Left: Cecelia Chmelik and fellow North Shore Storm middle school runner Tristen Surbaugh battle to the finish line. Cecelia placed third in the girls’ race while Tristen was 24th among boys competing in the middle school division. Above left: Noah Smith passed people the whole race and nearly beat Moose Lake’s Ethan Olson, who placed fifth at state last year. The sophomore from Two Harbors was only 10 seconds behind Jake Paron, who won the race. Above right: Chloe Blackburn (left) and Robin Henrikson finished in seventh and eighth place in the junior varsity girls’ race.
Both the varsity boys’ and girls’ North Shore Storm cross country teams dominated the Polar League conference championships held Wednesday, October 11, on the Pincushion Mountain trail system.
Cook County runners held the top three places in the girls’ race. Autumn Smith, eighth grade, took top honors clocking 21:02 for 5k. Hot on her heels was freshman Cedar Gordon, two seconds behind, and fellow freshman Louise Ramberg, who clocked 21:24 for third place.
Sophomore Kate Walsberg was the team’s fourth runner. Kate placed 12th and ran 22:52. Freshman Isabel Schottenbauers placed 13th in 23:06. Senior captain Maya McHugh finished 16th in 23:17.
Taking the top five runners’ places and adding them up, the Vikings scored 31 points to take the crown over Moose Lake (63), South Ridge (64), Esko (88), and Carlton, who scored 95 points.
Senior Jake Paron ran to the front of the pack right at the gun and never relinquished his lead until he hit the tape in 17:46 to claim the Polar League boys’ title. Last year’s champ, Ethan Olson, finished second in 16:55. Hot on his tail was North Shore Storm sophomore Noah Smith, who clocked 16:56.
Finishing in sixth was sophomore Brenden Seipke, 17:47; Will Surbaugh, also a sophomore was seventh in 17:54; and freshman
Isaac Swanson was eighth in 17:56. The Vikings’ sixth runner was junior Leif Anderson who placed 19th in 19:15 and freshman Kevin Viren placed 21st in 20:24.
Junior Varsity Girls
The top 10 places in the girls’ JV 5k race went to Esko and North Shore Storm runners. Esko won with 26 points to the Storm’s 29 points.
Grace Hrabik of Esko placed first in 22:56.
Storm finishers were Malin Anderson, second in 23:59; Brooklyn Smith, third in 25:24; Robin Henrickson, seventh in 26:20 Chloe Blackburn eighth in 26:21; Sidni Hendren, ninth in 26:50; Aurora Schelmske 17th in 30:11; Payton Dobin, 18th in 30:47; and Daphne Lacina, 21st in 34:51.
Anticipation (and adrenaline) were high at the start of the girls’Polar League Conference title race held at Pincushion Mountain trail system. North Shore Storm, a combined team made up of Two Harbors and Cook County High School runners, swept the top three places and handily took the team title.
Junior Varsity Boys
Marcus Pocernich of Cromwell won the boys’ junior varsity 5k in 19:34. Moose Lake boys placed first with 37 points, Esko was second with 41, and the Storm placed third with 49 points.
Top Storm runners were JC Holmen in seventh place with a time of 20:23; Andy Kern placed eighth in 20:24; Cameron Mackey was tenth in 20:36; Henry DeArruda-Weaver was 17th in 21:42; Trent Spry placed 28th in 23:52; and Tanner DeBoer was 29th in 23:58.
Cromwell’s Noah Foster won the 2,600-meter middle school boys race in 9:13.
There were three Storm runners entered in this race. Ian Thorpe placed fourth in 9:54; Chance Hane was 10th in 10:34; Jonah Schmidt placed 18th with a time of 11:16; and Tristen Surbaugh finished 24th in 12:04.
Cromwell won the team title with 18 points. The Storm didn’t field a full team for the middle school boys race.
Lizzy Dover (left) and Anna Hay sprint to the finish in the middle school race at the conference meet. Hay nipped Dover by two seconds in the race that was 2,600 meters (about one and one-half miles) finishing with a time of 13:31.
Middle School Girls
With a low score of 25 points, the Vikings outpaced Esko (45), Moose Lake (51), McGregor (131), and South Ridge, who tallied 142 points.
Storm runner Lamar Gordon won the girls’ middle school 2,600-meter run in 10:52. Cecelia Chmelik placed third in 12:03; Anna Hay was 13th in 13:31; Lizzy Dover placed 14th with a time of 13:33; Kylie Viren was 16th in 14:10; Amanda Haveri was 17th in 14:22; and Abbey Stoddard placed 19th in 15:15.
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