DULUTH – Ely’s Nordic skiers brought home another one-two finish last weekend, continuing to show their strength ahead of next Thursday’s sectional competition.
The boys team, as they have done much of the season, took the top spot while the girls team finished in second at the Duluth East Invite this past Saturday.
The boys team, paced by Jasper Johnston with a first-place overall win in the combined 5K freestyle and classic pursuit races, scored 379 points, just ahead of Cloquet-Esko-Carlton with 373 points and Duluth East with 353.
The girls team, paced by Zoe Devine who finished third overall, placed second with 357 points. Duluth East won the girls division with 385 points. Mesabi East, with 354 points, finished third.
Johnston posted an overall time of 26:37.0 in the freestyle and classic race legs. Ely’s top boys racers included Nate Nettifee in seventh with a time of 29:02.8, followed closely by Gabriel Pointer in eighth with a time of 29:08.8, Ethan Bremner, 9th, at 29:12.8, and Raif Olson, 10th, at 29:51.1.
Other Timberwolves boys finishers included Micah Larson, 15th, at 30:02.1, Jon Hakala, 16th, at 30:04.3, and Adam Williamson, 81st, at 42:02.9
In the girls competition, Devine finished with a combined time of 32:22.0. Other Ely girls racers, with place and overall time, included Phoebe Helms, 10th, at 33:24.4, Brooke Pasmick, 11th, at 33:43.1, Cedar Ohlhauser, 24th, at 35:34.2, Ana Bercher, 28th, at 35:34.2, Sydney Durkin, 30th, at 35:49.3, Kalyssa Eilrich, 33rd, at 36:11.4, Cora Olson, 36th, at 36:31.1, Julia Schwinghamer, 40th, at 36:50.0, Gracie Pointer, 48th, at 38:05.0, Abigail Thompson, 56th, at 39:54.5, Juliet Stouffer, 62nd, at 40:59.8, Annikka Mattson, 66th, at 41:35.0, Sarah Isbell, 68th, at 42:02.8, Courtney Eilrich, 74th, at 43:02.8, Morgan McClelland, 75th, at 43:38.2, and Amelia Pluth, 81st, at 44:55.8.
The Timberwolves will host the Ely Pursuits on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Hidden Valley. Racing starts at 11 a.m. The Section 7 meet is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 6 at Giants Ridge.