DULUTH— Ely skiers took the top spots in a tough field here on Tuesday, but both the boys and girls finished second overall on the challenging 5K Spirit Mountain course.
Ely junior Gabriel Pointer took first place in the varsity boys competition, with a time of 12:20.4. Jon Hakala finished in the fourth spot (13:07.8) and Micah Larson finished seventh (13:38.7).
For the girls, sophomore Zoe Devine dominated the field, finishing first with a time of 13:59.0. Phoebe Helms finished in sixth place and was the only other Ely competitor to finish in the top ten.
“Ely did well individually, but we’re definitely in a building year team-wise,” said Ely Head Coach Paula Anderson. The boys competed this week without their standout, Jasper Johnston, who was competing in the CXC Cup, a qualifying regional competition for the Junior Nationals in Cable, Wis. Johnston took first place in the classic competition during that event.
The Wolves faced more tough competition last Thursday, as they hosted both Grand Rapids and Mesabi East during their season debut held at Hidden Valley. Ely girls finished second in a tight classic contest, with a team score of 375, while the boys, competing without Johnston, finished third with a score of 286.
Grand Rapids took top honors in both the boys and girls competitions, with scores of 390 and 387 respectively.
“It went very well,” said Anderson. “It was so great to be able to race again.”
Pointer was the top Ely finisher, taking the third spot in the boys field with a time of 26:29. Junior Jon Hakala wasn’t far behind, finishing in fifth with a time of 28:02. Junior Micah Larson was the only other Ely boy in the top dozen, with a time of 29:47.
Sophomore Zoe Devine led the Ely girls, finishing in fourth place with a time of 29:50, while fellow sophomore Phoebe Helms finished in fifth with a time of 30:08. Junior Gracie Pointer finished in ninth with a time of 34:47, while senior Julia Schwinghamer and sophomore Cedar Ohlhauser took 11th and 12th respectively, with times of 36:09 and 36:20. Other Ely girls finishers included Sydney Durkin (14th; 37:28) and Abigail Thompson (18th: 39:00).
The Wolves are back in action next Thursday, Jan. 28, at a dual classic and skate competition. The location and start time for the event have yet to be determined.