effort.Luverne loses a quality senior in Kelsey Dooyema, but the Cards have enough returning talent (including three-time All-State runner Lexi Heitkamp) to reach the state meet again in 2005.Congratulations to all the runners who represented the Star Herald coverage area well in Northfield. You all should be proud of what you’ve achieved.
