Top: Everett Hommes, a junior from Two Harbors, ran 22:5 for the 5 K (3.1 miles) race atProctor. Above left: Two Harbors senior Owen Cruikshank was the Vikings’ 5th runnerat Proctor, finishing the race in 22:16. Above right: Looking relaxed, Nate Carlson (No.948) ran well at Proctor, finishing with a time of 21:29.
The Cook County/Two Harbors cross country team headed to Proctor for the final Forty degrees, Johnsonmeet of the regular season.
Jacob a and a windy and rain are pretty common for this late-season meet, and this year was no exception. All the teams from Section 7A were at the meet, except the Iron Range Conference teams that were having their conference meet. In addition, four teams from Section 5 joined us, plus the four Duluth-area AA teams were running the same race, but scored separately. Despite the lousy weather, it is an important meet for us. For our JV and junior high racers, this is their season finale. For our varsity level runners, it’s the last chance to earn spot on the Section meet team. For our top runners, it’s a chance to test their strategy for the Section meet, hoping to find that magic formula that will earn them a spot at the state cross country meet.
We only had three runners in the massive Junior High race. All three of the young boys are in their first year of running, and all are strong, hard working runners who have a great future in the sport. Will Ramberg led the group, running 10:53 for the 1.5-mile course. Jake Bilben was next in 12:08, followed closely by Lynden Blomberg in 12:57.
We ran 10 girls in the combined Varsity, JV race. When you add the AA teams, there were 200 girls on the starting line. As has been the case all season, senior Audrey Summers led the Vikings, placing 18th overall in 17:25 for the 2.5-mile race. She also earned a medal by placing 10th of the Class A runners.
Eighth-grader Maya McHugh finished strong in 17:39, also medalling with her 15th place finish in Class A. Ninth-grader Alyssa Martinson continued to be our reliable number 3 runner, placing 30th in 18:12. Abigale Seipke of Two Harbors continued to return to the form that made her our number 2 runner last year, placing 35th in 18:31. Rehabbing sophomore Matea Acero continued to work her way back up the ladder, finishing 48th in 19:27. Ruby Walsberg of Two Harbors was next for the Vikings in 19:54. First-year runner Melanie Stoddard rounded out the varsity team finishing in 21:52. The girls finished 4th in the team competition, trailing South Ridge, Esko and Crosby- Ironton. As an extra little plus, they actually out-ran AA teams Duluth Denfeld and Hermantown.
Our two exchange students from Austria both completed their seasons with excellent runs. Easy-going Sophie Honeder ran 20:38, a time that would have placed her well in the varsity race, while quiet and intense Patricia Mueck finished her career with a 23:38 run. Another of our stars from last year, working her way back from an injury, Morgan Weyrens-Welch, ran an excellent 21:08 in the JV race.
We had a dozen boys in the 260-runner combined Varsity/JV race. Senior Joey Chmelik led the Vikings again, placing 22nd overall and earning a medal for his 13th place in Class A with an 18:40 time in the 5-kilometer race. Sean MacDonell continued his outstanding improvement from last year, placing 31st in 19:35. Right behind was one of our two young, 8th grade stars from Two Harbors, Kiviok Hight, 34th in 19:37. Close behind was the other 8th grader, Jake Peron, who ran 20:01, good for 40th. Pete Summers placed next for the Vikings in 52nd with a time of 20:32. Two Harbors senior Owen Cruikshank completed the varsity boys’ team, running 22:16. The boys placed 5th in the team scoring, 4th among Section 7 teams.
Our six JV boys put in solid runs, placing 5th in the JV standings. Nate Carlson ran 21:29. 8th grader Finn Garry was next in 21:39. Two Harbors junior Everett Hommes continued his steady improvement with a 22:05. Rusty Day ran 22:11, Two Harbors Senior Drew Christensen ran 22:20, and Roman Schnobrich completed the team with a 23:02.
Seniors Audrey and Joey also had a chance to test out their Section 7A running strategies. Both are right on the line that separates going to state from not going. Audrey went out hard and tried to stay with South Ridge’s top runner Grace Otis. That didn’t work too well, as Grace finished 4th and Audrey was stuck in that tough position of trying to hang on for the last half of the race. She’s tough, so she was able to finish okay. She’ll try a new plan next time. Joey found a great pace, and beat three runners he hadn’t beaten all year. Hope he remembers that at Section.
Leave a Reply