ELY— Timberwolves runners made their mark here last Thursday as both the boys and girls put in one of their best performances of the season in blustery weather at the Ely Golf Course.
Freshman Molly Brophy, who has been a rising star all season for Ely, led the way for the girls. She blew away a field of 104 runners to claim the top spot in the 5K event with a time of 19.34.8, a full 22 seconds ahead of second place finisher Olivia Pascuzzi, of Chisholm.
“I’m so very happy for Molly as that was her best time ever,” said Ely Head Coach Jayne Dusich. Ely eighth-grader Mattie Lindsay finished in 14th place with a time of 21:41.2, while senior Claire Blauch crossed the line in 24th with a time of 22:09.7.
On the boys’ side, North Woods junior Alex Burckhardt, running for South Ridge, finished third among 158 runners from with a time of 17:25.4, while Ely’s Caid Chittum was close behind in fourth place with a time of 17:36. Ely junior Silas Solum posted one of his best finishes of the season with a time of 18:10.4, good for 13th place. Freshman Brenny Brooks picked up the pace as well, finishing in 26th place with a time of 18:54.5, while junior Eli Olson finished in 33rd with a time of 19:09.6.
In the team competition, Proctor and Rock Ridge duked it out on the girls’ side, taking first and second respectively with a mere four-point margin, 46-50 respectively. Ely finished third with 104 points.
For the boys, Cloquet finished first with 64 points to Rock Ridge’s 88. Ely took third with 117 points. South Ridge finished in 11th place with 332 points. Team scores are based on the combined places of each team’s top five finishers.
With the season winding down, Dusich said she’s narrowing down the team that will compete at sections. “While the top three runners in both boys and girls have been consistent, the next six runners have switched places around. I’m not sure who will run in sections yet, but only seven can race,” she said.
The section meet is set for Thursday, Oct. 26 in Coleraine.