ELY— Senior Jasper Johnston and sophomore Zoe Devine each blew away their respective competition during the Ely Skiathlon, held last Thursday at Hidden Valley.
Devine had strong support from teammates Phoebe Helm, Ava Skustad, and Julia Schwinghamer as the girls racked up 391 points to take first in the team competition against Carlton-Esko-Cromwell and Two Harbors. C-E-C was second with 381 points.
The boys were edged by C-E-C, 386-384.
Johnston, who had missed some earlier meets as he competed in Midwest regional competition, was in usual form during the combined freestyle and classic competition in Ely on Jan. 28, finishing the course in just 20:15, a full minute and 36 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher, Benjamin Bauer, of C-E-C. Ely junior Gabe Pointer finished in 21:57, just six seconds behind Bauer and nearly two minutes ahead of the fourth-place finisher.
Juniors Jon Hakala and Micah Larson finished in sixth and tenth respectively, but sheer numbers helped C-E-C hold the edge in the team competition.
For the girls, Devine’s finish of 25:31 topped her field by the exact same one minute and 36 seconds as Johnston. Halle Zuck, of C-E-C finished second, while Ely sophomore Phoebe Helms came in at third with a time of 27:34. Skustad, a freshman, took fourth with a time of 28:59 and Schwinghamer, a senior, finished in fifth with a time of 29:07. Sophomore Sydney Duncan, junior Gracie Pointer, and freshman Claire Blauch took tenth, eleventh, and twelfth respectively.
The Wolves Nordic skiers were set to compete again on Thursday, at Giants Ridge, against Duluth Denfeld and Mesabi East in classic competition. They’ll travel to Duluth next Thursday, Feb. 11, for a skate competition against Duluth East and C-E-C. Both events get underway at 11 a.m.