Above: Several Vikings got out fast at the start of the Viking Challenge cross country race at Pincushion Mountain Thursday, August 28. Morgan Weyrens-Welch is just ahead of Matea Acero and Melanie Stoddard can be seen at the back of the pack. Far left: Gritting it out, Jake Peron (left) and Kiviok Hight sprint for the finish with Kiviok edging Paron for 6th place. Left: Sean McDonell powered to the finish line.
With more than 120 kids out for cross country, Duluth East is the team to beat in Northeastern Minnesota, and the Greyhounds ran like greyhounds in the Viking Challenge held August 28 on the Pincushion Mountain trails.
“We have a really good group of kids this year. We’re better this year than we have been in the past few years,” said Duluth East’s Head Coach Dave Wicker.
East boys made short work of the field, finishing with 19 points. Lasts year’s winner, Keeton Long, repeated once again, but he had to work hard to pass two teammates over the last mile to place first in 17:30. Only Proctor’s Jacob Welch 4th place finish kept East from scoring a perfect 15 points.
Proctor finished with 54 points and Cook County/Two Harbors finished with 62 points.
Duluth East’s Phoebe Koski won the girls’ race in 15:21. Koski led her team to an easy win with 29 points. Proctor finished with 66 points, Carlton, 85, and Cook County/Two Harbors had 105. Each team’s top five finishers are counted in the team’s score.
Top Viking finishers were super sophomores Kiviok Hight (6) and Jake Paron (7). They were followed by Sean MacDonell (21), Finn Garry (24), Leif Anderson (30), Roman Schnobrich (32), Will Ramberg (33), and Everett Holmes (34).
Matea Acero led the Vikings with a 19th place finish. Next into the finishing chute were Alyssa Martinson (22), Morgan Weyrens- Welch (24), Ruby Walsberg (26), Melanie Stoddard (28), and Marin Hay (30).
Top local finisher in the 2.6-kilometer junior high boys race was Noah Smith in 4th place. Smith was followed by Brenden Seipke (6), Will Surbaugh (9), Caleb Phillips (26), Charles Seipke (28), Andy Kern (31) JC Holman (33), David Blackburn (35), Lynden Blomberg (44), Henry DeArruda Weaver (45), Doran Acero (47), and Ian Parker, (48).
Kate Walsberg led the local junior high girls with a 9th place finish in the girls’ junior high race. She was followed by Robin Henrikson (13), Ellen Callender (17), Lucy Callender (18), and Chloe Blackburn (19).
Jake Bilben was the only entrant for CC/TH in the boys’ junior varsity 4-kilometer race and he finished in 33rd place.
Danielle Hansen (13) and Julia Larsen (14) finished close to each other in the girls’ junior varsity 4 K race.
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